A Mage's Gift

Author's Note: I mainly wrote this because very few people other than me see that Gongora is a sexy beast. I decided I needed to write some fic that showcases the fact that he is a sexy beast. And I put an 'OC' warning because while Nheva is technically a canon character, she has no lines and is only in the one scene where she and Gongora 'poison' Tolten. This explains a bit how the two came to be in cahoots.

A Mage's Gift


Nheva Gamhyrd narrowed her eyes at her own reflection, checking carefully for any hint of darkness beneath her eyes. She hadn't been able to get much sleep the last few nights - there just wasn't enough staff left in the employ of the palace to handle the workload. Which never ceased to amaze Nheva, as there was only one person who even lived in the palace anymore! But the ex-prince couldn't do a single thing for himself, and the handful of butlers and between-maids left in retinue spent nearly every waking moment attending to him.

And Nheva hated it. It was a good job that paid well, and she didn't need to worry about food or a place to live, but waiting on that sniveling imbecile hand and foot from sun up to sun down made her stomach turn. He needed to be woken, bathed, dressed, fed, escorted about…

If it weren't for the fact that Nheva was so terribly interested in the company that Tolten kept, she would have sought employ elsewhere. The inn was always hiring maidservants, after all. But Lord Gongora didn't visit the inn. He did, however, visit the palace quite often.

Thinking on the Council's mage, the young woman let out a small sigh. Did Lord Gongora even know she existed? She'd waited on him and tended to him many times over the few years he'd begun coming to visit Tolten. And he had always been polite and amicable, but she was the hired help. He was a wealthy and powerful man who kept company with Lords and Kings and was guiding Urha to a bright future. She'd hinted and flirted, of course, but…

The young maid sighed as she unbound her blond curls from their trappings. At least she was finished with her duties for the day. She could try and relax, maybe get some reading done.

A knock at her door interrupted her as she was struggling with the elaborate bustle of her uniform.

"Come in!" Who on earth would be bothering her this late? Unless it was that gangly butler who was always trying to get her into bed….

It wasn't that gangly butler. It wasn't any of the remaining palace retinue. Nheva stifled a small gasp as her mind processed that Lord Gongora himself, the very man she had just been daydreaming of, now stood in the doorway of her own private room.

"My Lord!" she exclaimed, before dropping to a deep curtsey. Her bustle, half unfastened, slipped at an awkward angle.

"Please, there's no need for such formalities!" Lord Gongora smiled and stepped inside the room. "I do apologize for bothering you at this hour, but I believe you may not entirely mind?"

"Of course not, My Lord! You are welcome whenever you see fit to grace us with your presence." She stood and fumbled as discreetly as she could for the ties of her sash. It wasn't the first time that Gongora had dropped by in the middle of the night, but they always sent a butler to fetch her…. "How may I serve you tonight?"

He closed the door behind him and turned to Nheva with a small smile. She managed to gather up her sash ties against her hip, and all she could do was hope she wasn't embarrassing herself too awfully. As he began to move towards her, Nheva felt as though she were frozen in place. She certainly wasn't about to hope too greatly, but… Lord Gongora had closed them in her bedroom. Alone. He stood before her and reached for her hand, the tight little fist that gripped her ties.

"Why don't you begin by ceasing to re-dress yourself? Unless I've misjudged you, I imagine that would be…counterproductive."

It was difficult for the young woman to discern which made her weakest at the knees - the sleek, subtle overture or the feel of his hand over hers.

Was it a dream? Nheva could only gaze up at the man before her, eyes wide and almost unbelieving. She had hoped and wished and dreamed, and here he was! And he wanted her. Her! A simple little between maid who hand-washed sheets and scrubbed sick up from the carpets. Yet one of the most powerful and attractive men in all of Urha was lifting her hand to his lips to press a kiss to it, as though she were a highborn lady!

The touch of Lord Gongora's lips on her skin broke her paralysis. Her bustle fell to the floor as she threw her body against his and raised herself up on her tiptoes to seek his mouth. His hands gripped her waist and his lips parted under hers. Nheva shivered in his arms, savoring the feel of his lean lips on hers, the soft-but-rough brush of his neatly trimmed beard on her skin. His mouth was hot and wet and insistence, meeting her impassioned need with his own. He wrapped his arms around her. Nheva couldn't remember being held by more powerful arms. She was nearly lost in the embrace, physically and mentally. Her tongue battered playfully against his, teasing, drawing the play of muscle on muscle to her own mouth. His mouth tasted of wine - sweet and spiced and warm.

She couldn't stand to be held and wrapped in so many layers of clothing any longer. Her small hands went to the chains at Lord Gongora's throat, plucking them loose. She found his belt sash and tugged. It fell to the floor to join her own sash and his robes fell open. She slid her hands beneath the heavy white fabric and metal, shuddering at the strength and power of his shoulders. Her slender hands could barely grip them, but she tried as Lord Gongora's hands slid down her back, cupping her buttocks and squeezing.

The heavy councilman's robe proved too heavy for Nheva to slide off. Gongora tore his mouth from hers and stepped back.

"Allow me," he said, shrugging off the heavy robe as though it were made of gossamer.

Gods, he was beautiful. In the firelight, his close cropped golden hair shone with burnished hints of auburn. Nheva reached up, stretching, to run her fingers through its softness. Her fingers carded through it, moving over the back of his head and down to the fine, almost prickly hair at the back of his neck. He stood still, watching her from beneath lowered lids, as she took proper stock of him. His eyes beneath his formidable brow gleamed copper, lit by the firelight and desire. Desire for her. Her delicate fingers circled round to trace his high, finely arched cheekbones, the concave planes of his cheeks, the strong square line of his jaw.

