Chapter Text
“…Sire?” The voice came from outside the gazebo. The voice was deep and very, very surprised. Horus looked up, a little annoyed. He hadn’t planned on ending this evening groping Athamyra in the gardens but now that he was, he didn’t really feel like being interrupted. The equally annoyed look on her face pleased him greatly.
“Yes, Hastur?” Horus’ eyebrows shot up as the rest of the Mournival appeared on the scene. “All of you?”
“Um, people are wondering where you went…” Hastur didn’t look at his sire, possibly because his sire’s hands were still firmly surrounding Lady Athamyra’s rear.
“Are they?” He sighed. He would have to make another appearance in the party and bid farewell to the hostess, to do otherwise would be insufferably rude. The thought of having Abaddon throw Athamyra over his shoulder and toss her in their shuttle was becoming more and more appealing by the moment but was also probably somewhat of a political faux pas. Still, it would get her alone and when they were alone… they could see where the night took them.
“And where her ladyship went. There will be talk.” Tarik pointed out, with barely a smirk.
“Will you tell anyone?” Horus asked, eyes narrowed.
“Well, no…” Hastur looked awkwardly to the side.
“What the dear Captain means is that we went missing together and now everyone will wonder what we were doing and the most entertaining assumption also happens to be true.” Athamyra commented. “Don’t look at me like that, you kissed me first.”
“If you weren’t so damn infuriating-“
“Oh, blame me, yes, the girl one fifth your mass forced it on you, everyone will believe that.”
“I don’t recall you resisting.” He pointed out.
“Just because I didn’t start it doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. Besides, I won the argument, why should I be mad?”
“You did not win, I don’t know how you got that idea.”
“When a man would rather kiss you than continue arguing, it means he can think of nothing more to say.”
“That’s not true-“
“I assure you, I have more experience arguing with men who are inclined to kiss me. Captain Sejanus here doesn’t strike me as the type. Some of the others though...”
Horus and the majority of the Mournival gaped at her. Tarik, it seemed, was trying not to laugh.
“What?” Athamyra said with feigned innocence.
“The Luna Wolves don’t hold to such decadent practices.” Aximand said stiffly. The effect of his disapproval was somewhat weakened by Torgaddon jokingly eyeing Abaddon, who just glared back. Sejanus was turning progressively darker shades of pink.
“Oh I’m sure some do, you just don’t know about it. People are people, even Astartes.”Athamyra waved off his objections.
“I’d appreciate it if you stopped speculating about the private lives of my Legion.” Horus said sternly.
“Mm, I think I am part of the private life of your Legion now. Unless you don’t want to kiss me again?” She moved to turn away from him, a playful smile at her lips as she reached for her glass. However, it was no longer there. She frowned.
Horus growled under his breath and pulled her hard against him, thoroughly distracting her. Abaddon froze, Torgaddon chuckled and Aximand sighed. Sejanus continued to blush for the four of them.
“I didn’t think so. It would be a damn shame if you didn’t want to kiss me, it’s quite fun.”
“Um, regardless, sire, you might want to rejoin the party. I am sure that there will be other times you two can, um, socialize.” Sejanus managed.
“I’ll socialize him, all right. He needs it.” Athamyra joked, a mischievous smile on her lips. Sejanus turned bright red and Horus just stared, his eyes darkening.
“Do I?”
“I think so.”
“And as we know, my lady is always right.” He rolled his eyes.
“Of course!” Regardless, she was flattered he called her ‘my lady’ in that way.
“Though in this case, my Captain is right and we should return to the party. For now.”
“Unfortunately, yes. Though we should continue this… discussion later. There is a question, though. I am watched, as are you. Our movements will be remarked upon.” She seemed smug about this prospect.
“I don’t particularly care if people find out.” Horus pointed out.
“You might want to check with your Father before you throw caution to the wind.” She warned him.
“Having doubts?” He raised his eyebrows.
“No, I just don’t want to be at the business end of your Father’s disapproval.” She pointed out, eyeing the guns of the Mournival meaningfully.
