Sincere Loving in Mystical Euphoria [slime girl, "rape"]

Sincere Loving in Mystical Euphoria
Working title: Crossbow Wedding


	Thadeus Diane Argile of House Argile, Archduke of Colmac, Baron of Trask and North Undervale, fourth in line for the Throne of the Kingdom of Westmoor, cousin and bloodbrother to the His Majesty Charles Argile VI, awoke that morning with several blades at his neck. He was hauled, roughly and by the neck, completely naked, across the well appointed room at the chateau he has spent the night in, through the hall, down the stairs, and into the streets where several of his personal guards were bound and gagged and sitting cross legged.  Just as he was thrown into the dust, a squadron of Royal Lancers charged in from an adjoining street and into the courtyard.  They were met by the raised and drawn bows of an equal number of impressively large Centaur Knights.  This slowed them not, but the pair of Naguard Warrioresses, fearsome creatures with human-like upper bodies, four arms, and the well muscled coils of a gargantuan snake instead of legs at either side of the distraught and disoriented Thadues, whom had so recently hauled him to the street, brought their silver halberds down against his neck, stopping a fraction of an inch above his skin.  The Lancers slewed to a halt, but behind them a troop of spearmen were marching at double pace and close order.

	The Lancer's officer demanded the extraspecies troops lay down their arms and surrender the Archduke into his custody.  In the distance, a wailing shriek betrayed the oncoming arrival of a full flight of Harpy Skyclaws.  A third Naguard, this one's bronze helm topped with a bright red plume, slithered forward and raised a parchment above her head.  Opening it, she read aloud the warrant, countersigned by representatives of three Races of the Extraspecies Pact, that gave her soldiers the right to hold the young Argile in bondage until such time as his trial could be convened.  She told the Lancers that any attempt to interfere would be a direct violation of the Human-Extraspecies Concord of 1233; tantamount to a declaration of war.

	The Lancer captain demanded to know the charge.

	"Rape," the fearsome naga said with a sneer that oozed venom like an open wound, "of a Lady of a High House of the Pact."

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

	The evening before, Thadeus had arrived at Chateau De'paradiso in high spirits.  As part of a Westmoor's delegation to the 23rd Grand Council of Free Races, which had over two decades ago brought a tenuous peace between mankind's and the extraspecies' realms, Thadeus had been assured a reservation at the most prestigious, and expensive, accommodations in the region. He bayed his fellows goodnight with a final farewell glass of wine and dismissed his escorting squadron of Lancers to their duties.  His housecarl had proclaimed the Archduke's arrival and Thadeus had waited in patient amusement as the flustered young woman at the front desk scrambled to hand him the key to his royal suite. Moving on without another word, he marched up the stairs and to the room corresponding with the numbered key.

	Passing through the door, he noted with satisfaction that traveling boxes had already been brought to his room.  Faint light from an open door told him that, as he had requested, a bath had been drawn for him.  Pausing only to snatch up and uncork a convenient bottle of red wine, of a surprisingly good year he noticed in passing, the young noble sauntered into the beautifully decorated and expansive bathroom.

	He staggered slightly as he walked, the alcohol touching him more than he had realized. The room was poorly lit by a single lamp, but there was enough to see by.  Thadeus made his way to the tub, a brass affair standing on little feet wrought to look like nude women holding it up upon their backs.  He ran a few fingers over the surface of the water, pleased that it was nice and hot.

	"Lovely," he said. "Lovely."

	The young noble placed his glass on the lip of the tub and walked to the large mirror on the wall.  He ran a hand over the stubble on his chin, noting to himself that he'd need to get it shaved. Thadeus began to hum a cheery little tune as he undid his collar and doublet, stripping it of his lean shoulders and tossing his silken shirt onto a nearby chair.  Flexing an arm and striking a pose, he admired the defined lines of his pectorals and biceps.  He was, by all accounts, especially his own, a handsome young man. Tall, with a strong jaw, golden brown hair and just enough of a tan show he was a sportsman, but not common, made for many swooning ladies at court.

	Thadeus continued to hum as he kicked off his boots and stripped out of his black riding trousers. He leaned down to get at his socks and tripped backwards, knocking gently against the tub. The wineglass tumbled into bath and he chuckled as the dark liquid dissipated into nothingness.

	"Hope you wanted some, too," he said.  "I've probably had too much already, anyway."

	His finger twirled in circles on the surface of the water. He rose to his full height and dipped a toe in, then lowered it further.  Gingerly, he eased the rest of his leg down and pulled the other in along side it.  Placing a hand on each side of the tub, he allowed his body to sink below the surface, inching slowly.

	"That," Thadeus moaned, "feels amazing."

	He rested his head back and soaked, flexing his fingers and toes under the surface with his eyes closed. After a good half hour, Thadeus felt his skin start to tingle.  Even his gentle movements were starting to cause the soapy water to go frothy with bubbles. Sighing, not wanted to deal with wrinkled skin all night, Thadeus reluctantly rose from the water and stepped out of the tub.

	The young noble stretched his back and gathered up a towel. He dried quickly, very quickly, and tossed aside the barely damn towel.

	"Just what I needed," he mumbled. Bending down he snatched up the bottle of wine and took a long swig.  On a whim, he wiped his mouth and then poured a generous helping into the foamy water.  "In case you're still thirsty."  He felt he was oh-so witty when tipsy, as his father used to say.

	With that he sauntered back into the bedroom, threw the covers on the bed aside, fell face down, and promptly passed out.


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

	By noon, it seemed half the delegates and their accompanying escort troops had heard of the scandal and were preparing for an all out melee. Runners and carrier pigeons were set loose with all haste.  Only a quick and well worded proposal form Thadeus's uncle, his mother's brother, had averted the bloody skirmishes everyone dreaded were about to erupt all over the region.

