The Red Queen
Chapter twelve

Flashback to London, 1042. The Abbess was at the well, drawing water with a bucket. She stopped and looked up as she felt the tremor in the air as they approached. Turning, she drew herself to her full height as Talos strode towards her with Bo following like a lost puppy. Talos stopped to admire her slender waist, whistling down from her bust, as smoothly as the water from a waterfall, the bends of her hips, so voluptuous that it seemed as if she had been sculpted by a true master of their craft, just like a potter sculpts a vessel from raw clay. The bends of her hips and the fullness of her bosom were reminiscent of the idea of perfection. She fixes her hair, so that her wimple loosely, but completely, covers her head, with her long slender arms, partially hidden by the flowing sleeves of her robes. Her beige robes are draped about her slender frame so holistically, that the curves of her body became even more prominent. Her glistening skin was almost that of milk chocolate, infused with a hint of cocoa, strikingly balancing the plainness of her robes. It was enough to give heart aches to any man lucky enough to gaze upon her beauty.

‘This is Holy ground...’ she said in a commanding voice, ‘...you have no business here...’.

‘Giddy gaad, lass, whit are ye deing in those ridiculous claes...?’ started Talos, '...nay matter, ah’ll soon have ye oot of ‘em..!’

‘I’m the Abbess of this order now...’ she protested, ‘...and I have forsaken all pleasures of the flesh’.

‘Oh, tha’s a shame, Sangeeta...’ started Talos with a playful grin, ‘...yer flesh was sooo very pleasurable...’.

‘State your business, Talos...’ said Sangeeta with defiance, ‘...or begone!’.

‘I need ye to train the bairn up...’ Talos said, jerking his thumb at Bo, ‘...as a lady’.

Sangeeta looked at Bo and made a face.

‘I can’t work with that...’ she said, ‘...she’s too feral’.

A number of young nuns dressed as Sangeeta came into view and stared at the scene unfolding before them. Talos spotted them and grinned. Sangeeta turned her head to see what he was looking at. Suddenly, Talos threw himself at Sangeeta’s feet, wrapping his strong arms around her calves and hugging her legs.

‘Mother...’ he started, ‘...ah beg thee forgiveness, for ah’m a sinner of the highest degree and ah’ve bin havin’ some very... impure thoughts of late...’ he finished, gently caressing the back of her legs, sliding his hands up towards her bottom. Sangeeta was quite shocked at the suddenness of Talos’s “attack”, and she simply looked around uncomfortably.

‘Get up you fool...’ she hissed through her teeth, whilst pushing Talos’s hands away from her bottom, ‘...you’re embarrassing me...’ she finished, slapping Talos about the head.

‘Oh, aye, lass...’ he said, '...punish me; ah’ve bin a very bad beuy...’ he finished, looking up at her with a grin on his face. Sangeeta sighed deeply.

‘Fine...!’ she cried, ‘...now will you please get up...!’. Talos rocked a little on his heels before springing back to his feet.

He was grinning.

Sangeeta started to walk towards Bo, then suddenly spun around.

‘You’re insufferable, you know that...?’ she spat, pointing her finger at Talos.

‘And tha’s why ye love me, bonnie lass...!’ he replied with a playful grin.

Sangeeta scowled at him.

‘Fuck it...!’ she exclaimed, drawing a Jian from within her robes. The sword was very elegant, with a long, sharp blade, a wooden handle wrapped in leather and a pair of stylised folded wings forming the hand guard.

‘Are we really dein’ this hen...?’ asked Talos with a sigh, '...we are on Holy groond after all...’.

‘I’ll turn your little “pet” into a lady...’ started Sangeeta, offering a sword salute with mock seriousness, ‘...if you can beat me in combat!’.

Talos sighed and sloppily returned the salute, grinning. As Bo watched in fascination, they circled each other before falling into similar fighting stances.

Talos struck first, cutting lazily at her. Sangeeta parried sharply, frowned, and thrust at him. He swatted her blade away and brought his own blade up sharply. Although Sangeeta managed to jump back to avoid the cut, Talos’s blade still found fabric as it sliced cleanly between her breasts, through her coif, and her robes below. Sangeeta glared at the big man as the two halves of her coif separated from under her chin and the entire headdress fell backwards, revealing her raven-black hair. Just behind her right ear was a separate plaited section finished with red jewels. She was seething with anger but trying not to show it. She knew what he was up to; he was trying to make her angry.