“Mm. Point. I’ll talk to Him about it.” Horus replied, stroking his chin.
“I imagine He already knows, so you’ll just be explaining it.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Do you think you’re not watched?” She feigned a laugh as she glanced away from the spot her glass had been. “I cannot see them, but I’m sure someone He trusts is watching our every move.”
* * *
+She knows.+
“Of course she knows, my Emperor. She grew up on Terra, paranoia is in the water along with ambition.” Chief Companion Valens pointed out as he listened to and watched the feeds from the ball. The Emperor decided not to comment that He too grew up on Terra.
+Who is she? I know her political ambitions, but where did she come from?+
Valens tapped a few keys on the cogitator, passing through several stages of security. “She’s the heir of the Rajal family, from the Pan-Pacific Empire. Her older brother and her parents were killed in the sack of Narthan Dume’s capital. She was hidden in the mountains, apparently, and discovered a week later. Her steward reportedly opened the gates in exchange for his life. The Thunder Warrior in charge of the assault shot him for being a coward, and marched the girl and her governess out of the stronghold. She was… four, it says. She doesn’t remember much before the mountain stronghold according to the interviews. Her paperwork appears to be in order. Birth certification, naming documents, investiture papers… no genetic comparisons, but reportedly there was nothing left of her parents to compare them against.”
There was a light knock on the door. “Yes?” Valens called absently. A moment later a young Sister of Silence entered his headquarters at the top of the Hegemon Tower.
She startled when she saw the Emperor, but then quickly folded an Aquila in greeting. He nodded quietly in reply, after which she moved to Valdor.
- I have brought something that might aid our investigation. – She signed, the hint of a smile edging onto her features as she produced a cloth wrapped item from her hip satchel. She held it out to Valdor.
Valdor took it carefully and unwrapped it, revealing a wine glass. “Lady Athamyra’s?”
- Yes. – She replied.
“Are you certain?” Valdor inquired as he put it onto the cogitator’s scanner.
The young Sister scowled magnificently at the Chief Companion.
A faint smile flitted across the Emperor’s unknowable features before a more serious expression returned to His ageless face. +There is something about the lady that doesn’t seem right. Dig deeper. + He nodded in the young Sister’s direction, who beamed in reply. + And start running her gene-sample against the datebase.+
“The Thunder Warriors are all dead, I cannot interview them,” Valdor replied. “I will take a look at her additional documentation and run searches on her name in addition to the genetic analysis.”
+Do so.+
“Yes, my Emperor.”
* * *
They re-entered the party separately, several minutes apart, from different doors. That stopped no one from gossiping and wondering, though never directly to either of their faces. Athamyra directed all conversation away from what happened. Sejanus’s blushing, though, gave everything away. That man could not lie to save his life, she decided. It would have been almost adorable, if it wasn’t so annoying.
She headed home to her upper spire suite a few hours later. In the lift-car, she leaned back against the seat with a sigh. Her life had just gotten more complicated. What was she thinking? Going somewhere alone with him gave him the upper hand. She did her best work with an audience, and without one he could exercise his strength in the form of his overpowering charisma.
It was nice, though. He was naïve even as he was stunningly intelligent, strong and yet blind in his own way. It was… charming. Rustic, almost. The simplicity of his views was seductive to an over-sophisticated palette. She had to be careful. She should never have let him kiss her- for all she knew, her thoughts about him were the result of some kind of psychoactive substance produced in his saliva. You never knew what sort of fail-safes the Emperor had built into his sons.
But it had been so nice, though. He obviously knew what he was doing and there was something intoxicating about making so mighty a man slip control. His possessive growl… oh, it made her shiver just thinking about it.
Was she really so bound by her instinct that jealousy was attractive to her? She’d always found such emotions dangerous and primitive, but with him it made her want to fan the flames just to watch them burn. This was dangerous.
He was dangerous. Like a wolf on a leash, docile until roused to anger. The strength of a demigod bound into physical form, a hurricane in a bottle ready to sweep away his enemies. She imagined, for a moment, what an unstoppable force they would be together. She had all the subtlety he lacked, all the political acumen that he thought he would never need.
