"The Maid of Satin."

"The Iron King names the Maid of Satin," Talaitha intones. "May the spirits reveal the destiny which awaits him!"

Talaitha steps close to you, her eyes locked on yours, and her hands begin to touch your body. It is a strange sensation... her touches are pleasurable by their very nature, but it is obvious that they are not truly intended as such. Rather than seek out sensitive and intimate places, her fingertips brush over your temples, then press gently into your neck to feel your pulse through the strong blood vessels there... then her breasts press into your chest, but it seems that she does this only to breathe in the same time as you do; so that she inhales as you breathe out, and then again in the opposite manner. It may be your imagination, but it seems to you that she even somehow manages to match the rhythm of her heartbeat with your own. It is a strange intimacy, unlike that of a lover, more as if she seeks to become one with you than to share her body.

Her eyes close, and beneath the lids you can see them dart rapidly back and forth, as if she were suddenly asleep and dreaming. Her hands find your own, palm to palm, not lacing the fingers but aligning them with yours. Her lips are so close now that it is all you can do not to lean in just a hair's breadth further and kiss them... but you remember that Talaitha warned you to take no action without her instruction. Even if she has no true power or connection with the spirits, it feels unwise to disturb her trance again.

"The Maid of Satin," she breathes, almost too quietly to be heard even so close. "Speak the name with me." With those words, Talaitha moves that tiniest bit closer so that your lips just barely touch, like a fresh dewdrop upon a blade of grass.

"The Maid of Satin," you whisper, and her lips move in perfect unison with yours. Then she pulls away, and her brow furrows just slightly, concentrating hard, listening to whatever voices she alone can hear. Then she shivers, just slightly... and it may be your imagination, but it almost seems as thought the slight breeze which wafts around you forms the subtlest of sounds, which if you could only hear them a tiny bit more clearly, might be strange words in a tongue you have never heard before...

"Yes," Talaitha says, in a soft, melodious tone that drowns out the mysterious almost-sound. "Yes, I see her before me now. A woman of beauty, born of noble blood, her home a gilded cage from which she yearns to be free. Her heart aches for the open sky, she longs to take flight and never return to the prison of golden bars... and yet the Satin Maid is all-but resigned to her destiny, a loveless wedlock, to share a bed but never her heart. Her smile hides her pain, and she laughs so as not to cry..."

In your mind a clear image begins to form, and it is a face you know... Lady Rosaline of Cottingham. She is hardly the only noblewoman you have ever met, and yet there is something about Talaitha's decsribtion which brings her irresistably to your thoughts. She has always been quick to smile and laughter, but for the first time you begin to feel that her merriment hides a secret pain, a sadness she buries deeply down. Is it only Talaitha's words, or is it something that was always there but which you never noticed? It's difficult to say, especially since you have not seen Rosaline for at least two years... though the last time you saw her was certainly very memorable, as her visit cumulated with her in your bed!

Talaitha's hands begin to roam over your body, up your arms and down your back, pressing both firmly and lightly as she goes. A memory comes into your head, a time when you spoke to Elyssia's most learned healer of his arts; one Master Sanjay Bhandari... he showed you his charts of what he called the Energy Streams, and described a **** called the Chi which moved through all people. His charts indicated the places at which this energy could be redirected and controlled. It is hard to recall exactly, especially under the circumstances, but it seems to you that Talaitha's fingertips press those same points as her hands come to them.

"Show me the future," she sings, "what will come to pass..."

Suddenly, you feel moist lips against your fully-hardened manhood, and you realize that Talaitha is spreading her legs around you to take you inside her. It is all you can do not to respond and thrust forward, take her in your arms, kiss the lips which remain so close - but through an iron effort of will, you remain still and allow her to continue. Ever so slowly, she slides down upon you, her warm and wet passage opening and allowing you to penetrate. An involuntary shiver runs through you, but otherwise you are able to remain still. Talaitha rolls her head back, her eyes closed and still flickering with the signs of dreaming.

"The Maid of Satin is a maid of desire, though the glitter of gold has blinded her compassion. She seeks love but knows not its truth, for none have shown her. It may fall to the Iron King to unlock the deepest vaults of her heart, to give the Satin Maid that which she has been always craved..."

Talaitha's brow furrows in concentration, and she unexpectedly leans forward to kiss you upon the lips... but it is no lover's kiss, it is more as though she is forming a closer connection to you, trying to listen through your ears as well as her own. Slowly, she pulls you downward to the blanket upon the ground, for which you are most grateful; it was becoming difficult to stand! Somehow, she is able to gracefully lower both herself and you together such that you remain tightly embraced as a man to a woman, your shaft thrust deeply into her.

"Her heart awakened must not be denied," Talaitha whispers. "The Maid of Satin is a maid of desire, and the man who arouses her deepest desires and yet leaves them unsatisfied does so at his peril... her heart once broken will turn to ice, and Satin shall prove deadlier than steel. But to the man who offers a tender touch, a loving embrace, a man who will hold her and share his warmth..."

