Apologies to everyone who has read and reviewed in the past and spotted my 'By the Nine' error. I finally got round to changing it and I know that somewhere in Skyrim, Ancano is feeling most pleased with this and less likely to burn me to a crisp for suggesting he was a Talos worshipper! At least I hope so...

A Lesson in Control

Ancano scowled as he loitered in the courtyard of the College of Winterhold. The Thalmor wizard had already felt the stirrings of an ill-mood long before he had decided to wait around, and now the evening was drawing on with alarming speed.

Safely sequestered in the Hall of the Elements, the mage apprentices had been engaged in lectures all day, and by now were no doubt bored-to-tears by the inane ramblings of Tolfdir and the other amateurs that dared to call themselves wizards in this frozen hell. Of course, he could have joined them at their lessons, listening to the flawed teachings of the tutors and correcting them when they got it wrong, as they so often did in this backward part of Tamriel. Nevertheless, even that game seemed rather tiresome lately and it was becoming increasingly hard to concentrate on what the fools were saying. Between the constant stream of suspicious whispers that accompanied him whenever he walked into a room, and trying to ignore the pathetic cow-eyes that Nirya made at him every time he passed by, the whole thing was just becoming one major headache.

It just wouldn't do.

In fact, it just wouldn't do at all.

A flurry of snowflakes began to drift down from the darkening sky and Ancano groaned. Damn. The lectures were running late…again.

In the colleges of the Aldmeri Dominion, such tardiness was punishable by a beating. Indeed, the threat of physical pain had proved to be highly effective when it came to enforcing the need for discipline and routine, in mage and apprentice alike. Here in Winterhold, it was as if the apprentices could come and go as they pleased, without so much as a by-your-leave. Even Arch-Mage Savos Aren himself seemed to be less concerned about his students timekeeping, than he was about a few dusty tomes that had recently gone missing from the college Arcanaeum.

Quite the example of ineptitude if ever there was one.

Frankly, if not for the fact that the he was here posing as an advisor to the dunmer fool, Ancano could have cheerfully done with avoiding his company altogether. Although saying that, he did seem to be on friendly terms with her…

With the Breton girl.

Marielle.

And there it was…the real reason he was stood outside in the miserable cold when he should have been seizing the opportunity to make some headway with his investigations.

Ancano shifted uncomfortably and glared accusatively at the still closed doors of the Hall. It was as if they mocked him for his infantile infatuation with her. The gods knew he had tried to avoid thinking about Marielle directly, as the feelings she stirred within him were something new and rather…disturbing. However, from the moment she had walked through the gates of the college, with her skin as pale as snow and hair as black as a deadra's heart, she had captured his eye as no other female had, mer or human, since he left the Summerset Isles.

For a time he had tried to convince himself that he was merely drawn to the power he sensed deep within her, an intoxicating mix of magicka and ability that inflamed his interest almost as much as it inflamed his passions. He had often heard the Nords calling her Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn, and sure enough, it can have been no mere coincidence that this female should arrive in Skyrim at the same time that dragons were once more taking to the skies, but to what purpose? His superiors at the Thalmor Embassy in Haafingar had been particularly keen for him to converse with the girl, to root out the source of her power to see if they could acquire it for themselves. But the more he spent time with the Breton, the more he realised that he wanted her in ways that seemed so unnatural for one such as he, and despised himself for his weakness.

Surely there could be nothing worse than for an altmer of purest blood to be attracted to a short, overly rounded human female who could claim no noble lineage of any kind, and yet he longed for the moments he could be near her. From exchanging lingering glances in the halls as they passed each other, to purposefully seeking her out as she studied her spellbooks in the Arcanaeum, it was driving him mad and had become something of a sordid obsession.

Then she had looked at him in a way that made his loins ache with positively primal need.

Could it be that she wanted him too?

