Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Posted on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 @ 7:05am by Princess Royal Giana Orsini
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 7:06pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Rio, Giana's Apartment
Timeline: Date 2371-06-03 at 0600
3185 words - 6.4 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Giana let out a long, satisfied sigh and stretched in the bed, tangled in the sheets with her hair stuck to her face. She lay there for just a moment and then turned on her side to look at Edward, her hand moving to his bare chest. They'd been with each other for hours and it seemed Edward was extremely intent on ramming home the point that he would miss her when he was gone. Repeatedly and rapidly, in fact. Her fingers ran through the damp hair on his chest and she rested her head on his shoulder. At the moment, he was the only thing on her mind, an accomplishment given her rather divided attentions as of late given the men being pushed at her and pushing themselves to her. He had always had that effect on her though.

No matter how mad she was she had always eventually come around up to this point, though this time had taken an incredibly long while. Still, here she was again in his arms. "I wish we had more time." She admitted, her voice soft in his ear.

Edward, his breathing finally starting to regain some level of normalcy, turned his head to gaze into those eyes that had held him so for so many years. While he had been with enough women to know the difference, being with Giana was always the best. There was just something about how the moved and were together that felt...well...as close to perfect as he was ever going to be lucky enough to find.

She was perfect for him. Period.

The question still remained....did she consider him perfect enough for her? He would have no choice but to wait and find out.

Smiling softly at her, he reached over his chest with his right hand, and gently moved a few of the stray strands of her beautiful hair off of her face. It was gentle movement, one he knew she allowed few to possess.

When he was done, he caressed the left side of her face as he replied. "Well then, my love, I had best return from this war in one piece, so that you may have all the time you wish."

"You had better. I'll be very upset with you if you die, you know." Giana said and prodded his chest roughly with her finger, a sour frown already appearing on her beautiful face at the very thought. "Who else will I find to give me such nice massages?"

Edward made an oofing sound when Giana poked him. Then he gave her that smile that belonged to only her and replied. "My love, the Imperial Starfleet has trained me to be the sharpest point on her many spears. I will return to you." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, before leaning back and grinning again.

"Besides, I simply will not allow anyone else to rub those wonderfully long legs of yours," he smirked playfully. "They, and the rest of you, are mine to worship and pamper."

Giana laughed a soft, girlish laugh at his words. He always had been so possessive, but in the end he didn’t own her or her body as much as he might have liked to. She reached up to touch his cheek and looked into his eyes. “Well, we will just have to see when you get back what the future holds, won’t we?” Without letting him answer, she leaned up to kiss him, touching his cheek and using her other arm to draw him closer.

Returning her kiss with equal passion,Edward wrapped his arms around Giana, holding her body against his. He knew he had no claim on her, nor would he, until the day she allowed him to become her husband. His words were si.ply part of the game that they had been playing since they were chosen, and he had stolen his first kiss from her, while they played in the Imperial gardens. He had known, that day, that he loved her. She was the one that all others had always been measured against. They, of course, all fell hugely short in the test.

Sure, as they grew and matured, they had had their various spats, him being the one wrong this last time. However, through it all, his heart always yearned for only her. If she decided to grant him her full trust again, he would die before he broke it.

After a few glorious moments of kissing and touching, Edward rolled Giana onto her back and pulled back slightly to gaze into her beautiful face. "I love you, Gigi. I have since that first kiss. No matter where life takes us, I will never be with another woman. My heart, My soul, is yours completely."

Giana smiled up at him with a warmth she had only ever shown to a few people in her life. It was a foreign feeling for her and one she didn't really know how to deal with. It wasn't like she had any sort of healthy representation of any kind of relationship in her life, so all she had to go on was what felt good for her. She gave no answer other than to kiss him again while her legs shifted and wrapped around his hips loosely.

A deep growl rumbled in Edward's well-built chest when he felt Giana wrap her legs around him. He quickly regained his full arousal and gently reentered Giana's welcoming center. This time, there was no frantic movements between the two of them. This time, they took things slow, stretching out the amount of pleasure that they gave one another. Edward gave every inch of Giana's body the appropriate and completely loving attention. He wanted to show her just how important she was to him.

A soft, pleasured moan escaped her full lips as she felt him slip inside of her. Her legs tightened around his hips slightly and a hand found the back of his head. She pulled him down as she pulled herself up, wanting to kiss him as he started to move. Her lips pressed to his, the kiss passionate but unhurried. Regardless of her confused feelings, this had always been easy with him. Passion, being together like this. It was simple, no secrets or subterfuge. "Ed..." She whispered softly against his lips.

