#count vaako

You keep what you kill. That is the Necromonger way. That was what was taught to Andromedus Vaako when he converted, and he made great use of it, amassing ranks and wealth in no time.

Ten years had passed since the day of his marking, and Vaako was now the youngest commander in the armada. He thought he had everything, until an impertinent breeder on New Terra dared to challenge him to one-on-one combat.

The Lord Marshall watched, as did everyone else. Vaako wasted no time, easily dispatching his adversary with no harm to his own person. He dusted himself off and turned to his men.

“Most impressive,” the Lord Marshal said as he made his way to his most promising officer, picking up the dagger the challenger had dropped. “And I believe this is yours now?”

Another dagger. Vaako eyed the blade with barely disguised contempt. “Another knife for my collection.” He said. “I am running out of room for them all.”

The blade in itself was hardly noteworthy, with nothing special to set it apart from the others. “Indeed. Perhaps something else would suit.”

The Lord Marshal looked at the crowd that had gathered. “Who is this man? Where does he come from?”

The locals looked around, mumbling, wondering who should talk.

“He is Prince Irubaan, sire,” someone called out from within the crowd. “He has a palace by the lake.”

That piqued Vaako’s interest. “A palace by the lake?” The Lord Marshal mused. “Perhaps there you will find something more to your liking?”

“Indeed,” said Vaako. Given that it would take several days for the inhabitants to be converted, Vaako had plenty of time. “I will have Toal keep you updated on any developments,” said the Lord Marshal, as he was eager to inspect the new planet that had been conquered. “Good luck.”

                                                         ---*✧*---

The palace was breathtaking, as were the lands it sat on.

"The Prince may have been a poor fighter," said Vaako to his men. "But he certainly had good taste." They all nodded in agreement.

Had he been anything but a Necromonger, Vaako would have settled here as the new Lord. Still, the anticipation of new discovery proved to be too much and Vaako marched inside, only to find himself being greeted by a small battalion of servants. Clearly, word of the Prince’s passing had reached their ears. Vaako stood by the entrance while they all bowed.

"I will expect all of you to convert by the time we leave this place," he said. "And I will expect all of you to bear the mark of conversion."

The servants bowed once more before rushing about their duties. Vaako walked around, taking in everything before him, silently earmarking certain pieces to be given as tribute, for his Lord Marshal would expect no less.

While he was walking around, making his way to the second floor, you rushed out upon hearing the commotion downstairs.

"Come to collect your loot already?" you ask in a huff.

Vaako stood there, stunned. "If you mean did I come here to claim what is now rightfully mine, then yes, I have. And you are?"

"Princess y/n. I am, or was, Prince Irubaan’s wife."

"Commander Andromedus Vaako." Your lack of sorrow aroused his interest. "You are not in mourning for your husband?"

"I will not shed my tears for such a dreadful man," you snort as you study him quietly. The strange armour, oddly enough, suited him, as did the battle-hardened face. A very handsome, battle-hardened face, with kindly eyes. Odd, given he was one of them. "Are you the one that sent him off to the ether?"

Vaako looked at his chief lieutenant, utterly confused. "They believe souls go to this place of eternal rest," came the whisper. "They call it the ether."

The Underverse Vaako had seen evidence of, but the ether? "The Lord Marshal was right, they truly are a strange people," he whispered back before answering you. "Yes. I did indeed send your husband to the… ether."

"Hmph," you never look away or down, instead choosing to look him in the eyes. "I suppose you and your men would be staying for dinner?"

Your lack of fear only served to make him even more interested. Vaako was an invader, part of an army that destroyed millions of lives and reduced entire worlds to dust, and yet you talk to him like he was just another guest. No one had done that before. 

And he was rather hungry.

"Yes," he said, never taking his eyes off of you. "We will be staying for dinner."                                                        ---*✧*---

While dinner was simple, conversation with the commander was not. "So your Lord Marshal is a holy half-dead?" you ask over your wine. "How is that even possible?"