He might have been wrong of course, his baser instincts overriding his good, common sense. After all, the breeding habits of humans appeared to be more akin to the rutting of farm animals than the ritualised courtship of all civilised altmer. But the way her emerald eyes had held his own as her dainty pink tongue caressed her full red lips, it was as if she was already imagining the unspeakable pleasures that only he could offer her.

And Auri-El forgive him, but all thoughts of those pleasures now dominated his waking hours and haunted his most fevered dreams.

It had to end.

He had to have her…

"Master Ancano, are you waiting for someone?" Nirya, a fellow altmer, and rather sycophantic admirer, smiled politely as she fluttered her long, golden eyelashes.

Personally he found the human affectation rather repulsive, as a true altmer female should know how to conduct herself in such matters.

"I was looking for the Breton." He stated flatly, his slanted amber eyes scanning the courtyard and berating himself for not noticing that the lectures had ended. "Has she left yet?"

"She is still discussing destruction magic with Faralda." Nirya muttered, her face becoming an impassive mask, though not quickly enough to hide her disappointment. "Why would you be looking for her? You know, I have serious concerns about that girl."

Ancano rolled his eyes and then his heart froze inside his chest. There she was, just leaving the hall…

"Excuse me." He mumbled, rudely pushing Nirya aside. "I have many important things on my mind and your concerns are not among them."

If Nirya spoke again he did not hear her, as his attention became focused on the human woman before him. Now was his chance to speak with Marielle alone and he strode confidently across the courtyard to intercept her.

"Apprentice." Ancano was pleased to find that his voice sounded firm, despite the fact he was quaking inside.

"Master Ancano." She acknowledged after drawing a deep breath which caused her ample bosom to swell in a way he found highly erotic. "Is there something you wish of me?"

I wish to feel your skin next to mine and savour the taste of your kisses as I fill you with my shaft…

"Yes." He answered, now finding his throat tight with anticipation. "I understand you were talking to Faralda about destruction magic. You know you can only learn so much from that one, whereas I am an expert in such matters."

Marielle frowned slightly and there was the faintest trace of defiance in her eyes. "Actually, I think I have all I need, thank you."

Her lips curled slightly as she spoke, and he found himself wondering just how those lips would feel as they slid back and forth over his cock…

"Do not dismiss my teachings so quickly, Apprentice." Her nearness was agony and he was sure she could feel the heat of his lust despite the chill of the wind. "You will accompany me now, to my chambers, for some private tuition."

She laughed at that. "But the hour is late, Ancano, and I have things to do before I left for Saarthal…"

"You seem to be under the impression that this is a request." Her little display of resistance only inflamed his desire to new heights. "You know we Thalmor excel in all areas of magick, and for one of us to offer you the chance to explore the limits of the destruction art...well. Is there anything more important than that?"

"Not to you, apparently." She twisted the ends of her raven hair in her slender fingers as she considered his question, and then nodded. "Fine. To your chambers then, I suppose."

"After you."

Ancano felt his heart leap within his chest as he watched her turn toward the Hall of Countenance, the residence of the senior mages. He was entranced by way her body moved, hips swaying back and forth, as no altmer woman had ever had such a lascivious stride. Raising an appreciative brow he studied her shape, curved like an hourglass, full of breast and hip yet small of waist, so unlike the elven woman of the Summerset Isles. Where they were almost boyish in their physique, Marielle was most distinctly human and enticingly feminine.

Her colouring only added to her attractiveness, with her beautifully pale complexion in stark contrast against the darkness of her long, silken hair. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds upon a pillow of white satin and her lips were as red as blood.

In his mind's eye he could see her body fitted against his, white skin and gold pressing tightly together as they joined in an intimate melding of tender flesh...By the Eight!

The mental image of such a heated union made his member throb painfully within the confines of his britches and he felt a rush of colour surging into his cheeks.

Oh, how he would make her suffer for having to endure the indignity of this need. Only then would she understand the nature of his torment as he took her to the peaks of pleasure and held her captive there until she begged him for release.

She had to know that she made him feel like this.

She had to know, surely?

