Post by MalignedAngel on Apr 18, 2015 16:54:25 GMT
Be a Man
Written in: 2012
Character Focus: Shurugar and Ranec
Pairings: Mentions of Ranec/Mayarra
Warnings/Notes: Conversation between father and son.
For those unfamiliar with the drow as a race, drow are a subterranean matriarchal society of dark elves. Backstabbing and betrayal is their way of life and they understand only power and the respect that comes along with it. Sons are considered inferior to daughters and their only hope of advancement is through magic or through being the son of a prominent woman.
**valsharess = empress
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ranec’s eyes opened smoothly as he felt the shift of weight on the other side of the bed. Silently, he turned onto his back, feeling the silken sheets against his skin with a heightened awareness, and looked at his bedmate. Mayarra, his valsharess and one of the most beautiful and cunning drow women he had ever encountered, sat on the edge of the bed, her hair spilling over her naked shoulders as she pulled a pair of hose over her shapely legs. His eyes traced the curve of her leg as she smoothed the fabric over her body and he felt himself stirring again, yearning to pleasure her and slake his own desire.
Unable to keep himself from touching her for a moment longer, he reached out and gently took a strand of her hair in his fingers, running them through the stunning white tresses. She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes dark and smoky, her make-up smudged sensually from their intercourse the night before. Everything about her screamed mystery and Ranec was one of the few that were able to explore the mysteries of her body and soul. He slowly sat up and moved to sit behind her, pulling her against his chest and kissing the back of her shoulder.
“Come back to bed, valsharess,” he purred into the skin of her shoulder. He was pleased to notice that his breath raised goose bumps along the skin of her shoulder. He brushed his fingers up her arm and she pushed his arm away from her impatiently. She got up and moved across the room, swaying her hips enticingly as she moved to the closet. Ranec could not take his eyes from her as she selected a band of nearly sheer fabric which she tied around her chest.
“I have work to do,” she said, reminding him that after all they had accomplished, she still had to work to keep it. “This kingdom won’t run itself.” She pulled on a skirt, slit to the waistline, and pushed the fabric aside to pull on her boots. Ranec watched her, taking in every curve of her body as the fabric hugged her figure and accentuated every pleasing feature that her body had to offer.
“Can it not wait awhile longer so you might slake your desires?” he ventured, more for his sake than hers. His whole body ached with the need that she aroused in him. She smiled sensually and moved back over to the bed, gently running her fingers under his chin.
“Perhaps again after I do what is needed of me,” she granted. The wicked sensuality in her eyes solidified the vague promise of delayed gratification and Ranec took what he could get. He leaned back against the pillows as Mayarra walked out of the room. He waited for several moments before throwing back the covers, his feet sliding to the cold stone floor.
He stretched contentedly before he moved across to the room to the porcelain wash basin. Taking up a cloth, he began to use the water from the basin to wipe away the sweat glistening on his skin. He heard the door behind him open and he looked over his shoulder, a demand for more of the valsharess’s favorite wine on his lips. The request died before it even left his lips as the head of a child no older than five poked into the room. He shook his head as he recognized the child as his youngest son, Shurugar.
“Well, shut the door behind you,” he said as he moved to pull on a pair of pants. He was not used to dealing with the children, as they were mostly raised by others in the court and Shurugar had mostly been attended to by Janos. Shurugar moved inside and pushed the door closed behind him, watching his father from across the room. Ranec waited for his son to speak, looking at his reflection in the basin as he began to brush through his hair. When he didn’t speak, Ranec looked over his shoulder again, and his son stared back at him expectantly. Ranec put down the brush and turned to lean against the table holding the basin, folding his arms. “Yes?” Shurugar shifted slightly.
“I…I wanted to talk to you…” he answered quietly. Ranec frowned slightly. They had had another son before this and it was his responsibility to show the boy the way of the world, not his. But he supposed that the elder son was involved in his own training.
“I am listening,” Ranec said, a little impatiently. Shurugar moved toward his father.
“Father…I…I was talking to a girl…” he began. Ranec nodded, contemplating the significance of his son talking to the young women of the court at such a young age.
“Yes, and?” Ranec asked, moving to reach for a tunic to pull over his bare chest.
“And she kicked me…she called me impertinent,” Shurugar said. He looked up at his father with wide silver eyes, obviously looking for guidance from the father he so adored. “I…I don’t even know what that means.” Ranec shook his head with a sigh.