Aside from when he was in his starfighter cockpit, the times he was with Giana always made Edward feel the most alive. Being with her always felt natural. He would do anything and everything in his power to keep her happy and loved.

For the next two hours, they continued to make passionate love to one another. There was no rushing now, they stretched out every glorious moment of bliss for as long as they could, until finally, they collapsed ont the bed, wrapped up in the sheets and each other.

"I...I love you, Giana!" He exclaimed between gasping breaths. He turned and rolled them back over to look down into her hypnotic eyes. "I know you have had other suitors, I'm not stupid. Though I know it's not the most important thing, I also know that I could never give you as much material wealth as they could. However, what I can give you, no one else will. My heart and soul are yours until the end of time. No one will ever love and cherish you as much as I can and will. Marry me, my love. Be my Queen and I will spend the rest of my life giving you love, happiness and complete devotion."

Giana just lay there smiling at him, her face flushed and her hair sticking to her cheeks. She couldn't say yes, not yet. She wasn't sure. It was a decision that would seal the rest of her life and it wasn't one she was going to make - especially not with him about to leave for war. "I can't say yes." She said and kissed his forehead. "Not yet. You have to come home first, and then we will see."

While it wasn't the answer he had hoped for, it was more than he expected. A huge, happy grin filled his face as he nodded at her. "Your wish is, as always, my command, my Queen." He then leaned down and kissed her again. And in the history of kisses, this, was definitely up in the top five of powerful kisses. It gave a promise, without the words, that he would do everything in his power to get home, back to her.

"It better be." She replied after the kiss had broken. She was very fond of Ed of course, but he was not the only one. He did however possess the best breeding and prospects... though sometimes that wasn't enough. She finally shifted to sit up in the bed and pressed her back against the headboard. "So can you tell me anything about your mission?"

Sitting up against the headboard with her, he thought for a moment as to what information she may be cleared for. Afterall, just because she was the eldest princess, did not necessarily mean she had clearance.

However, after sighing softly, he decided to show her how much he trusted her. "Of course, what I tell you does not leave this bed, agreed?" He looked at her, all humor gone from his eyes. "I'm serious, Gigi. You can't even act like you know what is going on to your closest aides, if you hear any reports. Swear on us, please. I need to hear you say it."

"I swear, Ed. I won't tell anyone." Probably. She looked to him in earnest, her hand on his cheek as she leaned in to kiss him softly. "Is it terribly dangerous?"

Putting his arms around her, Edward pulled Giana up to sit sideways in his lap. "War always is dangerous, my love." He spoke honestly to her. She was smart enough to know there were real dangers out in space. "As for this mission...the brass says we will only be gone a few weeks. However, to accomplish what they are promising the Emperor," he shook his head slowly. "At best, we will be gone for several months." He looked her in the eyes as he continued. "Don't get me wrong, I have every faith in both Imperial technology and my fellow warriors. However, this is the first major offensive we have undertaken since before Emperor Spock weakened us. It will be a very hard fight to reclaim what was once rightfully ours.

"We can do it though... right?" She asked curiously. If they failed, it would not just reflect poorly on the fleet but on her father. It would also signal weakness from the Empire. That was not acceptable. She reached up and idly touched and caressed his cheek while she leaned into him. Him being away several months though would grant her a stay of following through with marriage to anyone. She hoped.

Edward turned his lips towards her hand as gently kissed her palm. Then, looking back at her, he nodded after a beat. "Yes. While the timerable is not feasible, the battle plan itself us. Short of a major failure in Intel, we can achieve victory." He grinned slightly. "Tell me, my Queen, what war trophies or spoils would like me to bring home to you?"

Giana laughed at that and gave a gentle pat to his cheek. "Oh I don't know that I need anything so grisly. I can get whatever I want or need here. Just bring yourself home to me and I'll be happy."

Hearing her laugh always warmed Edward's heart. Reaching up to gently hold her chin, he turned her eyes to his. "I love you, Giana, and I will return to you. And when I do, I'll ask you to marry me one last time." His eyes sparkled with their usual mischief as he spoke.

“Well we will see what happens when you do.” Giana grinned but remained completely noncommittal in the moment despite Edward’s best efforts. There were still too many desires of her own… and others who had her attention. Giana loved nothing more than attention, really. “Now, was there anything else you’d like to do for out last few hours?”

Edward's eyes started to feast on Giana. "I'd love to make you scream in ecstasy several more times." He smirked hungrily as he lowered her back down onto the bed, where he started to make love to her like a man possessed.