	Thadeus would, for the time being, remain in the extraspecies' custody, but would be allowed to dress and converse with his legal representative; his uncle, in this case.  Within the hour, a small council of nobles from each side would decide his fate.  In no uncertain words, it was made abundantly clear to young Thadeus that his personal future was secondary to the prospect of avoiding outright war.

	"Fool," said his uncle. "Foolish, foolish boy. Crook a finger at any whore in the kingdom and you can have her at half price.  Smile at any maid or serving wench or farm girl and you can have her for free. Talmae help me, but no, that won't do for young Thadeus. No, you feel it necessary to force yourself upon a noble lady, and one of the monstrous races at that, on the eve of the only event that keeps the continent from erupting in all out war! Prey tell, boy, was she good? Was it worth it, you stupid bastard?!"

	"I didn't do anything," Thadeus protested, acutely aware of the naga guards stationed outside his 'cell,' actually a lesser guest room at the chateau. "I received my key, went to my room, took a bath, and went to bed. I did nothing else."

	"Sure, sure. And the witnesses that claim to have seen you demand the girl's room key and storm up the stairs are all lying, then?"

	"All I did was ask for the royal suite!"

	"Well, fine then. So let's just assume, for sake of argument, that you got the wrong key. You find a girl in the room and don't even ask why she's there? You just go ahead and fuck her? What, did you think she was your complementary whore?!"

	"There was no girl in the room!"

	"Boy, if you fuck a woman, you should at least have the decency to call her what she is.  Not considering her a person... damn, boy, that kind of thinking will get half the army killed!  Besides, if she was good enough to stick your dick in, then you must have found her a little attractive."  His uncle gave him an appraising look. "Never figured you for a monster-rocker, though. What was she, eh? What kind of exotic ass made you go at her? Centaur? Lamia?  Talmae help me, she wasn't one of those spider things, was she?"

	"Wait, what are you- no, never mind.  Uncle, there was no one in the room. No human, no centaur, no nothing! I was all alone! I just took a bath, and went to bed."

	"Boy, your only chance of getting out of this with a head on your shoulders it to come clean and beg for mercy like you've never begged before."  He leaned close to whisper in his nephew's ear.  "Honestly, I don't know if that'll do any good. You know your cousin Charlie, it doesn't matter what this council decides. He loves you like a brother. If so much a drop of your blood is spilled he'll raise every damn soldier in Westmoor in arms to get revenge.  If that happens, well, you know how long it will take the Kirts and the Varaghites and all the rest to follow. With all this going on, I'd bet even the Imarians would join in."  He sighed. "It's not like the old days, anymore. Now these monsters all fight as one. Back when I was your age, we could battle one tribe, maybe two, and win every time. Each has weaknesses you can exploit, we had the numbers, but together they cover those shortcomings up and it's a level playing field. Worse, actually. They can trust each other not to stab each other in the back, unlike us. Boy, Thadeus, what were you thinking? You KNOW all this! That's why your cousin sent you here in his stead. I thought we could trust you..."

	"Uncle, please, listen to me. I. Did. Not. Rape. ANYONE." The earnestness in his eyes gave his uncle pause, but his response was cut short by the guard.

	"You're wanted in the main hall, scumsucker," she said.

	Minutes later he and his uncle were standing in the center of a large, well lit room at the front of the chateau. Above them were representatives from each nation that could arrive in time.  There was an Imarian woman, wearing the distinctive, lightly colored robes of her homeland that never seemed to cover up quite everything; a gruff and disappointed looking old Westmoorian baron, a distant relative if Thadeus remembered correctly; a childlike figure with green feathered wings that just had to be a harpy; a purple tailed lamia with dark hair and piercing eyes; and several others. For some reason, someone had left a large silver basin on one of the otherwise empty chairs.  The stern looks he was universally receiving from his judges snapped him back to the matter at hand.

	Thadeus was starting to feel distinctly nervous. They were all taking this farce far, far too seriously.

	"Let us begin," opened the presiding council member, the lady lamia that he had noticed earlier.  "I am Queen Irazzimyzzanialaranarazzalara, of the Lamia Tribe."  Thadeus gulped, recognizing the name of the fierce and outspoken warrior queen who had had, in many ways, been the catalyst who had originally brought the Extraspecies Pact into being.  At first backed by only a small contingent from the centaur and slime tribes, she had forged the disparate extraspecies tribes in a military alliance that, while numerically inferior to the humans, were finally a force powerful enough to bring Man to the bargaining table. That she headed this little council did not bode well.

	Each of the other delegates named themselves and the trial began, simple as that.

	"What do you have to say for yourself, boy?" The queen's voice, and the look in her eye, were not what Thadeus expected. She looked... resigned. Weary. She looked as though disappointed to find the peace she had worked so hard to forge slipping away, to find Mankind in generally to be exactly what she had spent her life hoping He was not.

	"Your majesty," Thadeus began, falling into the well practiced persona of easy confidence and charm he had been trained from childhood to present, "lords, ladies, this has all been a grievous misunderstanding."

	The sharp intakes of breath and hardening stares told Thadeus he had made a grievous mistake of his own.

	"Are you claiming," the Lamia Queen said, very slowly, "that Lady Misa, daughter of my good friend and closest ally, is... lying? Lying about being raped?"

	"Yes. Err, I mean no. Maybe she was mistaken? About who it was?"  His facade was crumbling under the bombardment of the Queen's merciless eyes.

	"So you're calling her a moron."

	"What? No, NO! Just, umm... Don't I have the right to face my accuser?"

	The queen blinked. "She's been here the whole time."  With a weighty sigh, she said, "Mira, dear, please tell the court what you told me."

	Nothing happened.

	"Mira, I know it is difficult to speak in front of such august company," she paused, "and especially about such... difficult matters, but this is very important."

	"O-okay..." the voice was thin and it barley warbled down to Thadeus.  The Westmoorian noble glanced around, looking for the source.  After a few awkward moments, he noticed the silver basin begin to shudder. Swiftly, the queen slid from her seated position and over to the basin, compassionately placing an arm over it like a mother hen.