"He had to travel to the Underverse itself," Vaako and the rest started on their food. "It is part of a test all Lord Marshalls must undergo, to prove themselves worthy of the title."

"I have heard of this Underverse," you say with a raised eyebrow. "I also hear your kind does not reproduce? Does this mean relations between mated pairs are prohibited? I mean, it would be a great pity to go to all that trouble of converting, only to spend the rest of your days in forced celibacy."

Vaako was more intrigued than offended by your free way of speaking. "Do not let the Lord Marshal catch you talking like that."

"And yes," Vaako continued. "Propagating the species is forbidden to us," he said archly. "However, physical relations are not."

"That is good then, for the life of a convert would have been one of abject misery otherwise."

"That impertinence of yours will get you into trouble one day."

"So my late husband kept telling me," you retort.

"Your late husband might not have wanted you to say something foolish."  Vaako found himself more interested in talking to you and less interested in his food.

"And yet he was the one challenging a high ranking Necromonger to one-on-one combat. So who is the fool here?"

You were rewarded with a slight twitch in his lips. The others looked on, wondering what was going on.

"Him, most certainly."

"Indeed," you say, nodding and returning to your meal. "Speaking of your race, I also hear you keep what you kill? All of what you kill?"

"Indeed," Vaako said, growing oblivious to everything around him now.

"Even a fallen challenger’s spouse?" you asked nonchalantly, your pulse raising by the way he was looking at you, as if the the others did not exist to him. Even your late husband would never look at you that way. 

Vaako, upon remembering there were others present, dismissed his men and the servants, leaving only the two of you at the table. "Yes, but only if the widow desires it, and only if the Necromonger is unattached."

Interesting, you think to yourself. "So no force?"

"Even we do not believe in force," Vaako said as he looked you over his goblet. "Not in such a delicate matter." 

You simply smile and go back to finishing your meal, while a pair of rich brown eyes watch you the entire time. 

                                                      ---*✧*---

You take Vaako to his new rooms. "These are yours now."

He looked around, taking in the ambiance, the lack of anything feminine. Clearly only one person slept here. “These are not yours as well?”

“No. My rooms are in the other corner of the floor.”

The husband slept in one corner of the house while the wife slept in another corner. “Strange sort of marriage you had.”

You shrug and look around. “I simply made the most of my situation. Do you need anything else?”

“Yes,” The bed looked too big, and he wanted someone to talk to. “I would like it if you stayed here, and kept me company.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I would like for you stay here,” he repeated his words as he looked out the window, to the fields and valleys beyond. In a week, everything would be reduced to dust and ash, and he almost felt sorry for it. “And keep me company. Nothing more, I assure you.”

You raise your eyebrows and cross your arms. “Nothing more you say? You just want my company, you say?”

He smirked this time. “If you had to be around the lot I came with, you would understand.”

That gave you pause, for some of the others he came with were indeed dull. “Very well. I will change for the night and join you.”

                                                         ---*✧*---

Vaako looked on with barely disguised amusement when you set up a line of pillows down the middle of the bed. “And these are for your protection? or Mine?” he said while watching you, taking in how your shift clung to you as you moved. “Or is this yet another odd custom of your world?”

“They are for my protection,” you say, although you find yourself regretting setting up the barrier. “If you get too close in the middle of the night I can bash you on the head with one.”

“Then perhaps I should have kept a panic button with me, so my men can save me from being drowned in goose feathers.”

His chuckle was echoed by yours. “Just stay to your side, please.”

“Fine,” he got into his side of the bed, while you get into your side.

You make yourself comfortable, while listening to the sounds of him settling in. “For how long will your Lord Marshall stay here?”

“A week, maybe a little more, if he hesitates in destroying your world,” Vaako said, as he looked up into the ceiling.

“A week, maybe a little more before this world is turned to ash?” You ask, shocked by the revelation.

