Mystic Knight of Spirit Part 7

Angus raised and eyebrow, then broke out in a very mischievous grin.
Breaca backed away from him, almost frightened of what he was thinking.
"What?!?" Angus cried.
"You just stay right there." She smirked.
The thief crossed his arms over his chest. He watched her as she went to call for a servant. He stood in the same spot as the servants set up a hot bath for her. In fact, he probably would have continued standing there, had Breaca not said something to him.
"Angus."
"Yes?"
"I want to bathe now."
"Go ahead."
"Without you staring at me."
"Oh."
He turned around.
Breaca growled. She came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to leave. She began to remove her armour carefully, trying not to hit any of her wounds. As she fully removed her bodice, she decided to have a little fun with Angus. She looked at him, knowing that he was a gentleman and no matter how he felt about her, he wouldn't just turn around and stare at her, so she decided to use this to her advantage. She casually tossed her armour bodice toward the bed, where Angus should have been able to see it.
He did, too. The bodice landed heavily on her bed. Angus stared at the bodice. Oh my Dagda, she's getting undressed right behind me.
Breaca slowly removed her leather pants, letting Angus suffer a little. She knew he wanted to turn around and look, but she also knew his honour would not let him. Unless of course, she invited him to. Which she wasn't going to.
Angus looked to the side again, as he saw he leather pants land on the bed with the bodice of her armour. He sighed heavily. What he wouldn't do to have a look.
"You're driving me crazy, you know."
She smiled as she lowered herself into the hot water. She moaned slightly. The water felt wonderful to her. "I know."
"Can I turn around now?" He tapped his foot impatiently.
She poured some oils into the bath water. "If you wish."
Angus slowly turned around. He saw her leaning against the sloped back of the bathtub. She looked beautiful. He couldn't imagine her looking any more beautiful than she did at that moment.
"Angus?" She asked.
He continued to stare at her. Slowly he realized that she had said something. "What?"
"Are you just going to stand there?"
He wasn't quite sure what she meant. He hadn't thought she was serious about washing her back. He retrieved a chair and placed it beside the bathtub. He noticed, as he took a seat, that whatever she had poured in the water, had made it a milky colour. Angus quietly thanked the gods for that, otherwise he wasn't sure how he would have reacted.
"What's wrong?" Breaca asked quietly, as she washed her arms. "Haven't you ever sat near a woman while she was bathing?"
Angus shook his head. "No, to tell you truth. I've never been this close to anyone while they were bathing."
Breaca snickered. "You are so amusing, Angus."
This comment managed to lighten the mood somewhat.
"Oh, really? You think?" Angus smirked at her.
"Definitely." She smiled as she handed him a washing cloth.
He looked at it for a moment, positive that if he just stared at it, he wouldn't have to use it.
"Are you going to wash my back?"
Angus looked at her, then looked at the washcloth. "Ummm..."
"You don't have to, if you don't want to." She smiled sweetly at him.
Angus could feel himself melting. In moments he knew he would be nothing but a Mystic puddle on the floor.
At the moment, he knew that he was truly in love with Breaca. No other woman had ever affected him like that. He began to wonder, again, how she felt about him. He knew that she must have felt something for him, since she as sitting nude in a bathtub, waiting for him to wash her back.
He looked at her. She was still smiling at him. She leaned forward into the water, giving him access to her back.
Angus timidly reached out with the wash cloth and touched her back. He could feel the strength of her body under the small cloth. She smiled and made a small, pleased sound. At least I'm doing it right, he thought.
She reached out to grab the bar of soap that sat on a small table next to her bath. Angus knew she was going to hand it to him. He was almost afraid.
She turned to him, soap in hand.
He looked absolutely frightened.
"Angus? What's wrong?"
"Just a little nervous, that's all."
"Nervous, why?"
He took the soap from her hand. He knew what he was supposed to do next. He'd bathed before, but for some reason, he couldn't do it.
He smiled at her. "Just nervous."
Breaca knew why. "You've never been this close to a woman before?"
He shook his head. Slowly he lathered up the cloth. He reached out to touch her back once again. He slid the cloth up and down her upper back and few times, watching as she relaxed under his touch.
"Angus."
He jumped. The soap flew out of his hand and into the tub.
Breaca started laughing. Angus suddenly realized the hilarity of the situation and started laughing as well. She dug around in the bottom of the tub. After a moment, her hand surfaced with the soap.
"Sorry," he apologised to her, though he still was laughing.
She could tell that he was starting to relax. She was thankful for that. He didn't have any reason to be so nervous, as far as she could see. She'd never been this close to a man either, but she felt completely comfortable. Angus was like no other man. He was courageous and brave, strong, yet soft and kind. She loved him. Suddenly she caught herself. She admitted it. She loved him. Now if only she could tell him.
"What were you going to say, before I launched the soap?" Angus was caressing her back with the cloth. She could tell he was feeling more comfortable.
"Did you mean what you said, before I left?"
He stopped. She turned to look at him.
Suddenly she started to laugh.
Angus stared at her. "What?"
"You have soap on your nose."
Angus reached up and meekly wiped the soap away. He tried very hard to keep a straight face. The question she asked was very important. He found that he could hold it any longer. He started to snicker.
They laughed some more, washing away as much of the discomfort as they could
Angus managed to stop laughing long enough to answer her question. "Yes, I meant it. I love you."
Breaca looked at him. She could see that he loved her. Though she had never been loved before, she could see it in his eyes. He loved her a great deal.
"I need to get out of the water. I'm shrivelling." She smiled at him.
Angus reached for the drying cloth that was folded up near her bath. As he stood and turned to face her, cloth in hand, she had already stood from the tub. He stared at her momentarily. Then held the towel up to her and turned away.
"Angus, what are you so afraid of?"
"Nothing. I just feel..odd"
Breaca wrapped the towel around her body and stepped from the tub. She walked around Angus until she stood in front of him.
He realized, as she stood in front of him wearing only a drying cloth, that she was only a couple of inches shorter than him. Her hair was slightly wet. She looked absolutely stunning. He never though a woman could look so attractive just wearing a cloth.
He reached out to her, softly touching her cheek. She closed her eyes and smiled at him. She wanted him to hold, to tell her again that he loved her. Though she still felt odd about saying it to him, even though she new that she did love him.
Angus traced the line of her jaw. Slowly running his fingers down her throat to her chest and the top of the towel.
He watched as her breath caught in her throat. He was acting completely on impulse now. His thoughts were only of her.
She opened her eyes to see him looking at her, a soft smile on his lips. He moved closer to her. Their bodies almost touching.
"I love you, Breaca," he said as he bent to kiss her. Their lips met in a passionate kiss. She missed his touch more than she ever realized. In fact, she could feel something else. Desire. She had never felt it before, but she knew what it was. Desire. The desire to have him take her in his arms and... And what, Breaca, what do you want? she wracked her brain.
Suddenly she pulled away from him. He looked at her, confused.
"Did I do something wrong?"
She shook her head. "No, I just feel strange."
He smiled warmly at her. "Now you know how I felt the first time we were near each other."
She knew what she felt. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to feel it yet.
The bed wasn't far from where she stood. Her knees felt weak. She had to sit. Slowly she walked over to the bed and took a seat.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Angus' voice was filled with concern.
She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Just needed to sit for a moment." She looked at him, smiling.
He took her smile to be an invitation. Sitting down next to her, he reached out for her hand. She left him take it. Their eyes met.
"Breaca, do you feel anything for me?"
She jerked her head to look at him. "Of course I do. This is just all so new to me. I have never been in a situation like this before and I am kind of lost."
He patted her hand. "If you want me to slow down or stop all together, tell me."
She shook her head and said, "No. Angus, I care about you." She blushed slightly. "I missed you terribly while I was away on that quest. All I could think about was you. I wondered every night if you would still be here, waiting for me."
He touched her face, gently. "I would be thinking of no one else." With that he kissed her softly.
As their lips parted, she knew what she needed to say.
"Angus."
"Yes?"
"I love you, too."
He stared at her. He had hoped she would tell him, but in a way never expected her to. He slid her arms around her and pulled her to him. She wondered for a moment if he was going to shed tears, but then realized that Angus was not that kind of man.
They parted and looked at each other. They could see the love in each other's eyes. There was more though. Much more. Angus wanted her, more than ever and she knew it. She wanted him as well.
He reached out. He deftly removed the towel from her body. All he could do was stare at her. She was so beautiful. Even the wounds from her battle with the fire spirit, didn't mar her beauty. To him, she as like an enigma. She had told him all that he had wanted to know, but yet there was still more to her. Some things were hidden deep within her soul. Things that he wanted to know, wanted to possess.
She smiled at him, knowing what was to come.