Anger leads to mistakes, and mistakes lead to death.

She fell into her fighting stance once again, revealing more of her cleavage as she did so. Talos simply stood with his sword stabbing into the ground below, gazing with admiration at her. Suddenly, she launched her attack; slicing left and right, before spinning to strike again with a back-handed right and spinning again for a left thrust. Talos met each of the furious strikes with his own blade, sending showers of sparks cascading into the air. Instead of pressing home an advantage, Talos spun at the last moment to slap her on the bottom with the flat of his blade.

Startled, Sangeeta stepped back, sword held out to keep the large warrior at bay. He brought his blade up to meet hers and ran it suggestively up and down her blade. She slapped his blade aside and thrust, planting her right foot forward. Talos sidestepped her and swung his blade down, slicing through the skirt of her habit, which suddenly fell away, revealing her long slender leg.

‘Well, helloooo there...’ Talos purred, gazing at the sight of her naked leg. Shock and anger swept across Sangeeta’s face, but she remained calm.

‘You’ve seen it before...’ she cooed back.

‘No’ from this angle...’ he said.

‘Take a good look...’ Sangeeta growled ‘...it’s the last time you’ll see it...’.

‘Oh, ah very much doubt that, hen...’ the big man replied with a smirk. Sangeeta glared at the audacity of the man, before lunging for him once more with her sword. Talos parried and countered, only for the two of them to meet face to face, arms and swords high. Sangeeta was wide-eyed with surprise at the speed of the move. Talos reacted first, using his left hand to pry Sangeeta’s sword from her hands, whilst pulling her closer and kissing her full on the lips. She let go of her sword at the sudden lustful lunge, pushed herself off and grabbed him about the shoulders, driving her knee up. Talos twisted just in time, taking the blow to his thigh.

It was surprisingly gentle.

Stabbing his Sabre into the ground, he grabbed her hands, and spun her around, pinning her against his chest. She struggled in vain but could not beat the larger man in a grapple.

Undeterred, she pressed her butt against him and wiggled suggestively, while bending her head back to look up at him and offer him an excellent view. Smirking at the obvious ploy, Talos bent his head forward and licked her forehead.

She squealed and thrashed, and as he let her hands slip loose, she turned herself around to face him. But, before she could escape, he slipped both hands to the small of her back and pulled her towards him sharply.

‘You realise that I’m married to God now, right...?’ she exclaimed, realising his intent.

‘Big man and me are auld buddies...’ Talos grinned, ‘...ah dinnae think he’ll mind sharin’...’ bringing his right hand up and sliding it behind her neck before pulling her closer and planting his lips fully upon hers. She remained motionless for a few seconds, allowing him to kiss her, before sliding her hands up and around his neck to pull him further down and kiss him back. After what seemed like an eternity, they separated, with Talos planting a second, smaller kiss upon her lips.

‘I love ye...’ Talos said, his voice barely a whisper, ‘...ah really dae..!’

‘But you left me...!’ she cried with indignation, ‘...on our wedding day...!’.

‘Well...’ shuffled Talos awkwardly, ‘...ah were busy...!’.

‘Too busy to marry me...?’ she spat in disbelief, ‘...what was more important than that...?’

‘A dose o’ angry Greek folk were trying to kill me...’ Talos replied, ‘...some raffle aboot a goat...’

A look of sympathy suddenly swept over Sangeeta’s face.

‘Do you really mean it...?’

‘Aye, it’s sacred apparently...’ he mused, ‘...best kens whit the freck was aboot...’.

‘Not about the goat, you idiot...’ scolded Sangeeta, ‘...I meant about you loving me...’

‘Whey aye, hen...’ smiled Talos, ‘...ye’re the ahnly woman ah’ve ever really loved. Without ye, ah’d be lost. Ye complete me, bonnie lass. Ye ahlways have’.

She locked eyes with Talos and smiled, before closing to kiss once again.