Fedelm

Arawn chuckled at her grave tone and fear.
“No more than usual. Close the door.”
Fedelm closed the door behind her and gasped at the sight of the torn cloth on his shoulder.
“Was it her?” She asked gently.
“Yes,” Arawn said, “She’s getting stronger faster than I anticipated. All of her fear-mongering is paying off.”
Fedelm worried her lip, “Berth will have expanded to the southernmost port before the end of the summer. Doesn’t winter come early there?”
He chuckled, “Anu is not concerned about fighting in snowdrifts. If there will be a fight this year, she will march south to us.”
Anu would use her control over her people to force them into hellfire if she thought it would bring her a victory. Not that he wouldn’t as well, but he was far more strategic about using such ends.
“The mountains? The forests?”
Arawn considered it. The wildlife of Berth will be completely foreign to Anu’s soldiers and Anu herself will be confused. Her continent had lost all the natural magic in the land over the years until the only magic wielded on that side of the Tara River was wielded by the temple of Anu. She used that as a control tactic over the populace and ensure the other religions of the area all died out.
The natural magic that he’d allowed to flourish on the southern continent would be enough to stall them for a little while, but not forever.
“I will think of something,” Arawn chuckled. “Or rather, I am looking into something.”
She nodded, “I do not doubt that it will work out.”
He glanced at her, “It may require me to be away for a while.”
She pouted looking as though she wanted to protest, but she said nothing. Arawn was at once impressed and annoyed by her restraint. He waved his hand hoping to get his mind off of losing the little duel with Anu and shake himself free of his latent annoyance.
“Let’s not talk about partings,” Arawn said turning towards her and stalking her across the room with a teasing grin. “It is so much better to enjoy the time we have together while we can, don’t you think?”
Her cheeks turned pink, “While… I am always overjoyed to spend time with you there are court matters I have to attend.”
Arawn caged her against the door of his chambers, “I am certain we can be quick. Though I adore reveling in you.”
She trembled, her eyes grew dark as she looked up at him. He felt her starting to give in the way she always did as he trailed his hand down her back and took a firm hold of her ass.
“Who knows when I will be back?” Arawn whispered against her neck. “Should we not enjoy this chance while we have it?”
She hesitated for a moment before nodding against his chest, “I wouldn’t want to part with you for long without a proper goodbye.”
Arawn grinned at the rush of power that went through him. He kissed her, drinking in the way she clung to him and moaned. He hiked her skirt up, groping her breasts with a desperate need that had her keening and fumbling for the laces of his trousers.
“Arawn,” she gasped as he got his hand between her legs and forced his fingers into her a bit roughly. She moaned, clenching around his fingers and pulling him down into another kiss.
He thrust his fingers into her roughly and added a third as her moans grew more desperate.
“My queen, it seems you have been holding out on me. I did not realize that a bit of roughness delighted you so much.”
“Oh, please, don’t say things like that.”
He chuckled, “Does it make you feel a bit naughty?”
She didn’t answer groaning as he got his pants open. He felt the guards drifting down the hallway, calling for her, and smirked. She’d regret her bit of hesitation, but it would make her more willing the next time they were alone.
He pulled his fingers from her body and forced her to turn around, grinding against her ass before covering her mouth.
“Please, Arawn,” she pleaded. “Please just—”
“Your Majesty?” A man called down the hall. “Has anyone seen Her Majesty?”
“News from the front lines has arrived.”
Arawn tilted his head intrigued and pressed his lips to her ear, “Seems as if we have run out of town, my queen.”
She whimpered, “But… But, Arawn…”
He kissed her neck shifting her undergarments back into place and pulling the hem of her gown back down.
“S-Surely it can wait?” Fedelm asked, fidgeting against him. “I—”
“Your Majesty?”
Arawn chuckled, “It will be very suspicious if you simply go missing. I promise we’ll pick this up later.”
Fedelm worried her lip and nodded, “O-Of course.”
He chuckled pressing a kiss to her cheek, “Go on, before they think you’ve been captured. It’s not good to worry the public.”
She straightened her spine and walked out, “You said there’s news from the frontlines. Take me there.”
Arawn listened to her walking down the hall after the soldier and huffed at his half-opened trousers. He’d have to deal with his arousal after he’d gotten what information he could from the scrying glass. There was a window of time after being caught through the seeing pool that Anu was completely blind.
He’d planned on spending that time more wisely, but whatever time he had left, he’d make due. He rounded the bed and took a seat near the window so the natural light-filled the scrying glass.
Immediately, his mind was filled with the site of the Conna capital. He walked the streets as he were truly there and drifted over the town. The scent of burning flesh still hung in the air. The people carried Anu rosaries and little books of scripture as he drifted around.
Then, he saw a woman walking up the steps of the palace with a hood on her head.
“Blessings be upon you, may Anu grace your path,” she said in greeting to the guards. “I have come to see the Herald of Anu.”
Arawn usually wouldn’t follow a normal woman, but this woman had an aura about her that made him think she would yield something of use to him. He followed her down the corridor until they reached another large, gilded door. She was admitted and Arawn followed her inside.
The room was rather large, but it was the antechamber of a bedroom decorated in Anu’s colors of deep blue and black. A man came out of another room and crossed the room to the woman as she let down her hood.
“Did anyone see your face?”
“No, great herald,” she said softly. He went to the door and peeked out of it.
“I am not to be disturbed. Direct all prayers to the lower priests.”
“As you wish, Herald.”
The guards walked away, closing another set of doors before the Herald of Anu closed the doors of his chambers and locked them.
In just a few seconds, he had the woman in his arms, kissing her as if he had not seen her in years and lifting her into his arms, hurrying towards the couch.
“You have proven your devotion to Anu, and all is done,” he said. “Sirona jumped into the Tara River.”
Arawn’s heart leaped in shock.
“It is better than leaving a heretic’s child alive,” she whispered pushing the man’s robes down his shoulders. “So long have I waited. Please tell me that I do not have to wait any longer?”
“No longer,” he whispered almost tenderly. Arawn rolled his eyes, seeing the truth in this man and woman’s hearts.
They were both crazy fanatics, joined together in their zealotry and anger, but this bit of information was more than worth the hassle of using the scrying glass.
Whoever the woman was, she knew Sirona and if she was glad that Sirona had jumped into the river, then it was unlikely that Anu knew what a gift she’d sent to him.
It soothed a bit of his anger about his injury.
“Oh, sweet duchess, let us see how devout you are.”
Arawn shook his head and withdrew from the scrying glass as their moans grew louder and more desperate.
There was only one duchess in Conna, that was the wife of the duke of Gunning, making Sirona the duke’s daughter. It was clear that the duchess was not Sirona’s actual mother, but it was likely that she had been raised to believe she was.
Perhaps he could use this information, or some variant of the information, to spur Sirona into action at the right moment.
Aside from that, it was clear that the best way to control Sirona is to give her bits and pieces of what she wanted to know as she progressed through her training. He had to get her away from Druid long enough to train her properly and keep her away from Fedelm.