Breaca woke with the sun. She smiled as she felt the warmth of the sunlight on her face. She felt good. In fact, she felt better than she had felt in a long time.
As she rolled over, she noticed Angus. Curling up beside him, she rememebered the night before. It had been absolutely wonderful. They had finally come together, body and soul. They were one now. Always and forever. She knew that Angus was the one that she was meant to be with.
The thief stirred. He slowly turned his head and opened his eyes. He smiled warmly as he saw her next to him. The previous night began to come back to him. He had made love to her. He had given her all he had.
"Good morning." Breaca smiled at him.
He reached over to her and put his arms around her. Angus held her next to him. They both felt very happy.
A knock at the door jarred them from the moment of happiness.
"Breaca!" She recognized Rohan's voice at the door.
The two of them looked at each other. Angus jumped out of bed, searching desperately for his clothes.
"Hold on!" Breaca called.
They both scrambled into their clothes as fast as they could. When they felt they had enough of their clothes on, Breaca answered the door.
Rohan smiled at her, noticing that she looked a little out of sorts.
"Have you seen Angus?"
She smiled and said, "Yes."
"Where?" Rohan could tell that something was amiss, but wasn't quite sure what it was.
Breaca smiled and opened the door further, revealing Angus trying desperately to adjust his clothing. Rohan raised an eyebrow as he watched in amusement.
"Angus."
The thief looked up suddenly to see his best friend looking at him. He grinned at him.
"Yes?"
"Come here."
Angus looked rather sheepishly at his friend, then slowly approached him.
"You didn't come back to the hut. I got worried." He then took a look at Breaca, who was smiling, wanly, at him. "But I see you were in good hands."
Angus nodded and looked at her. Breaca was looking very beautiful at that moment. She stood in the center of the room, wearing a blue tunic and breeches. Her skin was flushed from their night together. It was the first time for both of them, and they both knew that they would never forget what had happened.
Angus bade her good day and left with his friend.

