Lareth's room

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

As she returned to bed, Lareth was just waking up. He gave a short growl and pulled her close.

"too early....guess I didn't sex you up enough to make you unable to walk...darn it..."

Lareth opened a sleepy eye and gave a yawn.
"Morning gorgeous..."  

[Red Gypsy]

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Cynthia just smiled at his growl and relaxed in his arms, "Morning handsome. Sorry for waking you up," she said softly and snuggled in against him. She loved feeling his strong arms around her, loved it when he held her like this.

"You can go back to sleep. I'm not going anywhere today," she added, knowing that he needed his rest after he'd been so busy the day before. She felt bad for waking him up like that and hoped it wouldn't become a regular thing like it had before.  

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Lareth held her still as he turned his head and yawned again.
"No need to apologize. I needed to get up anyway."

Lareth slid a hand down her bare side his hand resting on her hip.
"MMm....as much as I like the thought of you not going anywhere today and remaining in my bed, I on the other hand, have to sadly vacate this comfort.

I got some work to do today. There is much to be done..."

If any of the barons replied, he would have a few days to ready the castle for their arrival and meeting on the issue of Cynthia's pardon. Then if things went well, he planned a small party where hopefully he could ask her something.

He nibbled on her shoulder.

"I do hope to get a free moment around lunch...perhaps we can share lunch time together?"  

[Red Gypsy]

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Cynthia shivered under his attentions and smiled, "Lunch sounds wonderful. I can go talk to the chef about it and have it ready for you when you get a break from your work," she told him softly and gave his lips a brief kiss then grinned at him, "But I think I'd better get out of this bed or you're not going to," she added to tease him, unable to resist it.

She slid out of the bed and his arms and headed for the closet to slide on a simple robe before tackling the job of brushing her hair out. Since she hadn't braided it down last night, it was a tangled mess this morning and desperately needed brushing before she could even consider showering.

"Besides, I wanted to check on Hal this morning. See how he's doing," she told him, doing her best to let Lareth know she was worried about the older demon without saying that she knew what was wrong with him.  

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As she slid on a simple robe and set to work on combing out her hair, Lareth rolled out of bed and got up cracking his back.

"Ugh....don't want to get up."

Lareth went to the bathroom and washed up, taking his time in the shower allowing the hot water to soak in. When he was done, he dried and dressed before he went back to the room and found Cynthia still combing her hair. He went over and kissed her cheek.

"I will have someone bring you breakfast. I will see you later."

Lareth grabbed up the letters he had written last night and headed out the door to begin the day.

Today was going to be busy and he still had to check on Gypsy. Since she moved to the fort he barely saw her. He would have to drop by and see if his troops were still alive. He knew how tough she could train.

Lareth went and hit the kitchen first and grabbed a bite to eat before he found his courier and sent his mail off. Then he was off looking for Hal.

They needed to talk.  

[Red Gypsy]

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Cynthia saw him off with a smile as she finished brushing out her hair then headed to take her own shower. That took up a little time then she was braiding her hair and getting dressed in one of the many dresses Hal'd had made for her, the caring touch of that bringing a soft smile to her face.

As she tightened the laces in front, she thought about her former lover and old friend. She'd learned long ago to recognize the signs in an older demon that they were aging too rapidly, something that didn't happen very often anymore but still managed to take over a few each year. That Hal was one of those few only made the ache in her heart over it that much worse and wondered yet again what she could do to help him continue for a little while longer at the least.

She heard one of the servants enter behind her and set down the tray of breakfast Lareth had requested for her and thanked them softly as she continued to consider Hal's condition and the possible solutions, not realizing it when the 'servant' didn't leave as her gaze found the garden through the window.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

((are you being kidnapped again? ))  

[Red Gypsy]

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((I have no idea. I just wrote the post. lol))  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

As she was pre-occupied, the servant nodded to the two others who came with him. He snuck up behind her and twisted an arm around her back and used the other to cover her mouth.

He whispered to her as the other two who were females entered and shut the doors and stood guard.

"Shh....calm down. Consider this your only warning madam. We do not want you here....you have turned our king into some soft dottering sod who seems to only have his eyes on you. We served him for years and we do not need some soft king ruling this realm.

We are demons, not flower and daisy picking ninnies...and as such, our king needs to be focused on protecting his people and striking fear into those who would oppose him. He lost much of that when you came into the picture flouncing yourself in front of him and in his bed."

He growled.
"Your not strong enough to be our queen or our mistress....you couldn't even carry his heirs to term."

