A New Life

Life, Relationship change

Fenneck starts adjusting to his new life on the first level and Evelyn comes to his new home.

Fenneck wrapped up his project as the day came to a close. His first day in his new home had been simple enough. He had woken up and grabbed a quick breakfast before going to work. Naertho had him working on some gowns and had been relatively quiet. Fenneck felt shameful for ruining things with Erikur and was worried about how long he should wait to try and visit him again. Fenneck felt sick and mopey all day and he tried not to let it affect his work too much. He was grateful to go home though and settle into his new space. He headed home and unlocked the door to the smell of something glorious cooking in his kitchen. He saw the fireplace was lit and he suddenly freaked out as he realized someone was in his house. "Mum?!" he shouted into the house cautiously as he closed the door. He grabbed the broom in the kitchen, wielding it like a sword and saw his bedroom door was cracked open. He cautiously walked toward it and kicked it open and gasped.   On his bed, which was covered in rose petals, was Evelyn lying naked on his new bed in a very erotic pose. "What the hell are you doing?!" he exclaimed in surprise. She sat up, offended by his response. "What do mean?!" she pouted. "I wanted to give you a house warming gift!" Fenneck felt conflicted. He had just broken Erikur's heart because of the danger their relationship posed to the world. How was this any different? He felt tears welling up in his eyes. Evelyn, seeing the pain and confusion crossing his face, climbed out of the bed and grabbed one of Fenneck's robes that were draped on the outside of his wardrobe and covered herself up. "I... I'm sorry," she said. "I know this was risky and... and stupid. I haven't seen you in weeks. You probably want nothing to do with me anymore," she said, shaking her head at herself as she found her under garments and hurriedly started getting dressed. "No!" Fenneck told her. "I... It's... complicated," he told her, suddenly realizing he couldn't tell her about he and Erikur's relationship. "I've have a rough week," he explained. "I'm glad to see you," he assured her. "I'm just... not sure if... this is a... good idea," he told her. She cocked her head at him with a look of betrayal in her eyes. "I... I thought you had to be with me?" she asked him. "I thought... I thought..." She shook her head and looked away, flushing in embarrassment. "You thought what?" he asked her. She shrugged and looked up at him with her big blue eyes. "I... I thought you loved me," she said nervously. Fenneck couldn't help himself from walking over and taking her into his arms. "I... I do love you," he told her. She smiled up at him and caressed his chest over his tunic. "Good," she said sweetly. "Because I love you too," she told him. Fenneck swallowed with guilt and she leaned up to kiss him. He closed his eyes and turned his face away though. She shook her head in confusion. "I... I don't understand," she said. "Did something happen? Are you in love with someone else?" she asked him. He glanced at her guiltily and opened his mouth before shaking his head again. "You are..." she said sadly, before pulling away from him and hiding her face in embarrassment.   "It's not like that!" Fenneck said, desperate to understand how to go about this. "Then what is it?" she asked him, wiping a tear from her eye. "Can I tell you a secret?" he asked her, knowing how stupid of a thing he was about to do. She nodded. "Like... don't get me arrested for this... kind of secret," he said, looking desperately into her eyes for her to understand the gravity of the subject. She looked concerned but she nodded and gestured around the room. "I'm willing to do this aren't I?" she asked.   Fenneck nodded and sat down on the end of the bed, motioning for her to sit with him. She did and looked at him quizzically. Fenneck cleared his throat. "I... like men and woman," he said quietly. "Like... I've had sex with men before," he told her with a nervous look. She sat back, processing this. "So... you and Erikur are... more than just friends," she said understandingly. "How did you...?" he asked. She shrugged. "You both had a certain... energy about you when he caught me that one time. Just... very passionate," she said, looking nervously at Fenneck. "Please don't tell anyone or get us arrested," he begged her fearfully. She shook her head. "Of course not, Fen," she assured him. "I'm just... confused," she said sadly. "Why did you want to sleep with me if you were with him?" Fenneck shook his head. "I don't know," he told her. "I fell hard for you, Evelyn. I thought it was mostly just... casual with me and Erik, but... we decided to end things yesterday because I accidentally kissed him in front of Naertho when they congratulated me for my new position. We decided it was too dangerous," he explained. She nodded understandingly. "So continuing to be with me would make you a hypocrite," she said, wrapping the robe protectively around her shoulders.   "What... what would happen if we got caught?" he asked her. She shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said. "It probably wouldn't be as bad as getting caught in... homosexual acts," she said nervously. Fenneck looked up at her. "Are you... offended by me now?" he asked her. She looked pensive for a moment. "What's it like?" she asked him. "Being with a man, I mean." He thought for a moment. "It's... not really that different," he told her. "You... normally need oil though, for uh... lubricant." She giggled at him. "I mean... like emotionally," she said. "Do... do you love him?" Fenneck nodded. "I think it's more... complicated," he said. "It's different from how I feel for you. He's my best friend and it sucks that I love him and I... can't anymore. We have to take a break from each other to let our emotions work themselves out a bit." Evelyn nodded understandingly.   "I'll go ahead and get dressed," she said as she stood up and quickly slipped her shift on. "Will you help me with my corset?" she asked him sadly. He gave her a sad look and stood up. "I don't want to lose you too," he told her. She gave Fenneck a confused look. "Look," she said. "I get that you're going through some stuff. I don't want to complicate that. I... I do love you but I don't want to compete with Erikur," she told him. He shrugged. "You're... not. Really. The difference is no one knows about you," he explained. "My parents knew about Erikur and I from the beginning and they let us be together. I rarely ever see you and it's even safer now that I have my own house, here, on a higher level. I mean... that has to help a little right? If we did get caught, I could easily be considered your lover or something. You're a princess after all. Is the palace not crawling with prostitutes?" She laughed at him. "Yeah, for like... my father and my brothers use. They're also chambermaids. I will admit though, a couple of them have taught me a few tricks," she mused playfully before shaking her head hopelessly at him. "It's different thought, Fenny. I'm a woman. They want me to be all pure when they marry me off." "And who are they marrying you to?" he asked her. She smiled and shrugged "I don't know!" she exclaimed. "Probably some good for nothing duke in Rybaslav. Most of the eligible bachelors are already married or betrothed though," she explained. "Besides, we're still really young."   She wrapped her corset around her waist and turned to him expectantly to lace her up the front. "You're just so good at it," she said, finding an excuse for him to do it. He reluctantly started lacing her up, unable to keep himself from admiring her perky breasts as he locked them away in the tight prison. "Are these things uncomfortable?" he asked her. She shrugged indifferently. "I've worn one my whole life so I'm pretty used to it," she told him. He continued the tedious lacing, edging closer and closer to her as he did and leaning his face down next to hers. He remembered their first kiss and how it felt to be with her as their breath teased each others lips.   "How have you been?" he asked her. "I felt awful that I wasn't able to comfort you when Nikolai died." She smiled sweetly up at him. "It's been... rough," she admitted. "My parents have been fighting more than usual. Jasna is never around or she's playing with the musicians. So... I've mostly been suffering through formal, awkward dinner parties where no one says what they're really thinking and just bullshitting about the weather. Not that any of us ever go outside," she mused in annoyance. "I've wanted to come see you," she said. "I just kept waiting and getting more and more nervous about it. I popped into your room one night and saw you and Erikur on his bed and he was crying so I left. I've been pretty bored and lonely," she admitted. "When I popped in last night I was scared half-to-death when I saw your room empty." Fenneck nodded understandingly as he fiddled with the ends of the corset ties, reluctant to pull away from her. "Erikur's sister... disappeared," he explained. Around the same time your brother died. He... he's been pretty torn up about it," he explained. "I see," she said, edging closer to Fenneck and caressing his chest.   "Have... have you ever heard of thiramin?" she asked him. He cocked his head at her and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "My parents felt it when they met," he told her. She smiled. "My parents didn't," she said, seeming indifferent about it. "Their marriage was purely political." Fenneck found himself delicately caressing the boning on her corset. "Why do you ask?" he asked her softly as their head softly nuzzled against each other. "It's just... the day we met," she said. "It felt like... like..." Their noses gently rubbed against one another and Fenneck suddenly wondered if that was why he had loved her so much, so quickly, in such an unexplainable way. He looked into her eyes and thought about this new idea as he studied her face. He started to lean in to kiss her when she suddenly gasped in horror. "Shit!" she exclaimed, before running frantically out of Fenneck's room. He shook his head in surprise and ran after her.   He saw he in the kitchen carefully pulling something out of the oven. He started laughing at her as she held up a pan of burnt piroshki rolls. She plopped the pan down onto the counter and turned away from him, embarrassed. Fenneck collected himself, before running over and wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry I laughed at you," he told her sincerely, seeing her wiping tears from her eyes. "Ev, come on," he said, turning her to face him. "It's fine," he told her. "They aren't even that burned," he said, grabbing a spatula and trying to get one off the pan, proving unsuccessful.   