“It means she thought you were being disrespectful,” he said, frowning in slight disappointment. He had hoped that it was a good sign that the young women were talking to his son at such a young age, perhaps a promise of future power, but of course nothing goes right with children. Shurugar frowned as he watched his father’s expression.
“But I wasn’t!” Shurugar insisted. Ranec sighed and turned around to look at his reflection in the mirror, pulling his hair away from his face.
“It doesn’t matter whether you were or you weren’t, Shurugar,” Ranec explained. “What matters is what she thought, because women are always right and they will always be in charge.” Shurugar looked up at his father curiously.
“You mean that there is nothing that I can do?” he asked. Ranec shook his head and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Come here,” he said. Shurugar did as he was told without needing to be told twice. He scrambled over to his father and came to stand between his father’s legs. Ranec placed his hands on his son’s shoulders and looked at him, steel grey looking into the bright silver.
“There are ways for you to learn how to use a woman to give yourself power, as long as you never forget your place as a man,” he said. Shurugar’s eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“What do you mean, father?” he asked.
“You must become what women want in a man,” Ranec said.
“What’s that?” Shurugar’s eyes were wide and he waited eagerly for his father’s answer, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. To Shurugar, his father was nothing short of divine, a grown man who knew everything. After all, he was the king to his mother’s queen. Ranec placed his hand firmly on his son’s shoulders, effectively putting an end to the rocking.
“Every woman is a mystery,” Ranec explained, his serious gaze holding Shurugar’s rapt attention, though the confusion in his young eyes was painfully evident. “Each one is just a little bit different from the next. They don’t all want the same things.”
“Then how will I know what to be, father?” Ranec smoothed his son’s hair away from his face.
“You must become everything that a woman could ever want, and then display what your woman wants to see,” he said. Shurugar frowned in confusion. “You must be passionate in pursuing, a giving lover, a fierce fighter, charming, and most of all you must have power.” Shurugar’s brow furrowed.
“I…don’t understand, father.” Ranec sighed, searching for another way to explain the concept to his son. He never had been any good at talking to children. They were never intelligent enough to understand the concepts they needed to know as an adult. He laid his hands on either side of Shurugar’s head after several long moments.
“In here, you must be learned and cunning, like the rattlesnake. Your temper must be slow to wake, but burn hot and fast when you are in danger.” He ran a hand down to his son’s cheek. “Here…you must be beautiful on the outside. You must be a cobra. Elegant, charming, sophisticated, but dangerous underneath it all.” Shurugar nodded in understanding, processing everything as quickly as his mind could wrap itself around the information. “Do you understand me this far?”
“Yes, father.” Ranec nodded his approval. This was a way to get the boy to understand. He moved his hands to his son’s arms.
“Your body, it must be strong and healthy. You must eat well, train your body as well as your mind, and learn to use it as you learn to use your magic to attain your goals,” Ranec said. “One day, women will want your body and you will learn to please them.”
“Why would they want my body?” Shurugar asked, cocking his head to one side as he tried to reason everything out. Ranec chuckled. He had long since forgotten how ridiculously innocent the young were.
“They will want your body, son, because that is what males are put into this life for. A man uses his body to give a woman pleasure when they are in bed together,” Ranec said. Shurugar’s brow furrowed in confusion again. “Women do not have the same parts that we do. Lloth made her women vessels for children, so they do not have what we do. We are made to complete each other.”
“Oh,” Shurugar said, not knowing if he fully understood what his father was talking about.
“If you please a woman well enough, she will bestow her favors on you. That is why you must keep your heart full of power and passion, because if she is no longer pleased, you are left with nothing. That is why you must never give your heart to a woman. She will leave you if you can no longer please her. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir.” Ranec ruffled his son’s hair.
“This is what it is to be a man, Shurugar. Your life is not your own. Your destiny, that is what you create. That is why you must learn to be everything and depend on no one. You will be great Shurugar, if only you can learn these things,” Ranec said. He looked up as the door opened and Mayarra stepped in, her eyes an open invitation to Ranec. He smiled and got up, making Shurugar step back to avoid falling. Shurugar looked over and bowed to his mother. She moved over and planted a kiss on her son’s forehead, then patted his shoulder and turned him toward the door.
“Go back to your studies, Shurugar,” she said and with a quick glance at his father over his shoulder, Shurugar left the room. Mayarra shut the door behind him and the moved over to Ranec, who began to nibble at her neck. “Mmmm…what was that about?” she asked, sliding her hand up Ranec’s chest.
“Nothing to be concerned with, my queen,” he said into the skin of her neck, easing her back onto the bed. “Just explaining to him how to be a man.”