	"Deary, it will all be over soon. I am here for you," she whispered soothingly.

	Slowly, gingerly, something began to peak over the lip of the basin. Blue and opaque, the surface was wet and slippery.  Eventually, the mass congealed into a vaguely humanoid shape.  A rough outline of a body began to form, head and shoulders and the barest hint of breasts.  "That's good, dear," said the queen.

	By the time the figure had formed a thin mass of long, wavy hair and two slender arms, which were curled in front of her hand to hand in a protective gesture, Thadeus's mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide as a canyon.

	"Oh," he said. "Ooooooohhh."

	His uncle, still at his side, had a similar reaction. So, he thought, that's what happened.

	Over the next several minutes, Mira, princess of the Slime Tribe, told the court her version of the events of the night before.  She had traveled far that day, and the days before, and was tired from her journey. When she arrived at the Chateau De'paradiso, the young lady went straight to 'bed' without eating.  Bed, for her kind, being the luxuriously large and pristine and clean brass bathtub.

	As she had requested, the tub had been partially filled with hot water; all the better to wash away the rigors of her travel.  In her partially dissolved state, a slime's preferred means of resting, she had not realized Thadeus had entered her room until he was already in the bathroom, running fingers over her body.

	The extraspecies members of the court flinched in anger, but Thadeus's uncle noticed with a keen eye the way young Mira quivered when she spoke of it, and made careful note of the word she used to describe the act. "Gentle," she had said.

	Thadeus, on the other hand, was simply trying to make his brain worked. Had all this really happened? What was he going to do?  Why did the slime-thing's body lose its clarity of form each time it glanced in his direction?

	Mira went on to say how, though she was still trying to wake up, she remembered him forcing her to down a whole glace of wine, more than she had ever had at one time before, while calling her, "lovely."  Then he had paraded his naked body around her, as if showing off his physique.

	"W-when I did not act," she squeaked, trembling in the equivalent of a blush, "h-he... he went inside me." The harpy representative fainted and it took several minutes to restore order in the court as everyone cried out against Thadeus at once. Mira, in the excitement, had lost almost all cohesion of her form.  Her nose and ears and mouth had all but disappeared, leaving only her eyes clear and defined.  Thadeus's uncle, still trying to keep up, noticed what she was staring at with such intensity.  Thadeus.

	It was a gamble, but he had a plan.

	"Ladies and gentlemen of the court," he bellowed, throwing an arm around his nephew's shoulder and covertly transferring a little box from his pocket to Thadeus's with his free hand.  "If I may interject, for a moment."  Eventually, the room quieted as the nobles listened to hear the man speak.  "When I was first informed of these events, I, like many of you, was shocked and outraged.  But, I was not fully aware of all the facts until I was able to interview my nephew in private only moments ago." He paused for dramatic effect. "I can safely say now that, although he was boorishly inarticulate in stating so, this is all, indeed, a misunderstanding."

	He waited for the outraged to die down, then continued.  "My nephew, it seems, is somewhat of a hopeless romantic. Yes, romantic, I say.  He is also, I must inform you, a student of history.  But, alas, he is a fool that does not consider the wider implications of his actions.  You see, in my nation's history, all but forgotten now, we once had a most... unusual custom. That custom, if my pronunciation is correct, was called, 'spartana.'"  He directed Thedeus to get on his knees. Timing was crucial at this point, and he was grateful that his nephew seemed to be acting mindlessly, far too out of his depth, and letting his uncle direct his actions.

	"I must ask you to forgive my nephew on several accounts. First, that he is a fool. Second, that he is young. Third, that he is a shy and innocent boy at heart, and the events today have dragged him into the reality of life, rather than the bliss of innocent fiction.  Please, allow him to make amends in a more traditional way, this time taking into account that old practices of our people have no standing in the eyes of the wider world."  He whispered an order to Thadeus, who removed the little box automatically and was as stunned to see it in his hand as everyone else, save his uncle.

	"For you see, the fourth thing he must be forgiven for is being a young fool... in love!"  The timing was perfect. Thadeus, curious despite himself, had opened the box at the same time his uncle finished speaking.  He revealed to the crowd a splendid golden ring with a massive diamond surrounded by rubies and tiny sapphires.  In the well lit room, it sparkled like a lost treasure form antiquity.  That the ring had been originally intended as a gift of well wishing form King Charles to Queen Irazzimyzzanialaranarazzalara, was no longer important. Thadeus's uncle was merely grateful to have kept it in his pocket for the duration of the trip to keep it safe.

	"Lords and ladies," he continued, "sparana is an antiquated form of marriage proposal no longer practiced for its... impracticality and... blunt nature."  At his side, Thadeus was staring at the ring with a blank expression on his face.  "In spartana, a man would propose to a woman by, well... to be equally blunt, taking her. If the woman would fight back, or call for help, he would desist and flee."  He placed a hand on Thadeus's shoulder. "Poor Thadeus here, I am sorry to say, may be an accomplished scholar, but he is frightfully naive about the world at large. He seemed to have thought that, just because HE knew about the old practice, that everyone ELSE did as well. Once more, he eventually came to think of it as.. romantic, in a way."

	"So," said the queen in a clearly disbelieving voice, "you're saying young Mira's rape was... a marriage proposal?"

	Thadeus's head shot up and stared at the regal lamia, then up at his uncle. He opened his mouth to speak, but was slapped on the back, hard, before he could get the words out.

	"On his honor and mine, yes," said his uncle. "When noble Lady Mira failed to act as he presented himself to her, Thadeus mistook her fearful shock as acceptance. As I have said, he is a fool."  He turned to the basin holding Lady Mira, where she now glanced out with only her eyes showing.  "My lady, if you can find it in your tender heart to forgive my foolish nephew his brutish, foolish act, please have mercy on him.  Cast him not from your sight like a mange-ridden dog, but accept him into your life. Lady Mira, would you take Thadeus Diane Argile to be your husband?"