Giana just laughed as he put her back on the bed, accepting and relishing their last few intimate moments before he would be gone away.

Two hours later, they were both showerd and getting dressed. "Gigi?" He asked as he turned to her. "I have two final requests to ask."

Her brows lifted in mild surprise and interest. It wasn't too often he made requests of her. It wasn't too often that anyone dared make requests. "What is it?" She asked with a passive interest in what he was about to say.

Looking at her and taking in her beauty, he replied. "Request one, may I have something of yours, to take with me into the war zone? Something that will help me remember, when the days get dark, what I'm fighting to protect?"

"Alright... yeah I'm sure I have something." Giana replied and moved over to her dresser, starting to pick through some of the various articles of clothing there. "What was the second request, though?"

This time, Edward's grin fell away and he turned serious. "My second request, my love, is that, should I fall and not return to you, that you swear to me that you will live a long and happy life. I don't want you to mourn me and not live. Promise me."

This time, Giana was glad she was facing away from him with her attention in her dresser, because she couldn't hide the look of amusement on her face and had to hide her laugh by clearing her throat. Did he really think she would sit there and pine for him the rest of her life if he died? Sure, she would be sad for a little while, but she was a princess of the Empire.

"Of course, Ed." She pulled out a scarf she hadn't worn in a long time, it wasn't really to her taste but it had been a gift that she had to wear at least a few times. Taming her expression, she turned back to him and offered him the long piece of fabric. "Will this do?"

Taking the scarf. Edward brought it to face and inhaled the sweet scent that was in it. It was the perfume of hers that he had always preferred. Smiling, he hung it around the back of his neck and carefully stuffed the ends into his uniform. "Thank you, my love." He paused and then asked, "Will you be my escort to the base, or do you wish to part here?"

"Unfortunately, I have some things I need to take care of here." She gave an apologetic smile and moved over to him to make sure the scarf was tucked in out of sight. "So a parting kiss here is all I can offer before I send you off to war." Leaning in, she kissed him. It was slow and passionate, her hand on his cheek. She would miss him a little at the very least.

Edward returned the kiss, placing his right hand on the small of her back, pulling her in closer. He would miss her terribly while he was gone. The only thing that was asking their separation bearable for him, was the fact that he was heading out to make sure she was safer.

Finally, they ended their kiss and he, reluctantly, let her go. Before she got too far, however, he reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. "Wait...." he whispered as he seed to be considering something.

He then released her wrist and removed his Academy ring, the one he had worn since the day he graduated. "Hold onto this for me. I have to leave it behind anyways, but I'd rather you keep it safe, than put it in a safe somewhere."

Giana took the ring and just held it in her palm like it was some foreign object. “Are you sure?” She questioned and frowned slightly. “It would be safer put away somewhere.”

For the first time since they left the café, Edward felt a pang of pain at Giana's attitude. He started to wonder if she actually would miss him while he was gone...or even dead. Did he actually care about them more than she did?

He kept that small spark buried deep down in his core and simply replied. "I'd rather you held onto it for me." Which was true, but, perhaps he should give her one more chance?

"Of course, if you would be uncomfortable with it...." he left the question hanging. He hoped deep down that his fear was misplaced.

“No, it’s fine.” Giana smiled and closed her hand around the ring finally, letting her arm drift gracefully down to her side. “I’ll be happy to hold onto it for you as long as you’re sure.” She could read Ed’s face like a book and hear the inflection in his voice as easily as a song. It would hurt him if she didn’t hold onto it, and she didn’t really want to hurt him.

Relief flooded into him when she finally accepted. Though, a part of him wondered if she did it because she really wanted to...or was just trying to placate him.

After a beat, his heart chose the former. "Then, my love," he said with a full grin and devotion in his eyes. "I must now, regrettably, take my leave of you." He gave her a full military-grade bow. "My Queen, I shall fight this war in your name." Straightening back up, he reached out and gently took her empty hand and brought it to his lips. "Until we ate together again." He softly kissed her knuckles, then released her hand, took a step back and bowed again. He then turned and left, before his will power failed and he took her back into his arms.

Giana watched him go, giving a soft sigh and squeezing his ring in her palm. She would miss him - probably not as much as he would miss her, but she would miss him. He had been a near constant in her life, but maybe that was part of the problem. Maybe a little distance - real distance while they were on good terms - would be good for them. Lifting her hand up, she opened it to regard the ring a moment and then tucked it into a safe place amongst her other more prized jewelry.

It was time to start her own day.

OFF