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Ish’talla Side
Andr'ial and Ati'yya
Chapter 02 : 08
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Ati’yya’s webbed hands are clasped together at her front, her blue slitted eyes staring down on the marbled floor while the subtlest of trembles wracks her lithe frame. All around her there are more of Andr’ial’s kind with their chattering banter and all manner of pupiless eyes trained on her stationary form. The horned man is no longer at her side as they gather around her and she feels vulnerable in a way she hasn’t felt since her captor had taken her all those sun’s rotations ago. She wants to flee, to turn and run far away to escape but forces herself to remain still despite the fear, knowing that with all these creatures around her she would not get very far. But as they continue to move in closer she grows increasingly nervous while the trembling of her frame grows stronger with every moment that ticks on. But she forces herself into stillness, searching for any strength she can muster to continue to endure and hoping with all that she is that her captor will not allow any of them to touch her as that other male had already done. “Please…” Hir’itel moves in front. “Andr’ial has requested she not be touched and I would have to agree. She’s still very new and unpredictable. He also asks that no offers be made for her as he will not sell or lend her tonight.” Disappointed sounds come form the group and they stay where they are. Andr’ial flashes his cousin a silent look of thanks when blue eyes turn back to meet his own. The official moves forward, inspecting Ati’yya with distanced eyes that have done this duty a thousand times before. Walking around behind her, he uses the edge of his ledger to lift up the stray strands of blue that have fallen to cover the back of her neck in order to inspect her brand. He nods in approval before writing down his notes and stepping to the horned man’s front to collect his fee before returning to the crowd and his free wine. Andr’ial lets out a slow breath, assaulting an official would not be good but he would not have been able to stop himself if she was actually touched. The lavishly dressed woman who had approached them prior leads her own Siren forward, allowing him to do his own inspection of Ati’yya now that she was no longer hidden by her master’s robes. “He will not touch her, calm yourself Andr’ial. He wanted to take a look, let him look.” The male Siren runs his gaze over Ati’yya, smiling beneath his mask as he takes her in. Andr’ial grows impatient. “She is not his to look at. Ati’yya.” She turns at the mention of her name and he opens his robe, motioning for her to come to him, which she does so readily. He pulls her close and wraps the fabric around her, ignoring the frowns he receives. “You’re too overprotective of her, Andr’ial. She could make you a lot of money and elevate your status considerably if you would loosen the reigns a bit.” “I do not care. We are done here.” The horned man turns from the group, bringing Ati’yya with him. Out of the corner of his gaze, he catches In’irda, the gold haired Siren was being touched and taunted by Carn’itel, with others standing around to watch, forcing her to sit on his lap while he ran his hands up her silken skirts while the others laugh at how she squirms. All his own Siren could do was sit at his side as In’irda looked out to anyone to help her. She was very obviously terrified and they all thought this was a game. How dare they call themselves high society. Where was Hir’itel during all this? Andr’ial changes direction, keeping Ati’yya with him as he pushes through the crowd. Grabbing In’irda by the wrist, he yanks her off Carn’itel’s lap and he stands immediately in rage. “You dare? On my own land even?” “I dare.” Andr’ial bears his fangs before turning to In’irda. “Go to your room, lock the door behind you, only open it for Hir’itel. He can blame me if he wants.” In’irda nods to him gratefully with tears in her eyes before running off down the hallway to her room. “Remove yourself from my lands, you are not welcome here anymore, Nephew.” “With pleasure. Uncle.” Andr’ial turns to walk out through the main doors, finding his carriage and quickly helping Ati’yya inside. The carriage door closes against the gathered crowd, the open window arches doing little to shut out the gossip and chatter and talk from the confrontation that had just taken place. A moment later the horses are in movement and they are pulled away from the bustling mansion entrance and into the darkness of the night that lays beyond. Ati’yya notices so little of it though as webbed fingers grasp tightly around extravagant fabric that covers the horned man’s built frame as Andr’ial holds her protectively against him while her masked face remains buried against the junction where his shoulder meets neck, the trembling of her body still so pronounced and clear. She is caught between the fear she felt in there for being confronted by so many new faces, all of them as terrible as she’d been told they’d be, and a gratefulness to the one that holds her keeping her from harm. That one male, the same one In’irda claimed to be a former ‘master’ scared her like nothing else has. The way he tried to take her, the way he treated In’irda, that purple haired female with her dead, vacant eyes and the final angry exchange between them was more than she’d ever wanted to bear witness to. So many of these creatures chaining so many of her own… so many hands trying to grab her, so many eyes staring at her with lust and want. She fears it, fears being taken or used or treated in the way that this male had treated her