“We do not tarry unless necessary,” Vaako could pick up the scent of roses filling the air. He found it was coming off of you. It appealed to him. “And we rarely tarry.”

“Never settling down, always on the move? A bit sad, no?”

“That is our way,” said Vaako, confused now as to what he was feeling. Why was he suddenly questioning what he was taught?

“Strange,” you say. “But I suppose I must accept, since I too will have to follow it now.”

Vaako went silent, only to look up when he heard steel panels moving. “What are you doing?”

“Looking at the night sky of my home-world, I will not see it again when I leave.”

You had opened up the skylights revealing a night sky dotted with a million stars. “Oh,” Vaako sounded relieved. “You wanted to just see the night sky?”

Did he think you were trying to attack him? “Yes, commander. I just wanted to see the night sky. If I wanted to attack you, you would not even know.”

He propped himself onto an elbow. “Oh really? This I would dearly love to see.”

A pillow hit him with a soft thud. “There,” you grin in the darkness. “Satisfied?”

Vaako grit his teeth. “That I was not prepared for,” he said. “Next time I will-- stop that!”

Another pillow, another soft hit. You were giggling now. “You challenged me! If you did not want to--”

The pillow striking you resulted in a pillow fight. “Get back here!” Vaako commanded as you shot out of bed, pillow in hand. “I am the commander and I order you to--”

You took off after playfully throwing the pillow at him. “Make me!” you cry as you run. Vaako straightened himself and chased you, all the while wondering why he enjoyed it so much. 

He catches you just before you make it to the door. “That was uncalled for!”

“But you challenged me,” you giggle. “Let go of me.”

“Or what?” He refused to yield. “What will you do to make me let...”

                                                   ---*✧*---

Your kiss caught him by surprise.

Vaako wanted to pull away but could not bring himself to do so. “Wha--”

His eyes looked down on you in shock. “Have you never been kissed?” 

He brushed your hair back, marveling at how soft it felt. “Never.”

“That is too bad,” you murmur and pull away, only to find yourself being pulled back when Vaako drew you in for a kiss.

It felt awkward, clumsy. Vaako did not know what to do. “Sorry,” he mumbled as his nose kept bumping into yours. You grin, and place your hands against his cheeks. “Keep still.”

This time it was soft, hesitant. His lips brushed against yours, gently at first, his hands resting on your waist before his arms went around you completely.  Vaako had never experienced anything like this before. Not the golden light that lit up behind his eyes, nor the heat that swelled up in his belly. His grip tightened like a vice, his moan as you melted against him was like music to your ears. 

“Yes?” he mumbled as his kisses skimmed your neck, his body pressing up against yours when you grabbed onto his hair.  This time you pull him up and bring your lips to his. “Please,” you breath. In one swift move, Vaako lifted you up and carried you to bed. 

He sat down on the edge of the bed, with you straddling his lap.

"You have no experience at all?" You ask as you undo the lace ties on his tunic.

"None," Vaako kept still, his hands on your waist, his temple resting on yours. How wondrous, he thought, that the simple act of you undressing him was enough to make him go weak in the knees, how your very touch was enough to make his breath go ragged. "Perhaps... Perhaps you can teach me."

Perhaps you could. You slip the tunic off of him, your eyes resting on the hardened muscles they hid. How they fluttered beneath your touch. "So warm," he breathed. 

Soft, warm palms drifted over the surface, fingers tracing lines over old scars, little imperfections on the skin. "Did these hurt?"

"They did," Vaako could feel his breath deepen when your hands neared his abdomen. "But not anymore..."

The barely audible curse stopped you cold. "Please," Vaako takes your hand into his, noting how it fitted perfectly with his. "Do not stop."

Feeling bolder now, you run your hands lower, to between his thighs. Vaako's eyes fluttered as you run a palm over his already erect cock. It felt good. So very good. Vaako fell back into bed, his hands on your waist, his eyes on yours as your hands rested on the top of his trousers. "Yes?" You ask.