Angus and Rohan sat together on the upper ramparts of the castle. They were supposed to be watching for Temra soldiers, but Angus' mind was on other things.
"What do you think?" Rohan had asked.
"Hmm?" Angus turned to look at him, having absolutely no idea what his friend had been saying.
Rohan sighed. "You haven't been listening to a word I've said."
Angus apologised. "I just can't get my mind off Breaca."
Rohan's expression changed to one of interest. "So, tell me what happened."
The thief thought for a moment about keeping it to himself, but then decided that if he couldn't share it with his best friend, who could he share it with.
"Rohan, it was wonderful." His eyes glazed over as he remembered the feel of her skin against his.
"What was?"
"The whole night. Everything." He could remember kissing her body from head to toe.
"Angus, just fill me in." Rohan punched his friend in the shoulder.
He winced and looked at Rohan. "Well. First, she took a bath. She didn't even ask me to leave the room."
Rohan stared at him. "What? You mean she undressed right in front of you?"
Angus thought about lying to his friend, but decided to keep to the facts. "Not exactly. She made me turned around, but still she was naked behind me." He could he was peeking Rohan's interest. "Then she asked me to wash her back."
Rohan sighed, then shook his head. "You're one lucky man, Angus."
Angus grinned. "Just wait, it gets better."
He jerked his head around to look at Angus. "After, rather unsuccessfully, washing her back, we started to talk." He smiled. "Then one thing led to another." He could see Rohan getting more interested the more he explained. "Next thing I know, we're both undressed and in her bed."
Rohan stared at Angus. Could Angus have possibly been with Breaca? He had to know. "And?"
The thief smiled. "And....I made love to her."
Rohan's eyes grew huge. He couldn't believe he was hearing it. Angus had made love to Breaca. "I..I don't know what to say. Umm..congratulations?"
Angus smiled. He was pleased with himself. He could see that Rohan was jealous. The thought of finally being able to do something that even Rohan hadn't done, made him feel good.
"Do you think she's going to tell Deirdre?" Rohan asked.
Angus shrugged. "She can if she wants to. I don't mind. She can tell everyone."
Rohan stared at him. He was amazed at the way Angus was acting. Then again, his friend had every reason to feel good about himself. He had been intimate with a woman. A woman he was very much in love with. A woman that he may some day, dare he think it, marry.
"Angus, can I ask you something? Something personal?"
The thief shrugged again. "Sure."
Rohan thought for a moment, wondering how he should ask. He decided just to be forward. "Are you going to ask her to marry you?"
Angus stopped fiddling with his vest for a moment. He hadn't thought about that. He knew that he was in love with her, but he hadn't contemplated marriage. "I don't know. It hadn't entered my mind."
"I mean, I know you love her and you just committed yourselves to each other. Marriage would be a likely step." Rohan felt a little uncomfortable about the subject, but he knew that Angus had always been rather aloof with the subject and he thought that maybe he should bring it forward. Just to let Angus know that it was real, and that it was an very real possibility.
"I think I need to talk to Breaca." Angus' expression turned serious.

