Red Sunrise
Posted on Sat Dec 28th, 2024 @ 11:23pm by Princess Royal Giana Orsini & Lord Khalon Price
Mission:
Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Mars
Timeline: Date 2371-09-25 at 0930
1813 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure
The events of the evening before had been incredibly consequential, and Khalon Price found himself more deeply affected than he had anticipated. It still felt like hot blood was running down his hands as before, even though they had been washed clean. It was never easy to shed Terran blood.
The High Lord of Mars stood on a vast balcony overlooking the expansive Mars City. Above them, a barely visible dome arch across the entire city, one of hundreds which made vast portions of the small world breathable. He wore a rather standard suit for him, gray with a red tie and a two-tone shirt. Behind him, servants, courtiers, and visitors mingled about in the busy hallway, it’s ornate decorations complimenting the haze of red light which was always present during the day. He sighed and placed his hands on the railing, wondering what move would be made next in this dangerous game.
The background noise of people milling about faded suddenly, though the ambient noise of the city below remained enough that it might not have been noticed. A few seconds passed, and then a familiar feminine voice sounded behind Khalon.
“It is quite a view from here. I’m told your father would come out here often to look at the city.” Giana approached Khalon from the doors of the balcony where her guards now stood and foot traffic in the hallway had severely diminished as the guards now policed who was moving through and when. She was dressed casually in a simple dark blue pencil dress accented with gold jewelry, though nothing overly ostentatious as her showing the previous evening.
“How did you sleep?”
Khalon looked over to the new arrival, a tingle drawing up his spine at the sound of her voice. His dark eyes settled on hers, a slight smile appearing on his handsome face.
“It wasn’t my best night of sleep.” He admitted quietly, though his tone wasn’t hesitant. “How did you sleep, Your Highness?”
“As well as I do any night, I suppose.” Giana replied, though her tone indicated that it was never “well” by normal standards. She closed the distance between them, her sparkling blue eyes searching his handsome face.
“I will understand if you want no more part in this, Khalon. You’ve done a great service to the Empire already, and that will be honored, but you do not have to continue on this path.”
“I pledged my life to the Empire long ago…and to you.” He said, his eyes drifting to her lips for an instant before he smiled and shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s time to rebuild the Empire’s politics and set things right again.”
Giana smiled, the expression genuine and even seeming a bit relieved. “As long as you are sure.”
She took a step closer, invading his personal space while holding his gaze.
“Don’t I sound sure?” He said, his smile fading and his eyes growing more intense and interested. Her proximities prompted him to inch toward her as well. “Be careful, Your Highness. If you get too close, you just might get bitten.”
“Are you threatening a regent of the Empire?” Giana smirked, not closing the distance more but still looking at him with that same intensity. “You should know better, Lord Price.”
“I know only what I see in front of me. Beauty makes me forget all else.” He responded, his voice low and deepening. “So, if I threaten unwisely, you might just consider me a man enraptured.”
“Simply beauty makes you forget all things?” Giana challenged mildly, her perfectly shaped brows lifting slightly. “Is that all?”
“Beauty…power…, and incredibly kissable lips, ma’am.” He said, looking at her, a dare in his eyes.
“Well… I’ll have to keep that in mind then.” The smirk remained but she finally disengaged from him and moved toward the railing, though didn’t get too close to it. “We need to discuss mother and daughter Lavigne.”
“Yes, we do.” He said, turning to face the city he’d grown up in and now ruled over in his own right. He licked his large lips and let a moment of silence pass between them. Then, finally, he spoke again. “Have you made up your mind about them?”
“Jolene needs to return to Terra and follow through on her promised obligations alongside my uncle and to receive the honors she was promised for her assistance in exposing Montreve. Genevieve, however, does not need to return to Terra for the time being.” She looked over her shoulder toward Khalon. “I thought perhaps she should be hosted by a family here, if you have one you trust to do the job. If not, I have some contacts on Luna.”
“What’s your purpose for keeping her away? Security? Leverage?” He asked, still facing the city. He didn’t seem stressed or confused by her words, and responded in a calm probe for more information.