	In the silence that followed, one could have heard a feather hit the floor.

	Mira's voice, though a whisper, easily carried across the room on that silence.

	"Y-yes. I will."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________


	For Thadeus Argile, the next few hours passed in a blur. Not willing to chance anyone having the time to seriously consider what just happened, especially his Thadeus's opening remarks, his uncle insisted the marriage occur immediately.  The queen, for her part, despite some reservations, was forced to agree. All things considered, there was no other way to avoid war. Certain factions on each side had grudges stretching back centuries and were simply aching for an excuse to sound the trumpets of battle once more.  Death or disgrace, no other option could prevent the bloodshed that had seemed all but inevitable only hours before.

	If anything, the speedy wedding was now having the opposite effect.  Planted agents from the Westmoorians and the queen's court hinted to the masses, and anyone else not privy to the hearing details, that the newly betrothed had actually been engaged in a secret, long distance love affair for months and that the excitement of the morning was merely the overreaction on part their families once they were discovered. The common folk seemed to fall in love with the story. By nightfall at least two bards were performing new ballads inspired by their forbidden love, and half a dozen more were composing their own.

	As his uncle dressed him, roughly, in his best military uniform, Thadeus had tried to protest, only to be pulled close to the older man's mouth.  "Listen, you little bastard, this is a godsend. You're going through with it. No if's, and's, or but's; you understand me? And if you so much as THINK about telling that poor girl you got into the tub thinking she was nothing more than bath water, I will personally strangle you to death with my bare hands!" his uncle hissed into his ear.

	The queen, shortly before the service, was a bit less direct, yet all the more threatening for it.

	"That girl is the daughter of my closest friend," was all she said. One look in her eyes told Thadeus all he needed to know.

	The wedding itself was quick and loud and conducted with as much hasty fanfare as could be arranged on such short notice. An archdeacon of Talmae, staying at the chateau as a spiritual advisor to the human delegates attending the conference, presided.  Queen Irazzimyzzanialaranarazzalara, flanked by a phalanx of twenty Naguard, gave away Princess Mira in her mother's stead. The naga warrioresses, chosen from amongst the most skilled, ferocious, and physically impressive naga serving the Pact intimidated Thadeus to no end. As the bride's party reached the improvised pulpit, he flinched visibly each time one of the looked at him.

	Words were spoken by the archdaecon. More words followed. After another round of words, the couple exchanged "I do's" so quietly they were asked to repeat themselves. The crowd cheered, mostly out of relief, and the archdeacon shared more words, followed by a few more as the procession left.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

	In the quiet of their honeymoon suite (actually the same room in which they had first 'met' with some new decorations), Thadeus finally had a moment to contemplate what just happened.  He looked down at the golden band around his finger.

	I'm married, he thought.

	Almost unconsciously, Thadeus glanced around the room as though trying to avoid looking at his new, blushing bride. He knew for a fact she would be warbling between cohesion and undefined features, which he gathered was indeed how the young lady of the Slime Tribe 'blushed.'  The bed had been made, and he felt himself rolling his eyes at the thought of Mira actually sleeping in it.  His own baggage had been emptied into the waiting armoire.  Now that he saw them side to side, he felt incredibly foolish for have mistaken hers for his.

	I really need to stop drinking, he thought as he poured himself a generous measure of whiskey.  Tomorrow, he added, taking a sip.

	A wet sounding cough to his right told him his wife was trying to get his attention. With as little reluctance as possible, Thadeus plastered a smile on his face and turned.  "Yes?" he started to ask, as sweetly as he could manage. But he floundered as he saw her, as though for the first time.

	He had almost thought them joking when a few of the queen's handmaidens brought him a selection of fine dresses to choose from.  "Princess Mira wished to look her best for you," one of them, a centaur, had said, beaming with pride. A grunt from his uncle bit back the retort he had been forming about slimes wearing clothing, and he had pointed at one in random.  Well, not entirely random. Having seen her in the basin, he had a strong suspicion the dress was too large, and part of him wanted to embarrass the girl for ruining his life with her stupid shyness. Her going to the wedding in an ill-fitting or hastily stitched dress would have satisfied his dark intentions nicely.

	During the wedding, he had been too nervous to even look at her. Now, in the intimate privacy of their suite, he was quite surprised to see she had filled out the dress rather nicely.  A weighty bust jiggled under a delicate chin and the imitation of blue hair hung behind her like a frozen waterfall.  The lacy white fabric contrasted marvelously with her slick, blue body. The hands she had formed where squeezing into each other, even through the silk gloves she wore, and he noticed how clearly defined her face was behind the veil.  It occurred to him that she was trying very hard to retain her shape, despite her nervousness.

	"Y-yes?" he asked, still a bit taken back by her appearance.

	"I, um... I had the staff, the serving people, um... I had them bring some, well, sp-sp-sparkling white wine. If you prefer that."   As she spoke her body shifted proportions unnaturally. As her shape changed, so did the timbre of her little voice. "I'm s-sorry if I was pre-pre-presumptuous," she said, clearly having difficulty working her mouth around the word.  "I-I can have th-them bring s-something else if, if that i-isn't to your, your, um, taste."

	Thadeus glanced down and realized the whiskey bottle was all but empty. He sloshed the contents around a bit and placed it on a nearby end table.  "That will be fine," he said.  She warbled considerably at his answer.

	"I-I-I'm glad."

	"So..." he murmured, equally awkward and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Would you like to sit down?"

	Mira's body snapped back into focus and she sped over to a nearby chair, one with thick leather upholstery, and threw her weight against it.  After a second it became clear she was trying to position it so he could sit down more easily. After an awkward pause, something he felt he may as well start getting used to, Thadeus sat and thanked her.

	"You're welcome," she squeaked, for all the world sounding like shoes on a freshly washed floor.

	She too sat down, though her with a wet little plop.  They each sat, not quite managing to look at each other, for several minutes.

	"Would you like me to start the fire?" he asked.

