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Enchanted Night	By : EmpressMoonchildOfFantasia Category: M through R > Neverending Story Views: 3814 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The names, people, places, etc of The NES are all owned by the late Michal Ende & Warrnor Bros. Copyright � 1984. I'm just borrowing them for fun. I do not own anything but the plotline of this fic.

Chapter List
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Chapter Rating: Mild T
For a moment, Atreyu just stood there staring at the closed door.
He had seen beneath the thin mask of ridged courtesy, the hostility Moonchild's Head Adviser/Servant still had for him. This came as no surprise. It had been this way for years. Still, even after all this time, after all the hell he had gone through to save Moonchild and their world from being destroyed, Atreyu had thought Cairon would let go of his antagonism towards him. But after eight years this still had not happened and he feared perhaps it never would. In a way, it made him frustrated and sad to know Cairon refused to judge him based on his actions towards The Empress AND his integrity in general. Instead Cairon chose to characterize the Plains Warrior based on his status in society. In his eyes, Atreyu was beneath the Head Adviser/Servant's station in Fantasian society and therefore should be treated as such.
In other words, as a third-class citizen or 'commoner'.
He turned and made his way further into the small room connected to the bedchamber. He was not going to let Cairon spoil his good mood. Not tonight.
A wry smile touched his lips as he paused beside a comfortable overstuffed chair set off to one side of the fireplace, letting his fingers glide softly over the deep tan material, relishing in the way it felt against his skin. It reminded him of newly stretched buffalo hide. Smooth, soft, and yet slightly stiff at the same time. Unfastening the bone clasp at his throat, Atreyu removed his cloak that was made out of lightweight buffalo-hide and laid it gently along the top of the chair before leaning against its armrest long enough to untie the boots that ended just above his ankles. Slipping out of the dark-brown, firm, butter-soft leather he made his way down the length of the room towards the door of his bedchamber.
Opening this door he paused for a moment, looking around and he broke into a grin. The bedchamber, like the room he had just crossed, was designed in different shades of brown and tan like the inside of his tent back home. The walls of both rooms were covered in a stiff smooth material stretching from floor to ceiling. In this one, the room he slept in, the cloth on the walls had been dyed a rich dark brown while the ones in the previous room were of a lighter shade of the same color. The wall-to-wall carpeting in both rooms were done in a medium-light earthy tan. All the furnishings in the rooms were made of either dark or semi-dark wood carved into an elegance none too showy nor too plain.
Moonchild knew him well. She had wanted to make him feel like he was at home every time he stepped into this bedroom suite. And she was right. He had loved these rooms from the moment she had shown it to him on his very first visit after the Nothing. When he asked her later how she had known what designs and colors to use for the rooms Moonchild had told him that she, with the assistance of her seven handmaidens, had gone to the Royal Library and done research on his culture. There, she had read about what kinds of materials and colors they used for not only the exterior but the interior of their tents. Since she read his people did not need or use much in the way of furniture, she had to use her instincts and guess as to what style to use in terms of furnishings. She had blushed when she said this and told him she hoped he liked her choices. Atreyu had smiled softly as he reassured her he loved them. What she had done for him in terms of how she had taken such great care to bring a bit of his culture into his bedroom suite melted his heart and touched his soul in a way no one else had.
Exhaling a deep sigh, making the graceful curve of hair against his forehead flutter, Atreyu made his way across his bedchamber towards the adjoining washroom. What he longed for at the moment was nothing more then a good long soak in a hot bath. Now that his body was no longer subjected to the gentle rocky, bouncy motion of riding on horseback, his muscles were starting to feel the strain of traveling for hours and hours on end. He had started out just before dawn that morning and, with a brief pause at midday to eat, drink, empty his bladder and stretch his legs, he had-as always-reached his destination in a decent amount of time with an hour or two to spare.
Candles flickered lightly in their holders, making the soft glitter on the deep blue tiles of which the walls were made of, delicately shimmer, giving the washroom a soft glow along with the heavenly sensation of calm tranquility.
