Golden Future (Prince Nuada fanfic) Hellboy 2

Ten; the spear of truth

I hope you are all very happy with this chapter :D. Dedicated again to say thank you. It's been a lot of fun having you as a reader and it really helps to stay 'into' the story when I know it's being enjoyed :) <3.

After finishing and cleaning up, Nuala excused herself. She was gone before I could come with her. I fully intended to resume our earlier conversations, but a hand on my arm stopped me.

"You and Nuala are getting along." Nuada smiled pleasantly. With elegant gestures, he opened the cabinet and put the cleaned plates in.

"I'd like to think so, yes." I responded. I leaned against the counter and dried off my hands with the kitchen towel. "She's very kind."

With a spark in his eyes he turned to me. "Do you still want to learn how to defend yourself? I was intending to train this afternoon."

For a moment, I was stunned. Has he ever smiled this relaxed? Perhaps visiting his old home really helped him. Without much thought, I found myself nodding. "Alright, let's give it a try."

The training room was even sparser decorated than the rest of the rooms. There were spears, thin swords and daggers on shelves on the wall. This room had a window, equally as dark as the one in Nuala's room. The darkness outside made me remember my emotions of earlier in the day, the rejection I felt. Nuada picked a spear, feeling its heft in his hands, balancing it. He strutted over to the other side of the room to have space to swing it around. After the warm-up, while I stood there staring again, he turned around to me.

"Are you going to actually teach me anything today or will it be like that other time?" I asked, the bitterness still fresh in my throat.

Nuada chuckled deeply, an unexpected sound. He shook his hair behind his shoulders, then stepped closer. "If it was like then, it'd end very differently this time."

"Oh," I replied, not meaning to sound so dejected. He meant the other part of that day. To fix things, I said; "Your mood certainly has changed."

He walked closer with the confidence of a panther. "Sometimes we don't realise the importance of things at first." was all he said, stopping in front of me. "And you should have realised the importance of learning how to defend yourself."

I felt like a potato, standing there, hands at my sides, staring at the athletic Prince in front of me, pointing his spear at me.

"Perhaps this time I'll learn something." I responded, swatting the end of the spear away. He let me.

"Let us start with posture. Would you prefer a spear or a dagger? Dagger, yes?"

"No, no weapon, not for me, thanks."

His eyes twinkled. "As you wish." He walked to the wall and put his spear against it, then walked back over. The space was open, but ultimately not very large. "Now, for your feet..."

He assumed a stance, that I did my best to copy, checking feet, knees and shoulders.

"Slightly more apart, makes you sturdier. And fists on shoulder-height. A punch does not start in the hand, it starts from the shoulder. Like so." He showed a few punches, first fast, then slower to show each movement.

My attempts lacked both finesse and confidence. He watched with the eyes of a mentor, nodding as I gained a feel for the movements.

"Like so?"

He shook his head, "try giving it more of a swing, but remain in control. Use your whole body."

He must have seen my confused blank stare. Without hesitation, Nuada took my fist in his hand, then walked around me, pulling the wrist back to show the movement.

"Do you feel that, do you feel how it comes all the way from here?" his voice was soft by my ear.

I nodded, although more out of awkwardness. We were so close. Heat radiated from his body. I could smell the soap on his hair, his warm scent of bergamot.

"No, a bit more..." his voice trailed off. Instead, his hands were on my hips, positioning them gently. "How about now? Roll your shoulders back." Nuada's hand pressed on my back, following the spine to the shoulder blades, then fanning out over the curve of the bone. By the breath I felt against my hair and the shell of my ear, I knew he was unbearably close.

With hesitation, I spoke, dropping my hands a little. "Is that what you meant to do – to tease me again?" I wanted to add more, but my voice crumbled.

Nuada's grip on my hip twitched. "Why not both? I can't be opposed after..." there was a fragile quality to the mood.

I placed my hand on his, intending to take it off, but hesitating. "Too bad that I am human, or am I mistaken?" I stepped away and turned around to face him, caring little that my emotions bubbled up.

"Do I need to remind you that you were the one to reject me before? And still I trusted you enough to take you here."

I held up my finger. "Without my permission."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You confuse me endlessly, Elise. That I can not place these feelings, this desire, does not change their presence."

My heart skipped a beat. Is this..? The fingers gripping my wrist loosened, reached up to my face. His calloused index finger slid over my jaw, then resting against my lips.

"But perhaps you need more than words." There was a glimmer in his eyes. The hand on my chin moved to my neck, tickling the hairline. I knew where this was going, anticipated it. I stepped towards him, barely. The curl of his lips told me he was drawing it out on purpose, teasing. Before I could make a biting remark, our noses touched. My eyes feathered shut. And then our lips.

He was warm, pulling me closer with the hand on my neck, almost painfully close. And I wanted to, wanted closer. To be embraced, skin against skin. My hands curled into his long hair, pulling lightly at the root, bruising our lips together. His teeth tugged at my bottom lip, a sensation travelled down my spine and warmed me completely. When I pulled away for air, almost gasping, he allowed me only a short respite before his tongue slid in between my lips. I wanted to feel him with my entire body. Bravely, I gripped the front of his tunic and tugged at the sash around his waist. Closer, more.

Eventually we needed to breathe, I leant against his shoulder.

"Perhaps it's true what you said before, about humans being greedy." I chuckled, touching his face gently.

He chuckled along with me. "Oh, you naughty little Elise..."