Written in: 2012
Character Focus: Shurugar and Ranec
Pairings: Mentions of Ranec/Mayarra
Warnings/Notes: Conversation between father and son.
For those unfamiliar with the drow as a race, drow are a subterranean matriarchal society of dark elves. Backstabbing and betrayal is their way of life and they understand only power and the respect that comes along with it. Sons are considered inferior to daughters and their only hope of advancement is through magic or through being the son of a prominent woman.
**valsharess = empress
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ranec’s eyes opened smoothly as he felt the shift of weight on the other side of the bed. Silently, he turned onto his back, feeling the silken sheets against his skin with a heightened awareness, and looked at his bedmate. Mayarra, his valsharess and one of the most beautiful and cunning drow women he had ever encountered, sat on the edge of the bed, her hair spilling over her naked shoulders as she pulled a pair of hose over her shapely legs. His eyes traced the curve of her leg as she smoothed the fabric over her body and he felt himself stirring again, yearning to pleasure her and slake his own desire.
Unable to keep himself from touching her for a moment longer, he reached out and gently took a strand of her hair in his fingers, running them through the stunning white tresses. She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes dark and smoky, her make-up smudged sensually from their intercourse the night before. Everything about her screamed mystery and Ranec was one of the few that were able to explore the mysteries of her body and soul. He slowly sat up and moved to sit behind her, pulling her against his chest and kissing the back of her shoulder.
“Come back to bed, valsharess,” he purred into the skin of her shoulder. He was pleased to notice that his breath raised goose bumps along the skin of her shoulder. He brushed his fingers up her arm and she pushed his arm away from her impatiently. She got up and moved across the room, swaying her hips enticingly as she moved to the closet. Ranec could not take his eyes from her as she selected a band of nearly sheer fabric which she tied around her chest.
“I have work to do,” she said, reminding him that after all they had accomplished, she still had to work to keep it. “This kingdom won’t run itself.” She pulled on a skirt, slit to the waistline, and pushed the fabric aside to pull on her boots. Ranec watched her, taking in every curve of her body as the fabric hugged her figure and accentuated every pleasing feature that her body had to offer.
“Can it not wait awhile longer so you might slake your desires?” he ventured, more for his sake than hers. His whole body ached with the need that she aroused in him. She smiled sensually and moved back over to the bed, gently running her fingers under his chin.
“Perhaps again after I do what is needed of me,” she granted. The wicked sensuality in her eyes solidified the vague promise of delayed gratification and Ranec took what he could get. He leaned back against the pillows as Mayarra walked out of the room. He waited for several moments before throwing back the covers, his feet sliding to the cold stone floor.
He stretched contentedly before he moved across to the room to the porcelain wash basin. Taking up a cloth, he began to use the water from the basin to wipe away the sweat glistening on his skin. He heard the door behind him open and he looked over his shoulder, a demand for more of the valsharess’s favorite wine on his lips. The request died before it even left his lips as the head of a child no older than five poked into the room. He shook his head as he recognized the child as his youngest son, Shurugar.
“Well, shut the door behind you,” he said as he moved to pull on a pair of pants. He was not used to dealing with the children, as they were mostly raised by others in the court and Shurugar had mostly been attended to by Janos. Shurugar moved inside and pushed the door closed behind him, watching his father from across the room. Ranec waited for his son to speak, looking at his reflection in the basin as he began to brush through his hair. When he didn’t speak, Ranec looked over his shoulder again, and his son stared back at him expectantly. Ranec put down the brush and turned to lean against the table holding the basin, folding his arms. “Yes?” Shurugar shifted slightly.
“I…I wanted to talk to you…” he answered quietly. Ranec frowned slightly. They had had another son before this and it was his responsibility to show the boy the way of the world, not his. But he supposed that the elder son was involved in his own training.
“I am listening,” Ranec said, a little impatiently. Shurugar moved toward his father.
“Father…I…I was talking to a girl…” he began. Ranec nodded, contemplating the significance of his son talking to the young women of the court at such a young age.
“Yes, and?” Ranec asked, moving to reach for a tunic to pull over his bare chest.
“And she kicked me…she called me impertinent,” Shurugar said. He looked up at his father with wide silver eyes, obviously looking for guidance from the father he so adored. “I…I don’t even know what that means.” Ranec shook his head with a sigh.
“It means she thought you were being disrespectful,” he said, frowning in slight disappointment. He had hoped that it was a good sign that the young women were talking to his son at such a young age, perhaps a promise of future power, but of course nothing goes right with children. Shurugar frowned as he watched his father’s expression.