Reaching the wide rounded tub made of smooth dark gray stones, Atreyu leaned over and twisted the dark silvery knobs of the tub's faucets full force- marveling at how ingenious it was of Bastian to wish for indoor plumbing in the Ivory Tower-so that water heavily gushed out and began to cover the bottom of the tub.
As relaxing steam filled the room, he untied the front of his buffalo-hide tunic and slid it off his upper body before casually dropping it on a small table nearby then unfastened the soft wide leather belt, which held his small white leather pouch on one side, from around his waist. Tossing this atop his discarded tunic he then slowly undid the leather cords at the waistband of his trousers as well as the camouflaged hooked clasps made out of buffalo-bone that were linked together to hold the front of his uzogis [this was the word for trousers in his native language] closed. Letting the sturdy butter-soft dark brown marital slide smoothly down his legs to pool around his feet, Atreyu stepped out of and away from the last of his clothing before turning off the taps with yet another few graceful twists.
Carefully ascending the two wide steps built into one side of the tub, he stepped into a waist-high cocoon of heated blissfulness. Bracing his hands on either side of him with fingers firmly holding onto the tub's edge, Atreyu let out a soft moan of delight as he let himself be engulfed in hot steamy liquid reaching up to his neck. His eyes closed while another sigh, this time, one of contentment, escaped his lips as he settled himself on the padded seat running all around the edge of the inside of the tub. For a long time he just sat there, head resting back against the smooth stones so flawlessly put together to resemble a natural hot spring somewhere in a secreted forest glade, relishing in the soothing atmosphere of soft candlelight and water as hot as he could stand it as the two elements began soothing away any stiff achiness his body had been experiencing a short while ago.
After a time he drew his outstretched legs close to his body while still keeping his feet firmly on the bottom of the tub. He then let his arms slide from the edges of the tub into the hot water to encircle the area just below his kneecaps. Wriggling his shoulders against the inside of the tub in an effort to rid them of their stiffness Atreyu relished in the sense of how happy he was to be back at the Tower and even more importantly how elated he was to once again be in the presence of Moonchild.
Moonchild.
Just the mere thought or mention of her name alone was enough to send shivers of forbidden desire longingly down his spine. She had become so beautiful in these past few years... He had noticed that in the past two years alone It was becoming harder and harder for him to step back and remind himself that she was not just his very best friend as well as someone who had started out as an ethereal being that had captured his heart years and years ago and was now a childlike woman with whom, over time, he had slowly fallen in love with, but The Empress of Fantasia. Even with this knowledge in the back of his mind he would not allow his heart to close its door on her just because a bunch of stiff, close-minded unspoken rules of Royal etiquette-along with One Head Adviser/Servant who seemed to do his damnedest to make sure The Empress lived by these rules despite the fact in recent years she had argued with him over the fact she wanted more control of her life and he was reluctant to give such control to her-stated that he, Atreyu, a 'mere commoner', should "just stay in his place in society" and not think about or even attempt crossing the forbidden boundaries of having a romantic-let alone an intimate-relationship with The Empress. He and Moonchild had both privately discussed this delicate and troublesome subject from time to time in the past couple of years and both had agreed they were each struggling with the decision on whether to live by what was socially acceptable and proper in the eyes of Royal and High Social Fantasian Society or to go ahead and cross 'those forbidden lines' of becoming not only very best friends and playmates-which they already were-but lovers as well.
'Don't think about her right now. Otherwise you'll drive yourself into lustful madness-Again. Control and Behave yourself. This is NOT time to get yourself all 'roused up'. Concentrate on the night ahead AND the Ball instead.'
Shuddering as he released a deep breath he pushed any and all thoughts of Moonchild out of his head-for the time being anyways.