No. She had to stop this line of thought. She didn’t even like him that much. He was infuriating, martial, unsubtle, and not even really human. He was not a man that one liked idly as if one were a teenaged girl sighing over a favourite singer or player. He could be admired, hated, feared, respected, adored, but like was for boys and he was definitely a man.
A really sexy, annoying, and not entirely human man.
He lingered in her thoughts as she entered her suite and dismissed her servants to their quarters. She poured herself a measure of fine amesac and looked out the glass-paneled wall of her sitting room. The air traffic and spires of Terra shone in the night like a sea of flickering, bioluminescent creatures and coral. With the fog of pollution, it truly did look like it was underwater, drowning in its own waste.
Ah, home.
What was she going to do now? Maybe the Emperor would talk him out of it. She felt a pang of loss at the thought. Still, it would be better than having to do it herself. Though some part of her, some deep animalistic part of her, wanted to see where it went, to put him to the test. She’d had her share of men, mostly courtesans, but they were only entertaining on a purely physical level and that pleasure paled quickly.
Maybe she just wanted what she couldn’t have, and even if Horus didn’t recognize it, he was something she couldn’t have. She tried to put him from her mind and focus on the days ahead. She flipped through her planner absent-mindedly. Meetings, parties, sessions of the Council of Terra, Representative Sing wanted to talk her to her about something, and there was the annual swearing of loyalty to the Emperor in a month.
Enough to keep her distracted.
* * *
Horus wasn’t exactly sure what witchcraft that woman had worked on him, but whatever it was, he liked it. He paced in his quarters at the palace, having waved off the apologies of Sejanus. He wasn’t sure what to do. He’d never even considered courting a woman before. He wasn’t inexperienced, but he’d tired of the activity quickly. It lacked a certain spark, a certain challenge.
She had that spark. She stood up to him, argued with him, infuriated him with her unwillingness to see, but it all made him more interested. He was sure eventually he would tire of her company, as he had of nearly every mortal, but for now he wanted more of it. A lot more.
+Horus+
“Good evening, father.” Horus answered to the empty air, knowing his father could hear him all the same.
+How did it go?+
“Well enough. I would much prefer a battle to the social games of Terra. Though I was able to talk to Lady Athamyra again. That was interesting.”
+I see.+
“Were you watching?” Horus frowned.
+ I won’t leave your safety to chance+
“What do you think?” Horus asked, though he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know.
+She’s a curious creature+
“And..?” Surely there was more to it than that, Horus thought.
+Her past will be investigated+
Horus’ frown deepened slightly. He was not entirely sure how he felt about his father running a background check on a lady he had barely met. “She’s an Imperial Ward,” he said then. “Shouldn’t her background be well-documented?”
+Supposedly+
“What is your opinion?”
+You have the right to make your own choices, but she is playing games.+
“I don’t think she was playing games.” Horus’s smile was a little smug.
+Perhaps+
“I know how capable she is.” Horus tried not to sound defensive, or feel defensive, for that matter. Surely, his father would know.
+Do you?+
“I think there is little she cannot do if she puts her mind to it.”
+A wise assumption+
“She is afraid of your wrath, though,” Horus admitted. It had not been difficult to see that her anger was not directed at him, not truly. It had been directed through him, to his father. He had not failed to notice how she ever said ‘the’ and not ‘my’ or even ‘our’ Emperor.
+She is wise. She may back away from you+
“You would prefer that.” Horus said, unable to keep his expression or mind neutral.
+Not necessarily+
“She should not fear you,” he said then. “And I don’t want her to back away from me.” He swallowed adding: ‘because of that’. And realized that by thinking it he had said it anyway.
+From power flows fear+
“True. But… she’s not afraid of me.” Horus frowned again.
+It is this that what worries me+
“I see.” Horus replied slowly. Then added, “I will keep seeing her, unless you object?”
+Not yet+