Judging (BG2)

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The following is based on the idea of a Nalia romance and the clashing of two personalities. It does have strong, adult themes and I tried to cull the more obvious language and sexuality. It doesn't read any worse than any romance novel in my local library, but not everyone has the same tastes. There are points with {REST SCREEN} that are there to cover the snipped bits. It should pass for PG-13, if nothing else. This was first published at PPG under the title 'Disillusioned'. Feedback is appreciated.
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Judging
By Kuemper (c) 2005

I stood on the parapets and stared at the darkness of the approaching rainstorm.
The clouds were a rolling mass of black color, surging across the sky over my
keep. I grunted at my thought. 'My keep.' Ha! Not really; not with Nalia in
residence. Oh, she may protest and argue that she is merely my 'ward' and that
having me 'in charge' is the better of her fates. For all her posturing about
her concern for the poor, teeming masses, I still see the sharp edge of nobility
in her actions.

I turned at the sound of the door opening. Nalia poked her auburn head outside
and called, "You should not be out here, Manwae." I crossed my arms over my
chest, shutting my eyes to the words. Her slippers scuffed the stones as she
walked to me. A hand reached out and pressed itself against my biceps. "The
storm caused flooding in the eastern country."

"So?" I slitted my eyes and glance down at her.

The fingers tightened in the cloth of my tunic. "I-You could fall ill," she
stammered. "Your trip to Waterdeep would be delayed." I touched her wrist with
my left hand, quirking a smile at her concern.

"There's no other reason for me to stay?" I answered, leading the statement into
a question. I found the pretty noble attractive and determined, still do in
fact, and tried my damnedest to get her to admit she cared for me more than her
precious 'weak and poor'. Fat drops of warm rain plopped against our bodies. She
unconsciously leaned into my warmth and I allowed it, wrapping her into my
embrace. "You really should wear more practical robes." Her thin gown of green
merino clung to my lower legs like seaweed. She slid her arms around my chest
and rested her cheek to my shoulder. Anyone else and I might describe it as
snuggling, except she held a part of herself away from me.

The wind kicked up and cooled the temperature considerably. It teased my black
hair around my face and ruffled Nalia's skirts. I watched the by-play of loose
strands of auburn tresses buffeted in the breeze. Unable to stop myself, I
settled those flyaways back to her scalp with the palm of my hand and pressed
them to stay with a brief caress of my fingers. She tucked herself further into
my arms with a sigh. "I should return," she whispered. "Aunty would ring peal if
she saw me out here."

"Of course. Mingling with the riff-raff is right out."

She pulled back, tipping her chin up. "I would never say that, Manwae. I've
never thought of you that way. Aunty does and Isaea does but not me." The
weather dampened her cheeks and created a sheen over her skin. Tempting, very
tempting, I'll admit. I eased a fingertip along her jaw line and along her pink
lips, seeing them open slightly. Her breath heated the digit as I continued to
stare at her lovely mouth. I felt her eyes on my face. Did she want it? Gods, I
hoped so. I bent my head down and caught the smirk on my lips before she noticed
as she stretched upwards.

Our lips met; epoch.

I groaned as the taste of her overwhelmed my senses. Sweet cream with a dash of
cinnamon poured across my tongue as I delved inside her mouth. Her gasp at my
intrusion was muffled and I held her firmly against me. 'Not this time, pet,' I
growled in my mind. One hand immobilized her head, preventing any chance for
escape. My other slipped downwards along her body, cautiously seeking the
womanly curves beneath her gown. I stroked outside the clothes, understanding
her skittishness.

After several minutes of heavy kissing, Nalia's hands began their own
adventures. They rubbed my chest tentatively, almost in disbelief that I was
allowing this. I inhaled deeply through my nose, pressing my pectorals against
her palms. Her fingers dug into the fabric of my shirt. They grew bolder with
each caress. Her left found its way around my waist and started petting my back
with long, gentle strokes. I rewarded her with a growl of pleasure. "Nalia," I
whispered harshly. "Don't leave me like this, please."

She replied in a throaty voice I'd longed to hear, "Give me a reason to and I
will."

"A thousand," I promised and swept her into my arms. We shared a smile - mine of
conqueror and hers of surrender. The rain pelted us as I carried my lady to the
nearest door. The fat drops dribbled down my chin and soaked the bodice of her
robe. I couldn't help but watch, fascinated, as the material dampened and clung
to her body. It caused me to fumble with the handle, but eventually, we made it
inside the castle.