Shaking his head to clear his mind Atreyu released his cupped knees and reached for the bottle of bathing liquid residing on a small shelf above the faucets. Opening it with one hand he tipped the bottle forward and poured a bit of the thick turquoise blue soft-soap into his other cupped palm before returning the bottle to its rightful place. Tipping his head to one side he ran this substance along the side of his neck, along his shoulders, down both arms then down the front of his chest. Barely pushing himself away from where he had been relaxing he settled himself on the bottom of the tub for a few moments to rinse off the soapy film he had rubbed onto his skin while inhaling the light rain-scented aroma of this pleasant body-cleansing salve. Standing up he then repeated the same sequence with the rest of his body, washing away the dirt, dust and grim he had accumulated during his twelve hour journey. There was no need to wash his hair for he had attended to this detail the day before.
Feeling well cleansed and refreshed he turned his attention to a small handle attached to the tub's rim just to the left side of the faucet. Turning this handle ever so slightly he activated a hidden panel that slid back to revel a small rounded cover located in the bottom of the tub's floor where a drain was located in which the water he had finished bathing would flow through and down into a series of pipes that filtered and cleansed the water so it could be reused later on.
'Another ingenious idea and wish of Bastian's.' Atreyu thought as he gingerly stepped out of the tub and down the steps to the medium gray tiles of the washroom floor.
With the coolness of tiles beneath his bare feet he now strolled out of the steamy washroom back into his dim bedchamber over to where another small table, this one residing comfortably in front of a smaller fireplace then the one in the living room. This table contained a soft thick towel which was being kept toasty warm from the cozy fire in the little hearth. Glancing at a small clock on the mantelshelf above the fireplace Atreyu noticed he had about a half an hour left before Cairon came to escort him down to dinner. Picking up the heated material from where it lay upon its little round table, he ran it gently and firmly along his body in the same sequence as he had his bathing: first his neck then his shoulders, arms, upper body and then down his legs to his feet. Feeling luxuriously relaxed he neatly lay the towel back where he had found it then turned to face the dresser opposite the hearth where a small pile of neatly folded clothing waited for him.
Upon approaching the dresser he reached out and cautiously touched this set of garments thinking he would find the material either so stiff he would have an uncomfortable and difficult time moving around in them or so thin he'd freeze his ass off in the cool late spring/early summer air surely to come later that evening. Instead he was pleasantly surprised to discover the clothing he was to wear tonight were made of an animal hide so soft and smooth to the touch it reminded him of crushed velvet and was expertly made to the point it where it was not so thinly woven he would get chills during both the dinner and the ball but was also thick enough to where it would keep him warm without making him feel overheated should a cool nighttime breeze creep up on him unannounced.
Smiling softly he lifted a shirt from the top of the pile and examined it more closely in the firelight. The smooth material was thankfully unadorned with fancy designs and had been dyed a beautiful deep royal blue. Slipping into this dress shirt with ease Atreyu could not wipe the grin spreading across his face. His sweet and thoughtful Moonchild knew him well indeed. He found, to his upmost delight, that the shirt fit him flawlessly. How she had managed to figure out his measurements to perfection he had no clue-it didn't matter, for she had amazed him yet again with her accuracy. Pausing in buttoning his shirt, he retrieved the dress pants that had been underneath the shirt he was now wearing. These were dyed two shades darker then their companion and were a little thicker and courser then the buffalo-hide trousers he usually wore, but felt pleasantly comfortable nonetheless. Shaking his head softly as to get strands of hair out of his right eye, he effortlessly put them on before walking over to stand once more near the fire. Here, he completed the fastening of his upper garment in advance of carefully tucking its ends in the waistband of his newly attained dress pants before buttoning those up as well.
