The Fifth Night

We stay in each other’s arms all day, letting there be no more secrets between us. We have sixteen years’ worth of time to catch up on, so many life events we weren’t with each other for.

“After he let me go, I was trying to make my way through the forest,” Oria explains, her head resting on my chest, her arm wrapped tightly around my torso. I play with her hair, massaging her scalp gently.

“Eventually, I passed out from exhaustion and blood loss, and I was just lucky, I suppose. An old lady found me, and brought me back to her shop. Here. She was an apothecary and she wanted an apprentice, but had never had children. I became her daughter and she taught me everything I know. Major was her dog - Minor was just a puppy when the apothecary passed away. Rius’ mother was a regular customer of hers, which is how we met. We quickly became friends, and he was the only man I was comfortable being around for many years, since I’d known him before he identified that way,” she continues, tracing circles into my waist. 

“It took me a long time to feel strong and like I could protect myself, especially around older men. It was,” Oria lets out a shuddering sigh, “really hard. But I grew strong, and Major was always so loyal. She followed me everywhere. I wanted to find you, but I couldn’t go back to that estate. I couldn’t. And by the time I thought to ask someone else to check for me instead, I found out that you and Lady Leta no longer lived there. I thought that you had just…moved on, and I was happy for you. I thought it was a good thing, since it’d been around five years at this point. A few years later, Rius and I realised we liked each other, but it was- it wasn’t right, for either of us. He realised he just liked me as a friend, meanwhile I was still- I was still in love with you. I thought I’d moved on, but I hadn’t. Even after so many years.” She looks up at me, a small smile on her lips. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move on. And luckily for me, you appeared in my shop one day. I couldn’t believe my luck. It took me a moment to recognise you - at first, I just thought: wow. What a beautiful woman. And then I realised who you were and I- I could barely breathe. I knew that I had to do anything I could to get you to stay here. When you didn’t recognise me, I decided to instead focus on making you fall madly in love with me, so that you’d abandon whatever it was you needed that poison for. You said you were hunting a pig, so I didn’t- I didn’t know you meant your father. Please believe me when I say that if I’d realised you thought I was dead, I would’ve handled things so completely differently,” she practically begs me, her gaze desperate. Bending to press a kiss to her forehead, I smile. 

“I know, it’s ok. I kept thinking that your laugh, your smile, your hair…it all reminded me of her - of you, but I was so certain that when my father said he’d ‘dealt’ with you, and those screams…I thought for sure that you were dead. I never stopped to contemplate that maybe you were alive.”

Oria leans up to kiss me, and if her kisses felt good before, they felt amazing now that I knew she was my Oria. My apothecary.

“I don’t know how you don’t blame me,” I whisper, staring up at the ceiling. Oria kisses my collarbone, her breath warm against the exposed part of my skin beneath my shirt.

“Because you are not to blame. Apella is, and Zese is. You, Artemisia, are not. But if you still feel bad, then please…please stay here with me,” she sits up, touching my chin lightly and guiding my eyes to hers. 

Such an easy request…

“Apella is still out there somewhere. I wouldn’t mind stabbing her in the throat too…” I trail off, and Oria chuckles when she catches my smile. Wrapping my arms around her neck, I pull her down for a kiss. 

“Alright. I’ll stay here with you, forever. But please, let’s burn that stupid contract. I don’t want to be just a whore anymore,” I breathe against her lips, eager for more. I want Oria; all of her.

“You were never just a whore, Temi. But yes, I’d like to burn that contract too,” she giggles, her hand slipping up my shirt at my waist. Her touch is electric as always as she strips me of my shirt, her kisses hot on my neck and shoulders. I grip her hair as she lays endless love on my breasts, a flaming inferno burning bright in my stomach. I’m used to grabbing at Oria’s shoulders but now that I can see the skin there, I don’t know if I should. Would it make her uncomfortable, to feel my hands on her bare skin? Only one way to find out.

“Oria,” I gasp out as she kisses up my thigh, my fingers still threaded through her hair. She looks up, a gorgeous smile on her lips.

“I’ve always wanted to hear you moan my name,” she confesses, removing my hand from her hair and kissing my palm. “What is it, my love?” 

She’s too beautiful. Too handsome, too radiant. Touching her feels like crossing a line, somehow. But I want to…I haven’t ever been allowed to touch the bare skin of her torso.

“Can I…” I bite my lip, suddenly unsure. What if she’s still uncomfortable? Just because I know she has scars doesn’t mean she will miraculously be ok with me seeing and touching them. Not that I’d be focused on the scars, but still. She smiles encouragingly, squeezing my hand. 

“Can I touch your chest? Without…” I fade off, watching Oria’s expression carefully. She considers for a moment, clearly not entirely comfortable with it. “You don’t have to, I’m sorry I pushed,” I quickly assure her, but Oria shakes her head. 

“It’s ok, you can - I want you to, it’s just…I don’t want you to be upset, when you see them. When you see…one of them, in particular.”

Sitting up, I pull her into a hug. “I’d be far too focused on you, I’m sure. But really, we don’t have to. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Oria is silent for a moment before pulling back and yanking the tank top off over her head. She quickly shuffles around so that I can see her back, and…

“I see,” I whisper, automatically reaching out to touch where my own name is carved onto her back. Unable to stop myself in time, I swap to wrapping my arms around her torso instead, her skin rough against mine. Oria leans her head back, resting it on my shoulder. 

“He wanted me to hate you. He wanted it to be a constant reminder of you, of the pain…but he was a fool. Clearly underestimated my feelings for you, since every time I catch sight of it, I’d just remember all the wonderful things about you,” she smiles, shifting around in my arms to kiss me again. “Besides, there’s worse things to have permanently written on your body than a gorgeous name like ‘Artemisia’. I think of it like a really extreme type of tattoo. You know, those kinds that people get when they’re madly in love and think it’s a great idea to get their partner’s name permanently written on their body,” she grins, somehow able to make light of the fact that my father carved my name into her body, scarring her this way.

She is so, so strong.

“Now come on - unless I’ve totally ruined the mood - I do believe there was one place I haven’t kissed you yet,” Oria whispers, her hand landing on my inner thigh, dangerously close. Shaking my head, I lightly push her backwards, holding myself over her as my hand lands on her side, just below her breasts. 

“I do believe it’s my turn to get to touch you,” I try to smile coyly, that flame in my stomach gradually reigniting itself as I straddle Oria, her hands immediately coming to land on my hips. Bending down, I trail kisses all over her chest, worshipping her breasts as I get myself comfortable between her strong thighs. Now it’s her turn to gasp out my name as I kiss, lick and touch her anywhere and everywhere, her hand in my hair, her breathing fast and stuttering as she grips me tightly, her thighs practically crushing me. 

I love it.

She pulls me up to her for kisses as I lay beside her, one hand still caressing her, the other cupping her cheek. She moans into my mouth over and over, her hand grasping at my thigh, pulling me closer, desperate to touch me too. Oria pulls my hand away from her legs, kissing my fingers dry as she turns us over, pushing her leg between mine and moving against me. I moan into the kiss, my hands grasping at her back, her tongue dancing in my mouth as she works wonders on me with her hands, her strong shoulders flexing beneath my touch. 

“Oria!” I rasp, her mouth at my throat, my body unable to hold out for any longer. She holds me gently as I spasm, her lips pressed to mine, exactly where they belong.

I was a fool for ever thinking I should leave.