Even though Lareth and Hal had not said anything to anyone, word always gets out about what happens in the castle among the staff. The only bit of good news was that any and all gossip of the castle never ever left the castle as all the servants were afraid of Hal and Lareth.  

[Red Gypsy]

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Nice! Thank you!

Cynthia gave a small cry of pain that was muffled by the hand over her mouth. She was about to simply blast the idiot when he started talking. But it was the news about the miscarriage that had her reacting in pure fury.

She didn't react with fire since most demons were immune to it. No, she gave them something very different and very lethal. It was one of the few powers that had made Lareth's father put her under the death sentence. Torrents of emerald flames went up around the other two to keep them from going anywhere, while the one holding her died screaming as he was consumed to ash in mere moments.

She turned to the other two with her soft green eyes giving off a soft glow while her face held a hard expression, "Choose now. Die like him or face your king," she told them simply, proving that she could defend herself to a certain extent. It helped that these three had vastly underestimated her.

"And if you think Lareth has gone weak, I'd suggest you choose to face him. After all, he might let you live," she added, knowing that they faced death either way.

Besides, she needed to have a little talk with Lareth about what he hadn't told her...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

One of the females spit at her.
"I would rather die than serve you, you wretched b***h. You say that Lareth has not gone soft, yet he has! You have not been pardoned by the barons or Lareth! Your still under the death sentence, his father imposed upon you all those years ago and yet he allows you to live and strut around here like you own the place!"

The other one was crying and she shook her head.
"Kill me....I have betrayed my king by being allowed to be manipulated by these two. I wasn't sure about having you as a mistress but it seems more has happened in this realm, since you came to it.....the burning of the villages and dead demons, and many children who have no relatives are being raised in a secret part of the castle...I do not know why I thought he was abandoning his kingdom as it was under attack....and that is why I cannot face him. I lost my faith because of two gossipers.....I am so sorry my lady but kill me."  

[Red Gypsy]

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They'd made their choices, but Cynthia still had to make her own. She kept the fire surrounding them, "Very well... You will both die... But not until Lareth arrives to learn about this directly from the both of you," she informed them then headed for the door to send a guard for him who looked a bit puzzled over the situation.

He was clueless about their plans, of course, merely taking them for servants sent up with food and to clean the room. But he went looking for Lareth anyway as Cynthia went back into the room to sit down in the chair beside the fireplace to wait.  

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The guard had found Lareth in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee in his hands as he was fighting a small hangover off. When the guard explained the situation Lareth paled.

He left his coffee and let the guard know that if he heard explosions or him screaming later, not to bother as he was going to somehow be paying for doing something wrong.

Lareth entered his room and noticed the two maids within Cynthia's green flames and a hot steaming pile of ash near her. He shut the doors and warded them before he looked to the maids who made no eye contact before he looked to Cynthia.

"What's going on?>"  

[Red Gypsy]

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Cynthia gestured to the two maids and the pile of ash, "I've just been warned that I'm turning you soft, lover. That I'm strutting around here like I own the place just because I share your bed. I've been told to leave and allow you to rule your people properly instead of as a soft-headed fool. And that I'm not strong enough to be their queen, that I wasn't even strong enough to carry your heirs," she told him in a soft and very calm voice.

"They've opted to die by my hand but I felt that you deserved to hear the whole thing directly from the two that remain before I do so," she added, letting him know why the two maids were still alive, one of them crying even harder now while the other just glared at him.

"When you decide what to do with them, do let me know. I'll be taking a shower to wash the rest of the ash off," she continued in that same very calm voice as she got up and headed into the bathroom, dropping the green flames on the way.

She knew that the angry woman would attempt something but knew Lareth could handle it. The other one might be salvageable. It was up to him at this point. Besides, he still had to explain the comment about her not able to carry his heirs, something she hadn't been told about...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Lareth watched her leave and knew she was furious. Then to have her know about the loss of the twins had him shaking in anger at the two before him.

He let them explain what had happened and why they went after Cynthia. When it was all said and done he made a decision. The crying one received his mercy and was given a quick death. When he was done with her, not even ash remained.

As for the angry one...he would show her how wrong she was to think he was soft. He took her to the dungeons and for the next few hours he had her screaming and begging for death.

He didn't give it to her. He left her sealed in the dungeon cell where had broken her mind, body, and soul.

He returned to his room to find Cynthia still in tje bathroom and he knocked before entering.

"....I am sorry you were attacked in the one place you were supposed to be safe...and I am very sorry. "