Suddenly his hands started to nervously tremble as he returned to the dresser and retrieved a brush from its surface at which time he carefully yet shakily began to disentangle the thick strands of hair. More then once he had to momentarily tighten his hold on the brush's handle as it nearly slipped from his anxious fingers. He couldn't understand why he was so jittery. This wasn't like the first time he'd be preparing to see Moonchild after the Nothing. Now on that occasion he was a nervous wreck. So much so he thought he would lose his usually calm disposition to the point where his knees would give way and he'd pass out cold on the carpeted floor of the bedchamber. What was wrong with him? It wasn't like he'd never partaken a meal with The Empress before. Quite the contrary really. They had a great time being completely at ease while enjoying each others company over food-whether it had consisted of a meal or a light snack-many a day. So why should he begin to feel any different now?
He was utterly perturbed by this unexpected act of discomposure that had come over him.
A firm rapping of knuckles on wood nearly made him jump out of his skin, the brush finally falling from his hand to the floor with a clatter. Heart thudding in his chest Atreyu dashed from the bedchamber on through the mini-living room to the main door of his suite where he nearly tripped over his bare feet and clumsily ran into the door. Luckily one hand instinctively shot out and caught hold of the door handle while the other flew up to press firmly on the doorframe. Nevertheless he had found himself half-sliding to the ground, his face inches away from being smushed against the smooth cream colored wood. Mortified he quickly straightened up, brushed hair out of his eyes, took a deep breath and calmly opened the door to find Cairon on the other side, whose fist was raised as he was prepared to knock upon the door for a second time-this time he had intended it to be a little bit firmer and longer.
Cairon stared unruffled at the Plains Warrior for a moment before barely raising an eyebrow in silent question.
Embarrassment washed over Atreyu as he struggled to regain both his equanimity and his breath.
"Sorry about that, I was in the other room getting ready." He gestured under the arm connected to the hand still against the frame of the door towards his bedchamber. "Won't you come in? I should be ready in a few minutes."
Cairon said nothing. He just gave a firmly polite nod and followed suit as Atreyu backtracked to the dresser. The latter hastily retrieved the brush from where it had fallen and hurriedly continued to run it through his hair, making sure everything was neat and even on all sides. Subsequently he carefully tied his hair away from his neck and face and loosely secured it with a small, thin piece of dark cloth. Smoothing his bangs down neatly on either side of his forehead with his hands Atreyu let out a slow deep breath and stepped back a few feet so he could observe his reflection in the mirror. He could feel Cairon's sturdy fingers smoothing and straightening any minor crookedness in his clothing that had gone unnoticed. Afterwords the Head Adviser/Servant silently pointed to a pair of black socks lying on the bed, wordlessly indicating the firm notion he was not going to let the Plains Warrior leave the suite with bare skin revealing the area between the hems of his dress pants and his shoes.
His mouth set in as firm of a line as Atreyu soundlessly took a seat on the edge of the bed and did as instructed. The socks which were made of a material very similar to the cotton ones Bastian wore in the human world were, like the rest of his newly acquired clothing, felt smooth and wonderfully soft to the touch. He couldn't resist wriggling his toes a bit in a fleeting moment of self-amusement as he stretched the socks to their fullest extent up his calves then lightly tugging the hem of each pant leg over them. Feeling Cairon's eyes boring into him, he glanced up to see one corner of the Head Adviser/Servant's mouth twitch, indicating his quiet disapproval of the toe-wriggling gesture a moment ago. Atreyu chose to ignore this reaction and instead stood up and stepped into the lightweight black shoes residing on the floor next to his now-clothed feet.
There was a long silence before Cairon said stiffly.
"I must say, you look relatively handsome."
"Thank you."
There was an uncomfortable pause between them before Cairon spoke again.
"This is your first ball is it not?"
"Yes." Atreyu was too worked up to say much more.
Cairon forced his second smile that evening. "I am sure you will do fine." He clasped a sturdy hand on the young man's shoulder. "Are you ready to go downstairs now?"
"I am."
"Let us go then. We do not want to be late."
Temporarily pushing the feeling of queasiness to the back of his mind, Atreyu alternatively concentrated on the joy he always felt whenever he saw Moonchild as he followed Cairon through the suite and out the door.
The night had truly begun.
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Enchanted Night