#boundfic

XX.

Everything changed after Thanedd.

The Brotherhood of Sorcerers had disbanded, the Council along with it. Most of the members had either betrayed them, were dead, or had disappeared – Yennefer included. Ciri was missing as well, and Triss hoped that Yennefer had disappeared in order to find her, because she could not bear all this talk about her dearest friend siding with Vilgefortz and being a traitor to the North. She knew that it wasn’t true, she knew that it wasn’t, but even Philippa seemed skeptical – although the woman knew better than to voice such an accusation out loud. She was aware that Triss would not take it well.

To make matters worse, because of what had happened, mages were largely disgraced. The violent quarrel between them had caused the confidence kings had in them to wane, and many were expelled from their courts. It had been a long time coming, as the Northern rulers were becoming concerned with the amount of political power that their mages had, and began cutting them out of important communications, choosing to use the older and much slower method of sending royal messengers to and from kingdoms instead of allowing the mages to just portal to one another. Triss had no doubt that if she had stayed in Foltest’s court she would have been cast out, as last she heard Keira and Fercart were banished from Temeria on the king’s orders.

Philippa was much luckier in that regard than most mages. King Vizimir was assassinated the night before the coup, and while Triss was fairly certain that had been her doing, she found it better not to ask. It kept Philippa safer if no one knew the truth, although with the threat of Nilfgaard on the horizon, Triss doubted anyone was planning to look into Vizimir’s death anymore than was necessary. Still, Triss kept her curiosity to herself and instead sought to enjoy the benefits that Philippa’s newfound position alloted them both. Although Vizimir’s widow Hedwig of Malleore ‘officially’ ruled the kingdom until such time that Radovid V came of age, in truth it was the Regency Council – headed by Philippa and Dijkstra – who ruled Redania, as Queen Hedwig had never had an interest in politics and was afraid Redania would come to ruin under her own inexperienced hand.

Although it was probably terribly cliche, something about Philippa having all that power just did something to Triss, and she began to teasingly call her her “King” while in the privacy of their own home, because apparently Triss just lived there now. It wasn’t something that was explicitly offered or was even properly acknowledged, but Triss never returned to her tower in Maribor and Philippa had never asked her to leave, so now they shared a life and bedroom and practically everything else, including the inability to voice the truth of how they felt about one another.

► READ MORE: FF.NET / AO3 ◄

XI.

"Wait, wait…" Triss begged breathlessly, her dress already bunched down at her waist and her tits completely out. They had barely gotten through the doors of Montecalvo before they were on one another, needing to feel some kind of relief from the absolute awful side-effects of their shared bond. As it turned out, if they were both turned on simultaneously that feeling kept ricocheting between them, intensifying it to rather unbearable levels. Even Philippa was having a hard time controlling the desire she was experiencing, and thus it was her decision that they leave early. Triss was thankful for it, because it wasn't as though it had gone unnoticed either.

Yennefer, of course, had some choice looks to give her, but not like that was anything new. Triss would explain later, as Yennefer was already more than aware how the two women were tied to one another and the ramifications of such a bond.

"What is it?" Philippa asked her through labored breaths, immediately taking her hands from Triss' body. She probably thought she was revoking consent, but considering that was the farthest thing from Triss' mind, she quickly snatched the other woman's hands in her own and placed them back around her hips.

They were a little ways up the stairs, practically stumbling all over themselves as they tried to both undress and get to a bedroom. They only managed about half-way for each. Triss' shoes were at the bottom of the stairs, Philippa's doublet thrown over the banister, leaving the other woman in a half-unbuttoned undershirt that allowed the delicious exposure of a single breast. But halfway there was better than all the way in that moment, as Triss realized she did not want her first time with Philippa to be when she wasn't at her best and right then was… well, not it.

"I should bathe. I don't want…"

XIII.

“I’m not going to Skellige this afternoon, am I?”

Triss stood on the other side of Yennefer’s door at the inn, a bag of her things over her arm and tear stains on her cheeks. Yennefer sighed softly, but quickly ushered the younger woman inside. When the door closed behind her, Yennefer wrapped Triss up in her arms, allowing her to exhale her sorrow into the crook of her neck. Yennefer had never really been much of a hugger, but Triss was, and that was why she did it. She knew what her friend needed in that moment, and so Yennefer said nothing as she allowed Triss to fall apart in her arms.