We listened at the entry to the upstairs hall, hoping no one was about this
late. You never knew about Lady Delcia. She wandered the castle whenever the
whim took her. I heard nothing and carefully opened the door. I dropped a quick
peck on Nalia's cheek and scurried through the empty corridors toward my
bedroom. Upon my successful arrival, I lowered my love to her feet and barred
the door. When I turned to resume my seduction, she looked pale and nervous. I
reached for her. We shared another throaty kiss. She excitedly touched my body,
even going so far as to loosen my tunic. She helped me take the waterlogged
garment off and gulped. "You certainly are...manly," she stammered as her eyes
took in the sight of my bared chest. I glanced down at the dark fur and caught
her gaze. "It's not bad, really." Her apology paired with the threading of her
delicate fingers through the thick nest eased my bruised pride.

"Well, it does keep me warm," I quipped back and guided her backwards to the
massive bed. Her knees hit the counterpane and she fell over with a cry. I
followed and settled myself atop her lithe form. "I'm sure you'll agree."
Raining brief kisses upon her, I unfastened her gown and parted the edges of her
chemise. My lips burned a trail down her arched throat. A pink blush flushed the
pale skin there. I paused for a moment and committed the sight of her beauty to
memory.

"What's wrong?" Nalia asked in a trembling voice.

"Just wondering how far you want to take this," I answered honestly and waited
for her reply.

She answered by drawing me to her bosom. I wanted her to be more
malleable, but I suppose that would come with time.

{REST SCREEN}

I tumbled onto one side and tossed an arm over my head. We lay in
panting recovery for a time. The bed shifted as she leaned over me.
"That was very nice," she conceded and kissed me chastely on the mouth.
"I never knew it could be like this."

"Bull," I shot back. She pulled back at my heated comment. I cocked
a brow and snorted. "You weren't a virgin, Nalia. My scope on screwing
might be limited, but I had a pretty decent teacher in Candlekeep." I
reined in my anger and rose off the mattress. I walked over and checked
the dryness of her clothing. Everything was still soaked.

"You have no right to judge me. You're just like the rest of them - you
only see what you want and nevermind the rest," she argued as she
clothed herself in a blanket. "I'm here with *you*! Does it matter that
much that you weren't my first lover?"

I folded my arms across my chest and simple looked at her. "A guy kinda
hopes he'll be the first," I replied softly, burying my anger in my
gut.

"So, you aren't going to ask who it was?" Nalia's voice became quiet,
almost diffident.

"No." I went to the armoire and retrieved a pair of pants from inside.
I sensed her eyes following my every move.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Besides, what you do with Isaea is none of my business."
She sucked in a breath, confirming for me what I'd always suspected. I
glanced at her face and smiled wickedly. "He 'arrested' you and kept
you 'incarcerated' for an entire day. I know I'd be trying to get under
your skirts." I laced up my breeches. "Oh wait, I did." That got me a
smack on the face.

"How dare you!" she huffed and angrily combed her hair out of her
vision. "You have no right treating me this way! You are not my
father."

"No, but you are my ward, whatever in the hell that means." I held out
a laundered shirt. "Be a good girl and get dressed. It's hard to accept
noblesse oblige from you when you're wearing a sheet."

She took the shirt and I gave her my back. I listened to her struggle
to dress without dropping her safety blanket. I squatted in front of
the fire and poked at the flaming logs with my left hand and pinched
the bridge of my nose with the other. The break from a fight years ago
ached as I rubbed it. I screwed up by mentioning her former betrothed
and realized there was no way to recover from that. "You may turn
around now," she stated.

"Gee, thanks," I grumbled. She sat down on the edge of the bed, legs
crossed at the knees. "What?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I believe an apology is in order." Her eyes were shuttered towards me
and her chin hiked up a notch. Goody-goody, looked like the snob was
back. "You besmirched my name with your accusations, Manwae, and I
won't have it." She waved a hand in a queenly manner.

I caved. "Sorry about the Isaea crack. It was uncalled for."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Nalia smiled, fluttering her eyelashes
coyly. The spell hit me in the gut and I grunted. Damn, she was good. I
didn't notice her fingers moving at all. "What is it about me that
gives the impression that I'm helpless? Everyone seems to forget I am a
competent magic-user." She stood and rubbed her hands together. "Now,
let's see if I can't get that lock open."

As she tiptoed to the door, I followed her just as stealthily. She
knelt in front of the lock and peered inside the keyhole. I held myself
back, out of sight. She hummed, then unwound a piece of colored banding
from one braid. Fascinated, I watched as she inserted it into the iron
lock and twisted it carefully. Sweat broke out on her face. She swiped
a hand across her brow and resumed her work. "You could just ask for
the key," I breathed in her ear.