She started sobbing and Fenneck pulled her back into his arms. "Darling," he told her sweetly. "Hey. It's okay," he comforted her and held her into his chest. "I just wanted tonight to be so wonderful!" she sobbed, breaking Fenneck's heart into a million pieces. "I don't even know how to cook!" she exclaimed sadly. "I'd make a horrible wife!" Fenneck couldn't help himself from giggling at her. "Darling you aren't meant to be wife. You're meant for so so much more than that," he told her. "Why do you think you're a princess?" he teased her. She scoffed at him and weakly punch him in the chest. "I just wanted to make you happy," she told him sadly. He giggled again. "I'm smiling aren't I?" he teased her again, prompting her to laugh a little.   He felt his heart swell seeing her perfect face and he smiled sweetly at her. "Do you really think we're thiramin?" he asked her, becoming more serious. She shrugged. "I don't know, Fen," she told him. "I... I don't know why I kissed you that day. I... I felt... something," she told him. He looked deep into her eyes. "Me too," he told her. "It's not... exactly how my parents described it but... they're the only people I know who've felt it," he said, shrugging. She nodded. "I've only read about it," she told him. "Maybe it's different for different couples," he suggested. She was starting to blush a little and she looked up at him longingly. "All I know is that I love you, Fenneck," she told him, prompting his heart to explode with affection.   He looked around his new house with her in it and the smell of burnt food and he smiled at how perfect it all seemed. "Let's try this," he told her. "I love you so much. I don't know if you're my soulmate or not but... I'm starting this new chapter of my life and all I know is that I want you to be a part of it," he told her, gently caressing a lock of her pretty blonde hair from her face. "I'll make sure my door is always locked and you can create a new teleportation ring here," he told her. She shook her head. "What about Erikur?" she asked him. Fenneck sighed and shrugged. "I told him I hadn't seen you in a while. I'll let him think we stopped seeing each other," he told her. "I'll tell Alexei the same thing. No one will no. It will be our secret." She raised a brow at him. "You want to lie to them?" she asked. He pursed his lips. "For now. Look, it's my life, Ev," he said. "I want to be with you," he told her as he felt his heart start to pound in excitement. "I want to share this part of my life with you," he told her lovingly. "Really?!" she asked him, unable to hide the sparkle of excitement in her eyes. "Really, Evelyn," he told her. "It just feels... right," he told her. She smiled and moved into his arms. "It does. Doesn't it?" she said.   Fenneck scooped her into his arms and kissed her lovingly, feeling his heart burst with affection and love for her. "Wanna go take that corset back off?" he asked her excitedly. She giggled. "Sure," she said. "Oh, but uh... I don't know how to stop the oven," she said, frowning a bit. "I started the fire with magic. Should I just put it out?" she asked him helplessly. He giggled at her. "Here," he said. "I'll show you." She perked up excitedly as focused as Fenneck taught her the proper way to use the oven.   "Maybe I should stick to magic," she said when they finished their lesson. Fenneck giggled and kissed her cheek lovingly. "It's not that hard," he told her. "Don't worry and don't ever feel like you have to cook for me, okay?" he told her. "Okay," she conceded as they walked into the living room. She looked around the space thoughtfully. "I think we'll be very happy here," she said cheerfully before going back to Fenneck and taking his hands in her own and swinging his arms happily. He pulled her into his arms and started waltzing with her. "I thought you said you couldn't dance?!" she teased him. He nuzzled his nose against her own. "I said I hadn't not that I couldn't," he told her. She relaxed into his arms as he spun her around the room. "Besides," he said as he pulled back into his arms and nuzzled her neck affectionately. "I thought you hated dancing." She giggled sweetly. "I guess I've never had the right partner," she said, looking lovingly into his eyes.   Fenneck pulled her into a romantic kiss and picked her up into his arms and carried her into his bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him as Evelyn giggled and kissed his neck. "Welcome home, Mrs. Frostears," he teased her, as if they were a newly wedded couple. She kissed his neck lovingly as he walked her over to their bed that was still covered in rose petals and he gently laid her down in front of him. She sensually ran her hands through the flowers, looking picturesque in her white shift against the red of the rose petals. "Come to me, Fenneck," she begged him. Fenneck took a deep breath before giving himself to her and consummating their love for one another.   That night Evelyn curled up in his arms and meditated next to him. Fenneck clung to her as he fell deeper and deeper in love with her with every passing moment. His heart felt like it would burst as he imagined this new, exciting life with her in his brand new home. Sure, they had to hide but Fenneck didn't care. She was worth it. The feelings he had for her were worth it. He tried not to think about Erikur or how guilty he felt for choosing to be with Evelyn and not him. He had to save his friendship though. At least, that's how he justified it. He knew that somewhere down the line, he and Evelyn would probably have to end once she was married off to someone. Fenneck couldn't risk loosing Erikur completely though. He couldn't risk him loosing his life for their love.   Fenneck gently kissed Evelyn as she laid back to meditate. "Goodnight, Ev," he told her sweetly. She smiled giddily at him. "Goodnight, Fenny!" she told him, kissing him sweetly before nuzzling against him and closing her eyes. Fenneck sighed with happiness and joined her.