“I did this to myself,” Triss murmured miserably, her tears leaking down the crook of her nose. “Why did I think I could have everything? I should have just suffered through my desire for her in silence; at least then I’d still be there. I wouldn’t have thrown out my education for a handful of orgasms.” The word came out as though she were disgusted with it, because that’s all they were, weren’t they? Just orgasms. Just casual orgasms.

Triss felt like an idiot.

“You didn’t throw away anything,” Yennefer told her seriously, stepping away from the woman in her arms momentarily so she could look her in the eyes. “Philippa would have had to have been blind to not to see how infatuated you were with her. She knew this would hurt you. She did it anyway.”

XVIII.

“…Hi.”

Philippa exhaled a hard breath, staring at the woman on the other side of her door. While Triss usually portalled directly into her home, she didn’t want to make the assumption that she was welcome, or that in their time apart Philippa hadn’t warded her from doing so. Triss shifted the weight between her feet, her heart weighing heavy in her chest from the anxiety that threatened to consume her. She wished Philippa would just say something, but instead she just left her there in silence, watching the light spring breeze blow Triss’ newly regrown chestnut locks around her face.

Finally, the other woman extended her hand.

Triss’ hand was trembling as she took it, and Philippa wasted no time guiding her inside her home. The door magically swung closed behind her, and Philippa’s brow creased as she looked at the woman she had not seen in over a year. Triss’ chest grew heavier with regret and her eyes misted over. She felt so awful for shutting her out, and she wouldn’t blame Philippa if she decided she wasn’t worth the effort anymore. This wasn’t the first time she had run from her, after all. She wasn’t even certain that it would be the last.

“I’m sorry.”

Emotion caused Triss to nearly choke on her words, and a tear slid down the contour of her cheek. Philippa exhaled a small sigh as she cupped her face and used her thumb to wipe away the other woman’s sorrow. “You always are, pet,” she told her regrettably. Triss could hear it, but she could not feel it; Philippa had her wards up again, and that absolutely devastated Triss who felt like she should ward herself in return so as to not project unwanted emotion. “But I cannot blame you for running. I’m just insulted that you thought you had to.”

XV.

It was only a few days until Philippa contacted her.

They agreed to meet in an inn on the border of Aedirn, as it was neutral territory. Philippa arrived before Triss despite agreeing to meet at half-past noon, and Triss attempting to be early so that she could have more control over their reunion. Philippa, however, apparently felt the same, and as the innkeeper was directing Triss to the room that Philippa had chosen, the younger woman swallowed down her nerves, stood up straighter, and internally coached herself to keep it together. She had let her emotions get the best of her the last time they met, and she wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

Triss had a job to do, and she damn well was going to do it.

Triss’ knock sounded demanding, which was infinitely better than being timid and nervous. When Philippa opened the door she was wearing a casual red and gold dress that reached her ankles, and while the other woman wearing a dress wasn’t new by any means, she knew Philippa had always worn men’s clothing when she needed to feel powerful. The dress showed a level of comfort that Triss wished she had herself, but instead she wore something low-cut and tight, relying more on her breasts than her wits to get the job done. Suddenly, she felt a little pathetic.

As soon as the negative thought passed her mind, Triss pushed it aside. Philippa enjoyed her breasts (or breasts in general, if they’re being honest), so there was nothing wrong with using what she had at her disposal. Triss needed to remember that just because she might need a little extra help getting somewhere, it was her results that mattered, not its execution.

“How long will this take?” Triss asked in lieu of a greeting as she stepped into the room. Philippa closed the door, latching it behind her before she cast a protection enchantment. No doubt this spell would make them both less vulnerable for a little while, and their safety during that time was paramount. Philippa was the type to not care about pissing off powerful people, and Triss wouldn’t be surprised if she regularly had assassins after her. That was the last thing she wanted to get caught up in.

“Not long.”

XVI.

“So you attempted to bed her for information, only for her to turn around and bed you for information?” Yennefer asked, making certain that she was hearing this correctly. Triss glowered, yet did not dispute the events that transpired between her and Philippa, as that was pretty much what ended up happening.