Talaitha's arms suddenly go around you, and the touch of her lips melts into a true kiss... soft and gentle, the kiss of a woman newly fallen in love. It's hard to know how to respond; surely, Talaitha's own true feelings do not drive her to embrace you in this way, and it seems wrong to let it continue - even though your manhood remains thrust deep inside of her, the kiss feels even more intimate in its way! And yet, you find you don't have the heart to push her away.

Finally, Talaitha pulls away, slowly, her eyelids fluttering open to gaze upon you - and then, suddenly, she seems to awaken from a trance. "Oh! King Xavier, please forgive me! I was... momentarily overwhemled."

You try to tell her that she is forgiven, but at first you cannot seem to make the words! You shake your head slightly, try to swallow, and then try again. "Apologies are not necessary, Talaitha. You did tell me that it would be necessary to touch in intimate ways, but... I was not expecting something like that."

"Nor was I," she says. "Please understand, the spirits do not speak to me in words, nor even so much in images, but mostly in feelings. What I felt then was... well, I must confess, it was quite wonderful. I am usually prepared for feelings of lust and desire, especially when seeking futures such as you have asked, but rarely have I felt true love of the heart such as I have just now." She starts to lean in and kiss you once again, but then stops herself. "I am sorry, King Xavier; it takes a moment for feelings such as this to fade, even when they have been imposed by the spirits."

With obvious ****, she withdraws from the embrace, pulling away and letting your manhood slide from her. She stands and looks away for a moment, takes several deep breaths and mumbles strange words, and then shivers slightly and turns back to you.

"I have recovered," she says in a more normal voice. "The feelings which were not truly my own have been purged. I apologize again, King Xavier, for having lost control as I did."

"It would seem that the spirits have sent a clear message that the Maid of Satin must be my one true love," you suggest.

Talaitha shakes her head. "The future is never so simple, especially when it comes to matters of love. Although it is true that this maid has the potential for such feelings, and you are one who could awaken them, you should not feel that this is a path you must follow. The spirits give us possible futures; they do not make prophecies which must come to pass. I sense that you know the maid of whom the spirits speak?"

"I have an idea of who it might be, yes."

"Then, it is even more important that you heed the warning which the spirits gave as well. The Maid of Satin is one who may offer true love, but if this is something you cannot offer in return, the consequences could be disastrous. Truly, it is not my place to do more than to listen and interpret what the spirits say, but..." she hesitates.

"Please, speak your mind, Talaitha. I would hear your own wisdom, not only that of the spirits."

"Thank you, King Xavier. It is only this: A King may take a woman as his queen for reasons other than the heart, of course; this is the way of things far more often than not. But for the Maid of Satin, this will never be enough. If you cannot offer her genuine love and affection, then you should leave her free to find it with another. I offer this advice with all humility, King Xavier, and I offer it as a woman and not as a seer. Be that as it may, the spirits are silent. They have spoken and I have given you their words. Heed them as you will."

You stand up slowly, feeling the physical ache of unsatisfied sexual need, but that is something you must put aside. A few deep breaths help to clear your head, and you can tell that Talaitha is impressed with your strength of will; you have no doubt that if this is a performance she has done for others, she likely finds that not every man is able to steady himself so quickly, or hold back from trying to relieve his needs with her.

"I would ask another question, if I may," you say at last.

"The spirits have given all the answers they will give, for now; but of course, King Xavier, you may ask of Talaitha what you will."

"The Iron King... is that the name by which the spirits know me?"

"It is," she says. "They have spoken to me of you before, when I have meditated. Of course I know of your past, it is well-known in these parts that you were a worker of iron at the forge, but the name means more than that. Iron is the strongest of metals, and yet it also yields to become what it must be. It will bend to fire, but when it is quenched it becomes stronger still. It is the metal of the common people, in the form of a hammer or plow; it is also the metal of a knight's armor and shield, and the sword of a King like the one you carry at your side. The King of Iron is a king of all the people, both noble and common, a king who wields his power in service and not in domination. The spirits know you well, King Xavier."

"I thank you for your service, Talaitha," you say to her, as you both stand up and you begin to put your clothes back on. It feels somewhat awkward; normally, after you have made love to a woman, you would offer kisses and tender caresses and hold her in your arms, but it's hard to know exactly what you should do in this case.

"There is one other thing," she says as you prepare to take your leave. "Now that you have been connected to the Spirits, you may find that they visit you at some future time. Since you do not have my power, they will appear to you in the only way they can - in your dreams. The dreams will be vivid and potent in nature, but do not fear; these dreams can no more do you harm than any other dream. If the spirits speak to you in this manner, remember that they cannot always be trusted, and it is always best to use your own judgement rather than follow them blindly." She smiles slightly. "Consider them as you would your advisors; wise and helpful, but not always right."