Meanwhile, Breaca was sitting with Deirdre in her rooms.
"Why are you so excited?" Deirdre was asking her.
She smiled. She wanted so much to tell her. Deirdre had become a good friend in the time that she had been in Kells.
"I want to tell you something." Breaca's face was lit up.
Deirdre started to feel like a little girl sharing secrets again. Though when she was a little girl, she had few other girls to share secrets with.
"Last night, I had a wonderful time." Breaca smiled at Deirdre.
The princess stared at her. She had no idea what Breaca was referring to.
"Last night?"
"I...well...spent the night with Angus." Breaca could feel herself blushing.
Deirdre stared at her friend. Breaca had spent the night with Angus? She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Breaca was the last person on earth she had expected to hear that from.
"You what?"
"Angus and I...well..." Breaca stammered at this point. She wasn't sure what to say. She had never been with a man before. All of adult life, she had been positive that she hadn't needed a man. Now she felt complete. She felt better than she had ever felt.
She smiled broadly at the princess. "We made love."
Deirdre nearly choked on her mug of water. She wasn't sure she had heard Breaca right. It had almost sounded like she said that she and Angus had made love.
"What?"
"Is something wrong with that?"
The princess shook her head. "No, of course not. It's just surprising, that's all. I just never realized the two of you were that close."
Breaca smiled and looked out the window. The sun shone in, bathing the room in a soft glow. "I love him, Deirdre."
She still couldn't quite believe it. For some reason, the thought of Angus being passionate about anything other than food, was hard to fathom. Deirdre had never seen Angus passionate about anything besides food, and gold.
"Does he love you?"
Breaca looked at the princess. She nodded.
"Well, the if you two truly love each other, than it's wonderful." The princess hugged her newest friend. She genuinely liked Breaca, thought of her almost as a sister.
They parted, both smiling. Deirdre asked quietly. "How was it? I mean, you don't have to tell me, but since it has never happened to me, I don't know what to expect."
The thoughts of the previous night invaded Breaca's mind. She could almost feel Angus' touch upon her skin, his kisses, his body. She sighed.
"Truthfully, a little frightening at first. But I guess, if the man you're with, truly loves you, then fear is all right."
Deirdre urged her to tell more.
"He was so gentle. He asked if everything was fine. He made sure that he wasn't hurting me. It was like a dream, but it was so real. I can't imagine it any other way." She stood and walked over to the window. She propped her elbows on the stone sill and looked out of the courtyard of Kells castle. "I feel so different."
"How so?" She heard Deirdre ask from the far side of the room.
"Well, I feel more feminine. I feel more like I want to know what I look like in a dress. What it would be like not being a warrior." She turned. "But being a wife and..."
"And?" Deirdre hadn't had anyone to talk with these things about. Hearing this from a woman not that much older than her made her tingle.
"A mother." She had never thought about that before. Motherhood was never something she could see in her future.
"A mother? Wow. I haven't even considered that."
Breaca smiled then seated herself. "A mother. I didn't think about it until all this happened. A wife. That's just as complicated."
The princess raced over to kneel in front of Breaca. "Do you think he'll ask you to marry him?"
Breaca looked up sharply. "Marry me? I don't know."
"Maybe you should go find Angus."
Breaca stood straight and nodded. "Maybe I should."

Breaca was preparing to leave the castle, hoping to find Angus, when a soldier approached her.
"Cathabad requires your presence."
She sighed and thanked the soldier. Cathabad has terrible timing, she thought.

"Cathabad?" She entered into the druids workroom. It was completely empty. She wondered if the soldier could have been mistaken.
She stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, wondering what was going on, when a brilliant green light flashed in front of her. Breaca covered her eyes, realising only too late that she had been blinded. Hands grabbed for her, roughly shoving her around. She had no idea where she was going or who was doing this to her, though she had some idea that Maeve was behind it.

When her vision finally cleared, she discovered that she sat in a prison cell. One lone guard waited near the door. She was in Temra castle. Apparently Maeve had decided that she was more of a threat, now that she had destroyed Mider's portal and her rune stone.
The guard turned to look at her. He noticed that she was glaring at him. Her sight had returned. He yelled for another guard to fetch the Queen. Now she would have to find a way of the cell for sure.
Breaca reached behind her, discovering that Maeve had taken her SpiritBlades. Cursing, she decided that Maeve would regret this in as many ways as she deemed worthy.
Slowly the Queen approached the cell. "So, not as powerful now are we?" She laughed. "Just a little girl in a little cell."
General Torc stood near her, grinning evilly. He appeared quite pleased with the way things were working for his beloved Queen.
"Release her, Torc." Maeve ordered.
"Yes, My Queen." He removed from his belt a ring of keys, one of which opened the door to the cell.
The general grabbed Breaca's arm and rather roughly shoved her out of the cell and onto the floor in front of the Queen. She could see her SpiritBlades on the table beside the Queen. She had to devise a plan to reach them. A distraction was what she needed.

Continued