	Instead of replying, Mira was suddenly on her knees in front of the fireplace, haphazardly tossing the smallest logs she could find inside.  They clattered together in a loose pile as she snatched up the waiting flint and tinder and started to strike at it wildly. A few sparks sputtered against the wood before her moist hands left the tinder too wet to light.  Her hands started to shake.

	"Whoa, whoa," Thadeus said, joining her on the floor and taking the lighting material from her.  "I said I would do it."  Placing the now useless tinder aside, he started to stack the wood into a more reasonable pile, log-house-style, as his father had taught him years before.  Mira knelt, staring at the ground sullenly, as he picked up a nearby canister and wetted the wood with a little oil.  Noticing his bride's demeanor, he sighed and asked her to fetch one of the lanterns.

	She hopped up with more speed than he thought possible and flew across the room. The girl was back almost before he realized she was up, reverently placing the lit lantern in his hands.

	Thadeus made sure to smile as he thanked her, then took a sliver of wood from the pile and lit the tip with the lantern.  He placed it under the little log house he had made and, after waiting a second to make sure it caught light, guided Mira back to her chair.

	"You've never made a fire before, have you?"

	"I'm sorry," she sniffled, almost in tears. Or whatever slimes did instead of crying, he mused.  "I-I will learn.  I w-will do better next time. Please don't be mad."

	That one took him off guard.  "It's fine," was all he could think to say, patting her hand. There was a knock at the door and, before he could call out, Mira was speeding off in that direction. He waited, off balance, as his bride thanked the servant, tipped him with silver, and wheeled in the small cart by herself. When he tried to help, she shushed him back into his seat and handed him one of the two crystal glasses.

	Patiently, he waited and watched as she struggled in vain to unstopper the cork.  Just as he started to rise to help, she yelped in surprise, the cork popping free with a flurry of fizzles and knocking against a bronze candelabra, knocking it to the floor.  The both stared at it for a moment, before Mira started to huff and wheeze pitifully.

	"I-it wasn't lit," Thadeus told her in a consolatory tone. "No harm done, everything is fine."  When she did not respond he said, "That looks delicious, might you pour me a bit?"

	That, at least, seemed to get through to her, though she remained sullen and sniffled now and again.  Carefully, holding the bottle in both hands, she poured the clear liquid into his waiting glass. Once it was half full he stopped her and, after taking a drink,  made sure to complement her on the style and vintage and even the packaging, though none were actually that impressive.  Still, she did not seem to have much knowledge of fine spirits and started to look mildly more cheerful again.  Having to drink sparkling white wine right after whiskey was, for Thadeus, a worthy sacrifice for improving her mood, however little.

	Much of their evening passed in much the same manner.  He leaned forward to loosen his shoes; she was instantly on her knees, easing them off his feet. He noticed her color starting to go more clear and asked if the room was getting too hot; she rushed to the window and opened it wide.  He flexed his shoulders; she was behind him, giving them an amateurish massage.

	After trying several times, he convinced her to sit and rest.  It was, as he told her, the only thing he wanted at that moment.

	Unfortunately, that was the exact moment both of them noticed Mira's dress.  Her constant movements, mixed with the reconstituting herself each time blushed or moved too quickly or became embarrassed at a compliment, had had a very obvious and negative effect on the rich dress. Almost soaked through and clearly now tinted blue, in places her body had actually started to dissolve it.

	She curled into an approximation of a fetal position under the remains of the fabric and pressed her hands to her face, weeping openly.  Droplets of almost clear liquid fell from her eyes in a torrent, splattering against the chair and floor all around her.

	Shocked by her reaction, Thadeus took a knee in front of her and hugged his bride close.  "It's okay," he told her. "It's okay."

	"N-no-no it isn't," she wailing into his shoulder. "I-I can't do anything r-r-right for you. I mess everything up. A-a-and now y-you're stu-stu-stuck with me."  He felt his chest dampening, but stayed by her side, telling her everything was okay.

	"I-I even r-r-ruined the d-dress you liked so much!"  Her voice raised another octave and he was suddenly acutely aware that the window was open. He had to get her quiet, and fast.

	"Please, please stop crying," he said, trying to soothe her.  "I don't like to see you cry-"

	"I'm not s-s-stupid," she said, her voice as firm as she could make it.

	"What?"

	"I-I-I know you o-only m-m-married me to s-s-stop a war."  She stared up at him, her eyes still pouring water and her body visibly shrinking before him.  "Y-you r-realized I was n-no good the f-f-first night."

	Thadeus was at a loss for words and could do no more than listen.

	"I-I didn't re-realize until y-your uncle t-talked in court," she continued. "The sp-sp-spartana."

	He groaned. Thadeus had asked his uncle how he came up with such an obviously fake 'ancient tradition,' only to be told that his people had, indeed, once practiced such a courtship ritual.  Though he was incredulous, it appeared his bride took the matter very seriously.

	Mira kept speaking, but her sobbing quieted and her voice lowered into a whisper.  "Y-you were so gentle," she said. "You woke me so softly, tickling me with your fingers... then told me I was pretty."  Her face shook in another blush. "When you started to undress, I-I was so scared... but I couldn't, I couldn't stop watching. When you, when you did that little pose, I shuddered all over. You were so... lovely.  Then you came at me so fast, I knocked the wine into my tub.  I-I'm sorry for saying it different in court," she said quickly, seeing his face.  "I-I didn't a-admit it to m-m-myself until a-after your uncle spoke. I drank it as fast as I could, more excited and afraid than I'd ever been, but you stopped.  You, you went so slowly after that.  My breath caught when you first touched me, and then I saw your, your, well... you know.  When you slid into me, so slowly, it... it felt so wonderful."