She jolted at the sound of my voice, whipping around to face me.
"Manwae! You scared me!" Her tone began as a strangled cry and changed
to disbelief. "You-you-how?" She looked so pitifully confused that her
magic didn't work that I couldn't hold back my laughter. "But you
should be held or stunned or-or-I don't know!" She stammered on about
how I shouldn't be mobile even as I unbarred the door and tucked her
out into the hallway.

"'Night, Nalia," I said with a satisfied smirk and closed the door in
her face.

Still chuckling, I made my way across to the armoire and opened it. I
pulled out my faithful knapsack from the bottom and tossed it onto the
bed. I took out a few changes of clothes, thinking. I'd never traveled
alone, even after Gorion died. Imoen was always with me. The trip north
would be harrowing in more ways than one. I shook my head. No one was
hunting me down anymore. The Bhaal essence was gone, thanks to the
Solar. I was a regular human man, not the son of a god. I opened the
bag and stuffed the clothes inside, cinching the ties tightly. "What
else do I need?" I asked the empty room. My trusty axe, of course, and
a few potions I could wrangle from the keep's priest. Surveying the
room, I saw nothing else I needed or wanted to take.

I picked up a thick oak board and slotted it in the braces on either
side of the door. I hated getting woken up from a sound sleep. You'd
make a hell of a lot of noise trying to dislodge that chunk of wood,
which gave me time to plan. Not that anyone ever attacked the keep. Not
since I've lived here. The Roenalls were pretty quiet and I wondered
what they were up to. Although, Isaea probably would show up
conveniently after I leave.

I tossed on my damp shirt and felt around on side of the armoire. The
catch slid in, revealing an empty space behind the furniture. I opened
it enough for me to get passed, then closed it cautiously. The small
passage was dark, so I guided myself along with a hand lightly touching
the wall. My bare feet stepped gently as I moved ahead. Occasionally, I
paused and listened at places I knew rooms to be. Nothing at Delcia's
room. I wasn't surprised. She was most likely downstairs, badgering the
servants. I moved on and cocked an ear at Nalia's wall.

Things were being thrown around with punctuation on my behavior.
"Bastard," she hissed loudly, causing me to grin knowingly. "How dare
he?!" Silence. I pressed my head against the wall and heard papers
rustling. There was more rummaging sounds I couldn't identify. "Oooo!
He makes me *so* mad sometimes!" More silence, then drawers slamming.
Putting on another gown, I surmised. "I'll show him." Uh-oh, that did
not sound good. I turned to get back to my room pronto when I heard her
door slam. I indulged my naughty side.

The hidden door in her room was behind her vanity mirror. I popped
inside quickly and glanced around. Her room was messy - my shirt balled
up and thrown in a corner, the bed in disarray and papers strewn about.
Bending down, I gingerly picked one up and recognized it as a spell
scroll. "Oh, sh*t," I said under my breath and dropped to my knees. I
felt under her bed for that scroll case I'd given her last year. I
found it and dragged it out, half-closed with vellum sheets poking out
of the casing. "I think I might be screwed."

I left through her door and worked my way to my room. I came around the
corner just in time to see a green ray shoot from her fingertips. My
door became instant ashes. I shouted my indignation. Nalia whipped
around to greet me. "You left me no choice," she said and started
reading from another scroll. My legs ate up the ground between us.

"Umph," I groaned painfully and fell over to writhe in agony. 'What the
hell did she cast, Nalia's Nutcracker?' I thought through the haze of
blinding pain.

She bent over my prone body, tucking loose hair behind her ears as she
spoke. "Time Stop is a wonderful spell, dear heart. Gave me enough time
to pummel you soundly, although you do deserve more. Be happy I only
used my fists and knee." She brushed a hand across my forehead and
along my stubbly jaw. The rolling ache in my belly blurred when I
noticed the laces of her gown weren't tied snugly. I stared happily
into her shadowed cleavage, anticipating her renewed attack if she found
out. "And for your information, I never slept with Isaea, *ever*. My
first was Glaicas, the former head of the guards."

Somehow, I managed to croak, "You didn't have to tell me."

"Yes, yes I did. I don't want you thinking Isaea was ever more to me
than pond scum." She sat down next to me with her back propped against
a wall and her legs straight out. "People seem to have all these
misconceptions about me, especially those who know me well." Color
boomed on her cheeks and she fiddled with a piece of lace trim on her
cuff. "I'll admit I'm not the smartest person around, but that doesn't
make me stupid either. You, of all people, should have understood that.
Because you are-were a Bhaalspawn, it tainted how others viewed you.
Only your actions could prove otherwise and perhaps, not even then. I
am thought of as frivolous and empty-headed simply because of my
nobility."

