Getting Ahead of Himself
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Eimi
Date Posted: 30th April 2007
Characters: Kiomo
Description: Kiomo refects on how everything seems to be falling into place
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 2, day 19 of Turn 4
Kiomo gently closed the door behind him and turned to lean against the cool stone wall. His lips still tingled from emboldened kisses. It hadn't taken long before Thalia showed just how desperately she had wanted to be kissed. A smug smile spread across Kiomo's swollen lips as he pushed himself off from the stone. Despite her proper exterior, Kiomo always knew there was a passionate woman repressed under all those layers of propriety. He was happy to see he had been right. Part of him had been afraid he'd be proved wrong and she'd be cold as a fish like so many proper ladies were. But that was not the case. Yes, he could certainly enjoy bedding a wife like that. But he was getting ahead of himself. Little kisses when she was half drunk was one thing. That had just been a lucky break. Kiomo knew he had a long way to go before he got her into a bed with him. He had to tread carefully. If he rushed her, it might push her away. He needed to seal the deal quickly, but not so quick as to make her feel as though she'd be making a rash decision. No, Thalia had much too deep of a sense of duty to rush into a marriage. Kissing a man when she was lonely and desperate was one thing. Her head would be clearer by morning. He'd have to seem to have infinite patience while stepping up the charm just enough to seem sincere, but not enough to make her feel as though he were hurrying into anything. She was smart as far as emotional women went. The best way to coax her into his trap was to make her see the logic of it. Play to her sense of her duty, while at the same time emphasize some of the qualities that would make this match seem like the perfect solution to all her problems. He was well connected, of the Blood, he would not have to ask her to relocate to a far off Hold. And best of all, he could make her feel like she was the tragic heroine in her very own harper romance. She'd get the passion her life had so long been lacking, Kiomo would get her inheritance and be the step-father of a Lord Holder. He would be father to Lord Aslian, raising the child in _his_ way. If all went right, shards, _he_ would be the true Lord Holder, hiding in the shadows and whispering advice in the young Lord's ear. All the perks of power with none of the responsibility. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Kiomo had to stifle a laugh. Everything was falling into place exactly as he had hoped! Ishek was wrapped around his finger, Penryn would be distracted by his new wife and son. Hmmmm. Perhaps it would be best to suggest to Ishek that Penryn would do well in a minor Hold of his own. Kiomo was pretty sure the man had no real designs on power, but he'd go if Ishek asked him to. He was a loyal canine, that Penryn. And he could prove troublesome. He hadn't missed the way the Steward looked at Thalia. For all that he was married, Kiomo could tell the man was devoted to her. Penryn just might have to go... Gleniel would also have to be moved eventually. Kiomo would have to find some cot close enough to the Hold that she'd be easy to visit, but not so close as she could ruin things with Thalia. But not yet. There was time for that. They had only been sleeping together for the last three months. Though she was learning what it took to please him between the sheets, she had not yet properly been trained to be a real mistress, which was his true intentions for her. She'd be loyal to him, he had made sure of that. Gleniel was totally and utterly in love with him, which meant she could be a liability if he didn't handle her right. However, properly molded and manipulated, she'd accept the fact that he had to have another as his wife and be grateful for whatever attention he paid her. And she would show her gratitude in the most lovely of ways. Kiomo had come to Garnet Valley with designs purely on Thalia and her inheritance, but to find a little virgin with no familial ties and so eager to please had proved a sweet little bonus. He had always been good at learning from other people's past mistakes, and his father had made a great number of them. The first of which, of course, had been dying before Kiomo was of a decent age to be named heir rather than his idiot eldest brother! Of course he had gotten his revenge. The next Lord Holder of Ancient Stones just might have sprung from _his_ loins...
But Kiomo had also learned not to mix family with pleasure. His mother had made his father miserable over the number of mistresses the old man had kept, and made no attempt to hide. Kiomo had seen the flaw in his father's thinking. His father had made every woman he fancied an official mistress. Kiomo was determined to have one well trained mistress, loyal and secretive. Maybe two if he needed a little more entertainment. But you certainly didn't have to make every quick lay into a mistress. What a waste of marks for their upkeep! And having it all right out in the open just bred jealousy among them! No, Gleniel would serve him well. She'd be shy, sweet, quiet, devoted, and completely tailored to suit his personal tastes and no other man's. If he needed a bit of adventure to spice things up, there were plenty of women in the kitchen he had found who could serve as an adequate diversion.
But he was getting ahead of himself again. There was still plenty of time to work on Gleniel. He had to concentrate on Thalia. Today had just been a lucky break. Tomorrow... Well, tomorrow he'd have to get to work.
Last updated on the April 30th 2007