	She was a bit smaller now, but at least she had stopped crying. Somehow, telling the story to him had sent her into a little trance as she pressed into his arms. Mira bit her lip a little as she continued.  "You touched me," she said, "in such an intimate way.  Your fingers, your toes... I've never been touched like that before."  She pressed closer to him. "It was... it was magical, like you knew just the right spots. And then... then... as I, as I... it felt so good, and I was-" She looked him in the eyes once more.  "But you stopped."  Her face contorted again as tears welled behind huge eyes.  "As good as it felt for me, you didn't feel anything." She was sobbing again.  "You didn't, didn't- you di-didn't even get hard!" she wailed.

	Thadeus drew the veil from her face and pressed his mouth against hers without thinking.  She tried to pull back for a second, then leaned in as well.  His hand held her head and she draped her arms around his neck.

	Mira's lips, so different, yet so familiar, were hot against his own.  She was surprisingly solid against him, and pressed back as hard as she got.  Gingerly, he eased his tongue between his lips and into Mira's mouth.  Her whole body shuddered like waves upon the shore under his hands, but she replied in kind soon after. Her taste, how could he describe it?  There was tangy a sourness to her, yet he detected faint hints of the sweet wine she had downed so recently.  After several long moments, they eased apart.

	"Lady Mira," he said, using her name for the first time. "My lady, Mira," he said, placing extra emphasis on the first word.  "I want you."

	To his muted surprise, he found the words to ring... true. As traumatic as the day had been for them both, she had remained strong and brave the entire time.  It must have taken tremendous fortitude for a young woman to stand before such an august assembly and admit publicly that she had been assaulted in such a manner.  To then agree to marry the man she had so recently accused, and go through with it, for the good of all, doubly so. And, then, being so concerned about him. His wants. His needs. Trying so hard to please him, despite her whole world coming down upon her, at the expense of her own happiness.

	He found he respected her. He found that the thought of spending a life with her was not so painful after all. He found her... attractive, in her own fashion.

	But there was something she had to know.

	And so he told her what really happened that night.

	As he spoke, she pulled away from him, sitting in her chair and not moving an inch.  She did not even seem to be breathing, though he could see the tension building up between her hands.  As he finished, the room was washed in a cool silence, split only by the crackle of the fire and whine of wind beyond the open window.

	"You... are not lying," she said. It was not a question.

	"No, I am not."

	She glanced up at him, her face still partially hidden by the veil.  "Why did you tell me this?"

	"You deserve to know," he said simply. "I couldn't keep lying to you."

	Another few minutes passed in tense noiselessness.

	"What happens now?" she asked.

	"I've given that some thought," he admitted. "Nothing I could possibly do could... make amends for what I've done to you." He lifted his hand and gestured to the ring.  "And with these, there is little we can do that won't end in bloodshed for our people."

	Mira nodded.

	"But," Thadeus said, "there is a fleet being assembled by Westmoor. An expedition is being mounted to explore the Forgotten Lands."  Her eyes met his and he saw her confusion. "You can never be truly free of me," he said, slowly, "but if I accept a commission on one of those vessels... well, it will be many years before the fleet returns."  Gently, he took her hand in his.  To his surprise, she let him. "I leave it to you. You are the only one with the right to judge me. Say the word... and I will make sure not to be with the fleet when it returns." Her fingers tightened in his and he saw the shock pass into her eyes. "I swear it."

	She slicked out of his grasp and flung her arms around him, pressing her face against his chest.

	"Am I so horrid that death is preferable to my company?" she whispered.

	His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. "W-what?" he croaked.

	"After all that happens, now you want to make me a widow?"

	"My lady..."

	"I don't want to be alone," she said.

	"Then... I will stay with you," Thadeus replied. "Forever."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

	Together, on their knees before the fire, they began to explore each others bodies.  Mira's veil was removed by Thadeus's gentle hands and put aside as their lips locked together once more.  Gently, they kissed. Here, on the lips, then there, on the cheek. He breathed in her unique scent with each breath, heady with alcohol and giddily nervous. Her taste on his tongue seemed to invite his hands to wander.

	His palm pressed deeply into her back as it pressed her up against him. He rubbed it up and down slowly, massaging away her nervousness as he increased their closeness.  Soon his hand became slick and he eased it up to her neck, meanwhile pressing in for the deepest kiss yet.  Tugging at her moist collar, he was delighted to find it come away with  ease as Mira drew in her body and let the dress slide past her. Thadeus felt, rather than saw, her form morph around the fabric as it passed to the floor, then gently rock back into a womanly figure.  As it crumpled to the ground, Mira pulled her lips back slightly, a strand of blue ooze still connecting them. She giggled shyly, and admitted that she felt far more comfortable not wearing clothes.

	Thadeus leaned in to kiss her again and she replied in kind. His hands slid against he bare body for the first time and he was already beginning to love the way they pressed deeply into her, her body equal parts substantial and insubstantial and wholly exotic and sensuous. He felt her ample breasts, still left over from her polymorphing to fit the dress, distort and compress against his chest, they were so near to each other.

	Her hands, small and delicate things fumbled at the buttons of his tunic.  Thadeus offered to help, but she kissed him full on the lips to quiet him, intent on doing it herself.  Eventually she tired of the game and simply shoved her hand around each one, using her morphic body to pull apart the fabric and ease the button through at once.  Once she was done, she all but ripped the shirt from his chest and forced him onto his back.

	Not bothering with pesky things like legs, she oozed herself on top of him and gently kissed him on the lips, then reciprocated as he slid his tongue into her mouth. Smiling down at him, she pecked her lips against the stubble on his chin, then again and again down his neck. Her lips found his bare chest and he tried to rise, but she shot him a warning glance and he slowly lowered to the floor again, content to let her take the lead.

	Mira's tender lips and slippery tongue congealed and morphed as she eased her way down his body, at times becoming one and at others something completely new to either of the them.  She licked the sweat from his pecks and left a trail of tingling slime across his abdomen.  The slime girl reached his trousers and, after tugging at them in frustration for a few seconds, simply dissipated her hand and let it ease underneath them.