The pain from her attack eased to a tolerable level, so I joined her
along the wall. "Calling those you want help from 'this rabble' and
'their kind'-"

"I know," she interjected, a quirky smile creasing her lips. "That was
horrible of me, I know that now. I've learned that I can aid those in
need without beating my head against the wall. Getting rid of that
slavery ring working from the Copper Coronet, for example. I still
shiver at the idea of using children that way. Ugh." Her shoulders
shook and I offered her comfort with my left hand on her knee.

We sat in silence for a long time, each of us thinking. "Who's the
chatelaine of the keep? You or Delcia?"

Nalia tapped her chin with a knuckle. "I suppose I am, as heir." A
spark lit up her eyes. "Yet Aunty continues to be in charge. The major-
domo defers the housekeeper to her, not me." She pushed herself onto
her feet and dusted off her skirts. "I think it's time she and I had a
long talk. Thank you." She leaned down and planted a sensual kiss on my
mouth.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked and accepted her help to
stand. My stomach hurt from her blows as I righted myself, the muscles
knotting up.

She shook her head. "No. This is something I've got to do alone."


As I sat in the hallway, I thought, 'Damn, she packs a wallop.' I
applauded the brilliance of combining the spell and a physical assault.
Made me wonder who taught her how to lay a man low. Glaicas, probably,
or maybe her dad. I guess it doesn't matter now. My problem was what to
do about my disintegrated door.

Using the wall for support, I levered my body to a standing position
and hobbled forward. There, sitting quite innocently on the floor, was
a tiny pile of dust. I swirled it around with my toes and let it mingle
with the other, normal, household dust. Best thing to do would be to
pack up my things and move to another bedroom. There were only two
empty ones on the second floor: one next to the library and the other
through a series of secret doors. I picked the one by the library, as
it was also closest to the stairwell. I shouldered my knapsack and
headed down the corridor to my new room.

The air chilled me. A fire became my number one priority; I dropped my
bag on the floor inside the door and returned to my old room. I used
the tools surrounding the fireplace to snaffle a few burning coals and
carried them tenderly. Into their new home they went and I was glad the
staff was so diligent about keeping the rooms ready for guests. The
preset kindling sparked alight and a fresh fire grew. I prodded until
satisfied it would continue burning. As I left for another load, Nalia
dashed into me. I caught her in my arms, "Whoa, what's the hurry?" I
asked, holding her close.

"I wanted to make certain you were all right," she answered. Her
fingers stroked the open collar of my shirt.

"Feeling guilty?"

"Amazingly, no."

I tipped her chin up. "Good. You shouldn't. I did deserve it." The
underside of her chin felt delicious beneath my finger. "Although you
could apologize by way of helping move my things. You did destroy a
perfectly good door."

She eased her arms onto my shoulders and laced her fingers in my hair.
"I've decided to go to Waterdeep with you."

'Nice evasion,' I thought. "You do know I'm going there to get the hell
away from you?"

"Pish-posh, dear heart. Let me help you." She leaned up and dropped a
peck on my nose, then removed herself from my grasp. I trailed after
her toward my former sleeping quarters. Together, we traded my meager
possessions from one place to another. I carried my weapons, not
wanting an axe in the groin in case she got upset again. She fluffed
the pillows on the bed and turned down the blankets. "You're sheet's
will be cold. I can ring for a maid to bring a bed warmer."

"Oh, I thought that's what you were here for," I quipped and dragged my
shirt over my head, letting it fall to the floor. Her face colored, but
she remained looking at me. I strolled across the room to her and slid
my right hand along her waist to her hip. We kissed long and sloppily,
stoking the flames of lust we shared.

{REST SCREEN}

Finis

 

That was really good, kuemper! I really enjoyed that, good job!

 

Great story Kuemper! I was so into it, and I shut out the rest of the world!

10 / 10

 

Great Story Kuemper. I loved it. I'll rate it "2 Cool 4 The World" aka 10/10

 

Thanks guys.

 

I never knew that you were such a good writer Kuemper. Amazing, so addictive, and so realistic with all those details, I look forward to read more of yours!

 

Woah, that was great! !

Great detail, not overloaded (like LotR), but enough to make beautiful images... that is something my writing is lacking at this moment (I'm trying )

But you kept it lighthearted as well. I found it difficult to turn away

 

More kudos. Thanks.