“But I wasn’t!” Shurugar insisted. Ranec sighed and turned around to look at his reflection in the mirror, pulling his hair away from his face.
“It doesn’t matter whether you were or you weren’t, Shurugar,” Ranec explained. “What matters is what she thought, because women are always right and they will always be in charge.” Shurugar looked up at his father curiously.
“You mean that there is nothing that I can do?” he asked. Ranec shook his head and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Come here,” he said. Shurugar did as he was told without needing to be told twice. He scrambled over to his father and came to stand between his father’s legs. Ranec placed his hands on his son’s shoulders and looked at him, steel grey looking into the bright silver.
“There are ways for you to learn how to use a woman to give yourself power, as long as you never forget your place as a man,” he said. Shurugar’s eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“What do you mean, father?” he asked.
“You must become what women want in a man,” Ranec said.
“What’s that?” Shurugar’s eyes were wide and he waited eagerly for his father’s answer, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. To Shurugar, his father was nothing short of divine, a grown man who knew everything. After all, he was the king to his mother’s queen. Ranec placed his hand firmly on his son’s shoulders, effectively putting an end to the rocking.
“Every woman is a mystery,” Ranec explained, his serious gaze holding Shurugar’s rapt attention, though the confusion in his young eyes was painfully evident. “Each one is just a little bit different from the next. They don’t all want the same things.”
“Then how will I know what to be, father?” Ranec smoothed his son’s hair away from his face.
“You must become everything that a woman could ever want, and then display what your woman wants to see,” he said. Shurugar frowned in confusion. “You must be passionate in pursuing, a giving lover, a fierce fighter, charming, and most of all you must have power.” Shurugar’s brow furrowed.
“I…don’t understand, father.” Ranec sighed, searching for another way to explain the concept to his son. He never had been any good at talking to children. They were never intelligent enough to understand the concepts they needed to know as an adult. He laid his hands on either side of Shurugar’s head after several long moments.
“In here, you must be learned and cunning, like the rattlesnake. Your temper must be slow to wake, but burn hot and fast when you are in danger.” He ran a hand down to his son’s cheek. “Here…you must be beautiful on the outside. You must be a cobra. Elegant, charming, sophisticated, but dangerous underneath it all.” Shurugar nodded in understanding, processing everything as quickly as his mind could wrap itself around the information. “Do you understand me this far?”
“Yes, father.” Ranec nodded his approval. This was a way to get the boy to understand. He moved his hands to his son’s arms.
“Your body, it must be strong and healthy. You must eat well, train your body as well as your mind, and learn to use it as you learn to use your magic to attain your goals,” Ranec said. “One day, women will want your body and you will learn to please them.”
“Why would they want my body?” Shurugar asked, cocking his head to one side as he tried to reason everything out. Ranec chuckled. He had long since forgotten how ridiculously innocent the young were.
“They will want your body, son, because that is what males are put into this life for. A man uses his body to give a woman pleasure when they are in bed together,” Ranec said. Shurugar’s brow furrowed in confusion again. “Women do not have the same parts that we do. Lloth made her women vessels for children, so they do not have what we do. We are made to complete each other.”
“Oh,” Shurugar said, not knowing if he fully understood what his father was talking about.
“If you please a woman well enough, she will bestow her favors on you. That is why you must keep your heart full of power and passion, because if she is no longer pleased, you are left with nothing. That is why you must never give your heart to a woman. She will leave you if you can no longer please her. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir.” Ranec ruffled his son’s hair.
“This is what it is to be a man, Shurugar. Your life is not your own. Your destiny, that is what you create. That is why you must learn to be everything and depend on no one. You will be great Shurugar, if only you can learn these things,” Ranec said. He looked up as the door opened and Mayarra stepped in, her eyes an open invitation to Ranec. He smiled and got up, making Shurugar step back to avoid falling. Shurugar looked over and bowed to his mother. She moved over and planted a kiss on her son’s forehead, then patted his shoulder and turned him toward the door.
“Go back to your studies, Shurugar,” she said and with a quick glance at his father over his shoulder, Shurugar left the room. Mayarra shut the door behind him and the moved over to Ranec, who began to nibble at her neck. “Mmmm…what was that about?” she asked, sliding her hand up Ranec’s chest.
“Nothing to be concerned with, my queen,” he said into the skin of her neck, easing her back onto the bed. “Just explaining to him how to be a man.”