	Thadeus gave a start as her hot gel oozed around his member and reformed into delicate fingers. She began to stroke at him, coaxing his member into life as she bit at the buttons of his trousers. As he watched, she used her 'tongue' to free the bits of brass and moaned in delight as her hand welled up like a fountain, pressing the trousers away from his body.

	"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked, his mind reeling.

	He felt her body quiver in an intense fit of blushing, before she silenced him with a rigorous thrumming of her hand over his increasingly erect member.  "I like to read," was all she'd say.

	The nobleman raised his head just in time to see her open her mouth wide and force it around the head of his penis, swallowing it completely. Slowly at first, but with increasing speed, she began to rock her head up and down, her hair swaying as though a breeze was billowing across her.  Thadeus stiffened further still as he watched her working at him so diligently. He could actually see himself inside of her, twitching and wiggling with each movement she made.

	"Read nothing," he said, wistfully, "you sure know how to suck."

	Suddenly his body tensed in pleasure as Mira shuddered and melted, blushing deeply. She started to reform as he decided he absolutely needed to feel that again.

	"Talmae above, you could write those books with your skill!"

	Again his body was rocked with and unimaginable sensation as her mouth undulated in uncontrolled waves around his shaft.  He felt his fingers twitch as though they belonged to someone else.

	"Gods, yes!"

	She kept shuddering and his back arched under her attentions.  Thadeus clawed at the carpet as he came, crying out incoherently.  He was still inside of her mouth as he erupted, spurting hot semen into her again and again until he was spent.  Lying there, panting, he felt her lips slid tightly over his erection and silently begged for her to continue.

	"I-I'm sorry," he said.  "It just felt so good, I couldn't-"

	"It's fine," she told him, crawling back up over his chest.  "I don't need to breathe like you do," Mira said as her smiling face came back in view.

	Thadeus's eyes grew wide as he saw the errant strands of white floating around just behind her face.  Her eyes did the same as she felt him stirring and hardening again beneath her.  Her smile widened.

	"Already ready for round two?" she asked cheekily. "I'm flattered."

	In answer, Thadeus heaved himself into a sitting position, gathering her up in his arms as we went.  From there, he managed to shimmy to his knees and then to his feet, Mira still in his grip.  As he stood, it became readily apparent that he was strong enough to hold her... but that her slippery body and tendency to lose her form would make this more difficult than he had originally anticipated.

	They giggled as he kicked off the trailing end of his trousers and half-walked, half-waddled to the bathroom, he trying to keep his grip and her trying to remain solid enough for him to do so. The alcohol was touching them both more than they had realized.

	As he reached the tub, she dove from his arms headfirst, impacting the polished brass with a wet and meaty gurgle.  In one fluid movement she splashed back up the other side, reforming her body facing the opposite direction, towards Thadeus.  She let her arms drape across the back of the tub and formed legs to go along with them, spreading them apart to give Thadeus a show.  From the mild strain on her face, he could tell how taxing it was to hold together in such an embarrassing position.

	"D-do you like w-what you see?"  she stammered, her shyness returning somewhat during the walk to a new location.  She closed her eye forms and focused. As Thadeus watched, her breasts swelled in size, then shuddered wildly for a moment. When they stopped, he saw that Mira had formed a pair of pert and enticing nipples to complete the ensemble.

	He tracked her gaze to his swollen erection where he was gently stroking it up and down.  He lifted it, giving her a clear view of the throbbing purple veins on the bottom side before letting it fall and bounce in the air.

	"What do you think?"

	She surged across the middle of the tub and leaned forward, opening her mouth wide and biting down on his dark head.  He flinched, slightly, before realizing her teeth were as soft and yielding as the rest of her.  Mira started to suck greedily on him as she eased back into the tub, pulling him along with her as she went. He followed willingly, as lambs to slaughter, into the brass tub, stepping in one leg at time.

	Mira released him and the two sat at either end, facing each other. Though sizable, the tub was hardly built to hold two human-sized occupants in that position, and both of them were forced, quite willingly, to splay their legs apart to give the other room. Their eyes fell across each other, admiring what they saw. Mira's kept falling back to Thadeus's twitching shaft and up to the lips he kept licking hungrily and back again, just as his danced from her face to her breasts to the rapidly forming shape between her legs where his gaze lingered just a bit longer than anywhere else.

	"This is kind of... exciting," Mira admitted. "Isn't it?"

	Thadeus smiled and eased his foot towards her, tapping her between the legs with his big toe. Her whole body squirmed away, then returned just as quickly.

	"Pretty sensitive down there, I see."  His wicked grin frightened her, but she could not help but enjoy the feeling.

	"I-I'm sensitive a-anywhere I f-f-focus."

	"Then give all your attention to that point," he said, pressing the toe between her pseudo-labia.

	She squealed and his grin grew wider as the rest of her body contorted and swayed. He started to flick up and down, giving the toe a little twist now and then.  Soon she was gripping the sides of the tub so hard her hands were starting to ooze and her mouth fell open, slack jawed.

	"T-two c-c-can play at that g-game," she said, wiping at her face and re-affixing her jaw.  Trying to match his grin, and coming quite close, she gently brought her heel down on Thadeus's member, kicking away his hand.  She worked it, slicking up and down slowly, trying to match the pace of the toe between her legs.  The more she concentrated on making it feel just right for him, the better it felt for her.  Soon she could barely feel his toe at all as waves of ecstatic euphoria rippled down her leg and across her whole body. Every vein, every beat of his heart, every lust induced twitch of his shaft echoes across her.

	The sight before him was so spectacular, so impossibly erotic that he found it hard to believe he was still awake.  Even as he watched, Mira's body began to dissolve and flow to a gel-like state, leaving only the steadily stroking leg and foot against his painfully throbbing erection in shape.  Then the mass of clear blue goo started to ooze up the leg, distorting and swelling it rapidly.  Her heel pressed harder and harder against his member until it passed through entirely, leaving his penis erect and clearly visible inside Mira's foot.