"Enjoying yourself?" There was a hint of amusement in Gongora's voice. Nheva ran her thumb over the arch of his lips, meeting his eyes.

"Very much so, My Lord." She was no coy maiden or fluff headed innocent. She wasn't about to blush and titter and lower her eyes like a virgin bride. She wanted this man and she wanted him badly, she was going to enjoy every inch of him. She ran her hands down his chest, her thighs twitching as her palms moved over the broad planes of his muscular chest. Down to his abdomen, to the hem of his undershirt. It came off easily, baring his magnificent torso to her view.

He was like a statue of some ancient god come to life. The span of his shoulders, the smooth curves of his biceps, the barreled fine-cut of his chest…. Nheva's hands roamed his body again, savoring the feel of his heated skin under hers. He was hard as rock beneath her touch, all smooth skin and exquisitely toned muscle.

"As much as I hate to interrupt your exploration, I believe it's now my turn."

It was all the warning Nheva had before she was pulled into the circle of his arms again. This time she buried her face in his neck, inhaling the strange mix of herbs and smoke and something she couldn't place that clung to him. Something wild and reminiscent of the smell after lightening hits. A scent of power.

He tore her tunic dress off of her. He gripped the straps and pulled and they parted like paper. Her tunic fell to the floor and she stood in only her blue chemise. Until Gongora's hands came to her throat and gripped the collar, tearing it down the center. Nheva didn't care, she had dozens. And she felt a thrill of pleasure shoot through her as the fabric tore, parting over her breasts, her belly, her hips…

"Quite lovely." Lord Gongora traced the line of her throat to her sternum, then the contours of her small breasts. They disappeared in the mage's broad hands and Nheva arched her back, feeling her nipples tighten against his palms. She clung to him,her fingertips digging into the musculature of his shoulders as his hands worked her breasts. His touch was firm and strong but gentle, surprisingly gentle for such a formidable man.

The ache between her legs was driving her mad. Nheva wrapped her bared legs around Gongora's waist, pulling herself to him, feeling his arousal through the fabric of his trousers.

"So eager, are we?" He chuckled and ran his lips across her small shoulder. "Patience is a virtue, you know."

Nheva just groaned, pressing herself as snuggly against him as she could. His hands moved to support her, and he brought her to the narrow bed at the back of the room. She didn't want to let go of him as he laid her down on her back, didn't want to lose that warm heat between her legs. But she had little choice.

"Virtues…" he went on, raking his eyes across her naked body, "are well rewarded."

Indeed they were. Nheva lay on her bed, blond curls spread across her pillow and limbs languidly stretched. Gongora's hands played over her body again, fingertips tracing every line and curve of her body. Sometimes, his thumbs made small circles against her skin and jolts of pleasure shot through her body. She felt like she was the subject of some sort of reverent worship, the way he touched her with such intensity and quiet. When his fingers dipped between her legs, Nheva threw back her head and spread her thighs.

She had thought his hands gentle and skilled before, but now she knew she hadn't any idea of the skill he possessed. Featherlight touches, strong touches, sometimes only a single fingertip against her desire slicked flesh, sometimes his palm covering her, but all of it sending her to heights of pleasure she hadn't known possible.

"Your…your hands, My Lord!" she cried out.

"A mage's gift," he replied as he deftly slipped one finger inside of her. "A sorcerer must have precise control, to channel and direct magical energy. The slightest wavering, the smallest of miscalculations, could easily be fatal. Skilled hands are both a necessity…" another finger inside of her, teasing her painfully, "…and an added bonus. Wouldn't you agree?"

He did something then. A few muttered words that Nheva didn't understand, a slight curling of his fingers and suddenly she felt as though she were exploding from pleasure. She managed to gasp 'My Lord!' before she could no longer speak. Sensations raced through her body from the place where his fingers touched her, filling her completely and wiping all thought from her mind. Nheva became something forged of pleasure, lost in a cataclysm of rapture. She wasn't aware of her own movements, how she thrashed and bucked on the bed. She couldn't feel Gongora's hands against her, his fingers inside of her. She didn't even know if her eyes were opened or closed but she saw dancing violet light and eldritch patterns whirling in space. It threatened to costume her, to burn her away to nothing but a lingering essence of carnal passion. Just as she was sure she would truly burst, the inhuman sensations that gripped her began to fade, slipping towards the more familiar stirrings of climax.

As the world came back, slipping slowly into the empty places left behind by pleasure, Nheva realized that Gongora was on top of her. In her. How long had that lasted? What had happened? Magical energy, surely, but….

It didn't matter. Gongora was thrusting into her now, his head bent over her shoulder and his muscles jumping and twitching as he held himself above her. She lifted her legs, bending her knees, welcoming him into her body. She found his mouth again and captured it. The bed groaned and shifted beneath them and Nheva found herself climaxing again, her fingernails raking long scratches down Gongora's back.

He breathed her name when he finally came. He rolled off of her and gathered her into his arms, holding her close to his dampened chest. Nheva pressed her face against him, letting her body recover from what it had just been through. What he'd done to her had almost been frightening, but now she felt safe. The way he held her bespoke protection and sanctuary. He stroked her back soothingly, his large body practically covering hers even now. It almost seemed like a dream, that she could be lying here in Lord Gongora's arms, the leavings of their lovemaking still on her skin.

"My Lord, what….?"

"A mage's gift," he repeated, before kissing the shell of her ear. She sighed and snuggled closer to him, not wanting to ever leave his embrace. Here and now, her mind offered a dozen girlish fantasies. As Gongora's hand slowly moved over her back, all she wanted was this man, this incredible man who touched her with such care and reverence. The idle thought that she would do anything for him passed through her mind.

"I have many gifts to share with you," he went on, chuckling. "But before we discuss that, my dear….I have a proposition for you concerning our mutual aquaintence…."