He guides your hands to where he wants them to go. "Please."

The lacings were undone, and the deep, strangled moan you hear on that first stroke was intoxicating. Vaako simply surrendered body and soul to you. Surrendered himself to the current that wanted to sweep him away. Nothing in all of his life compared to this. Nothing in all the realms could compare to what you were making him feel, from the desire to wanting to lust. He savoured them all, hoping against all hope that he could experience everything with you, again and again, and again. His hands drifted all over you, gliding up your arms, all over your belly, caressing your breasts. His eyes locked with yours when he heard your breath catch, his arms manoeuvring you so he could be on top of you. 

Vaako's full weight coming to rest on top of you caused a sigh to rise from your toes. Nervous hands tugged on the hem of your night-dress, pulling them over your outstretched arms and tossing them to the ground, leaving you exposed.

Vaako took in every inch of you, his eyes feasting on every part of your body. "You're beautiful, y/n. So beautiful." 

Unable to help himself, Vaako lowered his head, his lips barely grazing over the soft swell of your breasts. Your skin felt so soft and fragrant that he grew bolder, gently nipping and sucking on an already taut nipple, while callused fingers played with the other. You cry out softly, your fingers bunching up in his hair, urging him to take as much as you gave until you pull him back up to crush your lips on his. His mouth felt so warm, his lips so soft, his tongue running against your lips, seeking entry. Arms pulling you up made you yield and you whimper into his kisses while his tongue flicked against yours. How a battle-hardened warrior could be so tender, you muse, as those sturdy arms now hold you like you were made out of fragile glass. So gentle he was, running his fingers up your spine, his kisses fluttering over your skin making you grow slick and hot.

Vaako felt you, all of you. How you whimpered when his teeth grazed your skin, how your breath would suddenly pull in deep whenever he squeezed your breasts, your fingers raking over his skin as lust overwhelmed you, and him. Grinding his hips into you convinced Vaako to take the next step and he went in slowly, moaning as he felt you sheath him with every inch he took. He stopped, wanting to make sure this was still what you wanted. Eyes darkened with lust greeted yours, while your own body was screaming for him to go on. "Do not stop," you press your lips against his as he pushed in deeper, going slow on that first thrust. 

His moans match yours with each passing second, his cock going in deeper and deeper, bringing the both of you closer to the edge. Vaako would let out strings of curses whenever he felt your walls tighten around him, or your nails raked down his back. He would slow down at your urging, then pick up the pace again, his heart racing with every thrust, his body melting into yours as you kept crying out for him, his kisses finally drowning you out as his body gave you your release, his own following with a grunt and a final thrust when he felt himself empty inside of you.

The two of you cling to each other, exhausted and satisfied. Vaako gently eased you back into bed, taking you with him when he rested on his side. A palm resting on his heaving chest made him open his eyes, and he smiled when his gaze rested on you. You grow anxious as this could very well be the only time you have with him. He might lose interest or be expected to be with someone else. It would hurt too much, to see him with another. "What troubles you, y/n?"

He cupped your cheek gently, leaving little kisses as he held you closer. "Y/n, please tell me what troubles you."

You sigh but talk all the same. Better now than never. "What happened between us... Will I have to forget about it, about you, when I go onto that ship?"

He was stunned. Why would you ask such a thing after what the two of you shared? "No. Remember the motto of my people?"

"You keep what you kill." And Vaako killed your husband in honourable combat. That meant you were his.

"I keep what I kill," eyes filled with hope looked into yours. "And I want to keep you by my side, always."

It was your turn to grow stunned. "What?"

He kissed you again, this time with tenderness instead of passion. "Stay with me," he said. "Be mine. Be my lady. What do you say?"

You look up at him, certs in of your answer now. Your place was by his side, and no one else's. "Yes. I will be yours. From now till Underverse come."