“Both, truthfully.” Giana admitted without hesitation. “Jolene despises me and always has just like she does with her own son, but she loves her daughter - maybe even more than she loves herself. I am hoping that love will overcome her hatred and she will fall in line.”
“If I’m honest, I don’t really see what use she is to you. She’s a liability with no benefit.” He said quite candidly, his voice still calm and confident. “Why bother to isolate her and control her instead of cutting her loose and appointing someone more loyal in her place?”
“At this point I’d have to kill her if I was going to do that, I’m afraid. If I take away everything from her, she will simply speak of what happened tonight and while many wouldn’t listen, enough would to make things difficult.” Giana reasoned, but didn’t seem closed off to what he was saying. “She is also my fiance’s mother.”
“Right. Of course she is.” He said, grinning handsomely and finally turning to her. His eyes settled on her pretty face. “Everything for the family, I suppose. I’ll find a place for her here. If you’d like, I can even convince her mother that a marriage is possible. It is what she wants, after all.”
Giana turned her head and pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing just slightly at the comment. “She is a rather beautiful girl… will that be a problem for someone so easily blinded by beauty?”
“Oh, I know someone far more captivating than her.” He said, leaning in just a fraction closer, his voice low and playful. “Genevieve Lavigne looks positively dull next to her.” He said, reaching his hand over and resting it on the railing right next to hers. “I’ll take care of it. Beauty can be a double edged sword like anything else.”
Giana glanced down at his hand near her own and then up as he leaned closer. She stopped herself from licking her lips, but she couldn’t ignore the slight jump of her heart as he drew closer. It hadn’t been the first time she had felt this, and for just a passing instant she considered again how things may have been had he ever made his desires known to her even several months before.
“As long as you’re sure. I do trust my other options as well.”
“I’m sure.” He said, wondering why she didn’t really seem to believe him. He’d kept her sister well in hand for months and she was the daughter of the Emperor. He could handle Genevieve Lavigne with both hands tied behind his back. He kept the question off of his face, and instead licked his full lips. “I’ll send someone to their room to give her an offer she can’t refuse.”
“Good.” Giana nodded, seeming to accept what he said this time. Her eyes moved up to Khalon again and there was a moment of hesitation, then she spoke again. “I hope she won’t have you tied down here though. I would miss seeing you at court.”
“I’d miss seeing you.” He said, looking down from her face rather boldly, the pinky of his hand finally finding hers. “I won’t be gone too much. I’ve got an important project on Terra at the moment. I’m planning to really sink deep into it in the next few weeks. It’s important to stay focused.”
Giana didn’t move her hand, but she didn’t give any acknowledgment of the gesture outside of a quick glance down to their hands. “What project is that, exactly?”
“That would be telling.” He said, then leaned down as if he had a secret for her. His voice was tempting and conspiratorial. “But you know I thrive on the unexpected..and sometimes the best treasures are hidden in the most interesting places.”
Giana reached up with her free hand and smacked his chest with a smile on his face. “Don’t be coy. Tell me what you’re planning.”
“You already know what I’m planning, Your Highness. You’ve known since I walked through your office doors a few days ago.” He said with a wink. It was utterly charming and confident, and he stood up taller. “Is there any other way I can be of service to you?”
For a moment Giana genuinely looked confused as to what he was referring to, but after a couple beats it suddenly clicked and she slid back from him a few inches. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested - the problem was she was too interested. She wasn’t sure if her resolve could reasonably hold, but she also didn’t want to send Khalon away as he had proven to be a powerful ally to her… and he was making her feel things that Sacha had stopped making her feel over the past weeks.
“No. Nothing right now.”
“Then I wish you a pleasant departure.” He said, grabbing her hand gently and bending over to meet her dainty fingers with his lips. He stood again and looked at her confidently. “Your Highness.”
Giana watched him with great interest as he bent to kiss her fingers. He had a way about him that Giana simply couldn’t deny as much as she might have wanted to. The sensation of his kiss lingered on her skin and she felt her mind drifting back to the kiss they had shared the night before. Before she allowed herself to consider it too deeply, she cleared her throat.
“Thank you, Khalon. I will see you soon.” With that, she turned to leave and make her way to her transport that would take her home.
END