to begin with. She fears those people and she never wants to be surrounded by them again. She doesn’t want Andr’ial to let her go and so she clings tighter to him, tightening her arms around his neck and grasping onto his robes with all of her might. White eyes close as he returns the embrace, still upset with himself that he had to expose her to any of that. The fact that Carn’itel laid a single finger on her angers him beyond belief. That monster of a man should never be allowed to touch a Siren. “It is done… never again.” He whispers into adorned hair. The ride back to his home is long and quiet, taking seemingly forever until he can get her somewhere where she can feel safe once again. As they pull up to the entrance, Andr’ial doesn’t even wait for the driver to open the door for them, letting himself out with Ati’yya in his arms and carrying her inside. She clings to him tightly, her shaking subsiding only a little as he moves up the stairs and down to his chambers. His wards are deactivated and he carries her inside, shedding heavy robes and pulling the multitude of adornments from her hair. Plush blankets sink in slightly as he places her on his bed, both of them not waiting to let the other go for several minutes. When he finally works himself free, Andr’ial says the words that will remove Ati’yya’s mask, tossing it behind with little regard as to where it lands. His lips meet hers immediately for a kiss that he hopes will reassure that she will never be harmed again while with him. As they pulls away, the tears fall and he embraces her once more as she can no longer maintain her composure, rocking her gently as she clings to him, while trying to free her from the garments he knows she hates to allow her to be free with him once more. She doesn’t want to let go of the horned man even as he continues to strip the confining fabric free of her body, his care and gentleness the only thing keeping her from breaking down completely. Her blue slitted gaze is blurred by tears that won’t stop, the combination of fear and sadness for all that she’d seen enough to tear her heart in two. Andr’ial continues to work swiftly, so careful to shift around her hold on him as the garments are thrown towards the marbled floor with no further thought to them lent. Finally freeing her completely he sits back and pulls her against him, Ati’yya’s grip around broad shoulders never relinquishes as she shifts with ease to straddle his legs. Strong arms wrap around her bare form to return the embrace once again and she closes her eyes against the tears, trying so hard to push those creatures and the faces of the other Sirens out of her mind’s eye and concentrate on the silence that surrounds, the safety of the enclosed room and the comfort the one holding her brings. She wishes she’d never seen what she’d seen, with everything that she is she wishes for it. Long minutes pass by as she remains still in Andr’ial’s arms, one holding the other and neither willing to let go until the tears finally begin to subside and the sobs that had been wracking her body become nothing more than soft subtle hiccups. Blue slitted eyes open, still blurred by her crying as she speaks against her captor’s warm skin, the whispered sounds of her language thanking him for taking her from that place and asking him to please never make her see that again. She knows that her words are lost to him but she says it anyway and she finds herself hoping that he’ll somehow understand. His lips find her neck, leaving the softest of kisses. “Never again, little fish…” Clawed fingers travel up her back, attempting to soothe Ati’yya in any way he can. Pulling away for just long enough to remove his embroidered tunic, Andr’ial brings her back in close, cool skin pressed against his own. He lays them both down, allowing her to curl into him while he holds her and bringing the sheets up over the two of them to help hide her from the world. After what seems like several hours, his Siren has finally exhausted herself into sleep. He would have taken her consciousness but he is reluctant to force anything on her at this point. Andr’ial doesn’t know how he could have ever wanted to be part of that society. They way they treat these creatures is barbaric and he himself had done barbaric things obtaining Ati’yya. The silver haired man finds himself upset that he spent so long planning to be just like them, to have a pretty thing following him on a chain without regard to how she felt. He spent years learning about them but never bothered to see them for what they really were, scared and beaten creatures in a strange land. “I cannot return you…” He whispers into her neck as she sleeps. “I spent all that I had obtaining you. It would be years before I could charter another ship to go out that far. I am sorry.” The horned man now knows what he did was wrong. He never had the right to take her from her people, to force her to be his companion, to claim her innocence as he did. He can only hope that over time she will forgive him and can be happy here. The memories of the look of fear she had when he took her mirror the look she had tonight, something he caused by his actions, even if indirectly. He took her there, he exposed her. No matter the regulations, it was his fault she had to experience it at all. It is something he will never do again. So now, he will take responsibility for his actions and do what he can to keep her happy and safe. He will teach her and he will learn from her. Pupiless eyes close and Andr’ial spends several minutes just listening to the sounds of Ati’yya’s steady breaths in sleep before he drifts off himself.
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