	Then, slowly but more and more swiftly, the foot swelled and took on new life. Lips appeared where his cock was entering her, followed by the delicate chin that was becoming so familiar too him.  Hair fell and parted across Mira's new back and her toes curled in and formed a new brow and eyes. As her dainty little nose appeared, she was already bobbing her head up and down.  She glanced down and up at his face as though surprised to find herself there.  Mira lifted her head and Thadeus watched as her drool and chin stayed behind, forming a hand that kept up the rhythmic pumping as more blue gelatin flooded upwards to take its place.

	In moments, Mira had gone from a reclined position, stimulating him with her foot, to one on her stomach, staring up at him as thought it was the most natural thing in the world, giving him a little lick now and then.

	"That was amazing," he said, breathless, as she had not stopped beating away with her newly formed hand for a second.

	"K-keep watching," she said with a mischievous smile.

	Mira lifted herself up and, concentrating, morphed a new pair of legs.  She slid forward, straddling him as she guided him to her by hand.  He was so close to the mound she had formed for him that he could feel the heat radiating from it.

	"I want you to stay with me," she said, slowing her fingers to a stop.  Her face was stern and pleading.

	He smiled at her. "Forever," he said, sliding his hands onto her hips, frustrated that she fought to keep him from pulling her that last, fateful inch.

	"Promise?"

	"On my life," he whispered.

	Her mouth formed words, "Thank you," but he did not hear them. For, as she spoke, she surged up in a little hop, tilted forward, and came down upon his meaty erection.  As he split her apart, entering the heat of her body proper, they both gasped and shuddered.  Mira tightened around him like never before and cried out as she fell forward against his chest.  Thadeus wrapped his arms around her and, almost unconsciously, pressed her further down upon him.

	She squeaked and pressed her mouth against his as she made another hop upwards. Both moaned when she landed with a wet slap. In moments she was bucking up and down, head thrown back, eyes agog and ripples waving across the surface of her body.

	Thadeus slapped a hand on her hip and another behind her back, keeping her from falling, as he too pumped upwards. His mouth latched against one of her bobbing nipples and he flicked his tongue across it. Each time Mira rocked, the weighty breast would press full on his face before falling back. The effort was proving too much for her and Mira's body started to drip down into the tub, splashing up with each thrust and wet slap of flesh on slime.

	Overcome with need, Thadeus pulled himself up and forced her back against the tub, whispering in her ear to let him take it from there.  She closed her eyes and focused on retaining her body, soaking back up what she had lost only seconds before.  Now on top, Thadeus was able to take the reigns and thrust into her with all the pent up speed and lust he could muster.  Rapidly, and with still growing speed, he pounded away into the body of his exotic partner.

	She twisted and contorted around his member each time it broke through her outer layer, deep inside of her.   His breathing became raged and frantic as his instincts took over and his body moved of its own will.  Greedily in, reluctantly out, desperately in, painfully out, he rocked and thrust and pumped.  Part of him marveled that he had managed to last so long.  Wet splashes slapped against and around him with each renewed, frenzied attack.  In seconds Mira was reduced to a quivering suggestion of a human body, no longer retaining any clearly defined features.

	Yet, he heard her quivering voice even over the sound of their bodies crashing together and the roar of pumping blood in his ears.

	"More," she cried. "More!"

	He forced his eyes open, not remembering having closed them.  Mira's arms, what remained, were wrapped around his neck and squeezing enticingly.  All across her body little bubbles were forming and a frothy foam glazed over her.

	Thadeus too, felt himself reaching the limits of his endurance and pumped harder with renewed passion and frenzy.

	"I-I think I'm f-falling for you," he said, and Mira's body erupted in wild, uncontrolled shudders and undulations. He squeezed her close and came, harder and with more force than he had ever done so in his life.  Each spurt shot his hot seed up into her body, where it cartwheeled and swam before dissolving almost instantly. He fell forward as he lost himself in the ecstasy.

	His hand tightened around Mira and then suddenly she wasn't there.  Thadeus landed against the brass tub with a dull thud and slid face down into the tub, panting and struggling to breathe. A thick layer of clear, yet bubbly liquid was all around him, and he twisted to lie on his back.

	After several minutes, he felt the liquid stir and condense around him.  Thadeus scooted over to one side and held out a waiting arm.  Soon, a figure coalesced against his chest, slowly but with steadily more defined features.  He wrapped his strong arm around her, hugging her close.  Mira reached up and kissed him lightly on the cheek before snuggling into his embrace.

	"I think I'm... falling for you, too," she mumbled, before drifting off to sleep.

	Thadeus glanced down at her, Mira's words ringing in his ears.  He fuond them... pleasant, just as he found his own confession to ring strikingly sincere.  Then, he too drifted to sleep.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

	Thadeus awoke at dawn with a headache and aches all across his body and a weight upon his chest. He twisted painfully in the brass tub, resolving then and there that he and Mira would have to work out better sleeping arrangements. At the thought of her, he squeezed with his arm and breathed a sigh of relief. It was oddly comforting to find her there.

	Somehow, he thought, as long as she was there, he could do with a few aches and pains. And smile the entire time. The weight upon him, however, was another matter. He sighed, realizing part of him was still feeling the oppressive self loathing of having forced so many changes upon her so quickly. Which was somewhat surprising, considering how well she seemed to be taking it.

	He opened a eye and snapped them closed against the light.

	Oh, he thought. That explains it. There actually IS something on my chest.

	His eyes shot open and he found himself staring at a translucent purple ball the size of a large cat. One gigantic eye was staring back at him.

	It blinked, and suddenly its pupil became two pupils.

	It blinked again, and suddenly its iris became two irises.

	The eye shut down, hard, and it too split, forming two new eyes of proper size.

	They opened and regarded him with a blank expression. Then, all at once, a sort of spark passed between them.  Below its eyes, a wide gash bisected the ball, forming an inhuman grin. The mouth opened and Tahdeus flinched.

	"Papa!"