Yennefer burst out laughing. But not just any laugh; a full-bellied laugh that nearly made her double over with the force of it.

“It’s not funny!” Triss exclaimed, furious that she was being laughed at. She knew Yennefer was going to say ‘I told you so’, but laughing at her was worse. Despite feeling like she was getting a much better deal with being allied with Philippa rather than Foltest, it still wasn’t easy to hear about how the other woman had beaten her at her own game.

It was more than a fortnight after Triss had pledged her loyalty to her former mentor, and the two friends had met up on Yennefer’s journey north. Triss had wanted to tell her what had happened the second it had transpired, but there was no way she could admit her own treason via megascope. They needed privacy for that, and so Triss waited until she could see Yennefer in person again before she admitted the truth of what happened. The two women were holed up in the inn Yennefer had chosen to stay at. Triss hated being trapped indoors recently, but as the weather was getting colder and ice covered the ground, her days were constantly spent with four walls around her. She missed the sun and she missed the fresh air, but perhaps it was better they speak of this behind closed doors anyhow.

“It’s not,” Yennefer agreed, laughing regardless. Triss was beginning to regret not keeping this information to herself. “It’s awful, yet I knew this would happen. Why do you never listen to me?”

IX.

“Try it now.”

The young woman immediately took a step backward. “It’s your turn,” Triss insisted, refusing to continue on like a guinea pig in Philippa’s experiments unless the other woman planned to step up to the plate as well. Triss might be her apprentice, but that didn’t mean she had to be the one taking all the risk. Philippa’s brow rose at the refusal, but Triss did not back down nor shy away. Instead she kept eye contact and smiled sweetly. “I insist, Mistress.”

“I bet you do.”

Triss’ smile only widened in faux innocence, and Philippa exhaled a small sigh as she resigned herself to her fate without question. Before, Triss would have been surprised about that, but the longer she resided in Montecalvo, the more she realized that Philippa did not think of her as someone she owned, and that Triss was not expected to do anything that she did not want to do. Philippa respected her wishes and her boundaries, and Triss appreciated that more than she could express.

The young sorceress watched as the other woman approached the megascope, the collections of crystals at both the tip and the base glinting from the sunlight that came through the arched window at the north end of the observatory. The sheer volume of them was most likely unnecessary – as even the most advanced megascopes had only three crystals – but as Philippa was trying to improve both teleportation and communication using a megascope as a conduit, she believed the more power she had, the wider her coverage area would be. Her ultimate goal was to be able to communicate with someone clear across the Continent in moments, whether through the megascope or in person, as currently the distance between calls was limited, and teleportation even more so.

Thus far however, Philippa was having a difficult time just getting it to power on correctly, let alone do anything else.

XIV.

Triss' mouth opened as she exhaled a silent scream, her breasts flushed and bouncing as she rode the phallus strapped to Keira's hips. Her brow was littered with sweat, her chest heaving, and when she tensed and came she grasped onto the other woman's abdomen, pitching forward and digging her nails into the blonde's soft flesh. Keira hissed, but as she enjoyed a little pain, did not reprimand her for it. Not that Triss would have listened anyway. She had already gotten what she wanted and so she rolled off of her, the sweat of her back sticking to Keira's silken sheets as she struggled to breathe.

"He really got under your skin, didn't he?" Keira noted in amusement, sliding the phallus off of her and tossing it to the side. This was more for Triss' benefit than her own, but as Triss indulged her whenever she demanded it, Keira did not mind returning the favor. Triss hated being frustrated though, and had found that channeling her aggression in other ways did wonders for her sanity.

"How does he not get under yours?" Triss asked, speaking of the newest addition to the Temerian Royal Court. An archpriest, and one that was very plain about his dislike of mages – female mages, in particular. "Willemer speaks to us like we're incompetent and untrustworthy. I'm tired of it. It's racist and misogynistic, and worst of all it's rubbing off on Foltest. He barely listens to us anymore, even though we've been in his court longer. This needs to stop, otherwise you and I will find ourselves stripped of our position."

"What do you propose?" Keira asked, rolling on her side to look at her colleague. Her brow quirked in excitement. "Treason?"

"We can't get him hanged, Keira."