Soon enough. He thought, as together they climbed the stone staircase leading to his chambers. Soon enough I will know what it is to be inside you, and feel you writhe upon me. Then and only then, can I rid myself of this…obsession.

Just as his hand alighted on the door to his chambers, he caught sight of a curious expression on her face and he paused.

Had she already guessed why he had asked her to come here? Could she possibly want him as much as he wanted her?

If it came down to that, why did it really matter so much?

As he pushed open the door and showed her into the room beyond, Ancano was only certain of one thing.

For good or for ill, you will be mine.

"Please, do go in."

Ancano's smooth, velvety voice was as wholly indifferent as ever, but there was also something else in the way he spoke. There was a kind of tension, a sort of need that suggested had Marielle decided to refuse his invitation, the elf was as likely to cry out in agony as he was to dismiss her.

"Thank you." She said politely, taking in the expensive furnishings of the chamber, so unlike her own bare room. His bed alone must have been worth a thousand gold pieces, and was easily large enough for two. "I see you live well here, Ancano. I imagine it must be a joy to sleep in such a bed."

It was a rather leading statement to make and she regretted the words as soon as they fell from her lips, but as she heard the sound of the door being locked behind her a shiver of nervous anticipation ran up and down her spine.

"We are not here to discuss my sleeping habits." He said as he dimmed the magelights illuminating the chamber. "We are here to learn about...control."

"Control." She frowned slightly. "Control of what?"

The Thalmor mage stepped into view beside her and smiled. "Control of oneself, Apprentice. Control of the magicka that flows through your veins. Is that not the only form of control worth knowing?"

The way he looked just then, with the light glinting off his golden skin and his sleek, snow-white hair cascading over his shoulders like a waterfall, it was almost too easy to forget that he was a dangerous elf. Very dangerous indeed.

Though from which aspect of altmer's character the danger came at the moment, Marielle was no longer certain.

"Am I not already in control?" She asked, finding his nearness more than a little scintillating. "Faralda says my affinity with destruction magic is already as strong as hers and simply needs to be focused."

"And therein lies the issue." Ancano purred, his amber eyes travelling over her body in a way that made her feel as if she was naked before him. "Only I can teach you to be truly focused, Apprentice, and to show how to deal with, shall we say, the dangers of external stimulus?"

The way he said it stirred something deep within her. Despite the fact that he was as handsome an elf as she had ever seen, Marielle had always thought Ancano to be arrogant, condescending and as disdainful of all humankind as he was of the teachings of the other mages. But standing here in his chambers, with light throwing soft shadows across his prominent cheekbones, and the heady scent of spice and perfume coming from the dark Thalmor robes that he wore, she felt more drawn to him now than she had been to any man.

The thought both terrified and exhilarated her.

"So." Ancano continued, walking round and coming to a stop behind her. "Shall we begin?"

As tall as he was, she could feel his breath ghosting across the back of her neck. It sent a ripple of pleasure snaking to the very centre of her sexual core.

"Why not." She breathed, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. "I am ready."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence but then out of the corner of her eye she saw that the elven mage had removed his outer robe and gloves, and tossed them onto the bed beside her.

"It would be better if you were to remove this heavy tunic." He said, pressing in closely behind her once more and laying his slender hands upon her shoulders. "You prefer to work with the flame do you not? That being the case, it is liable to get rather hot in here."

She stared blankly at the wall as he began to unlace the fastenings of her mage robes, and felt gooseflesh prickle over her skin as he slid them down past her arms to pool in a heap on the floor. Although she was still mostly clothed she felt strangely vulnerable stood there in her thin cotton undershirt and leggings, or maybe it was his imposing presence that unnerved her so?

Whatever the reason, a sensation had begun to spread through her body that now pulsed demandingly in her most intimate of regions.

"There." Ancano murmured, his lips resting beside her ear and his hands grasping her upper arms. "Now I want you to listen to my voice and do exactly as I ask. I want you to call forth your magicka, and feel its power growing within you. It should start here..."

Marielle held her breath as he slid his hands along her body and pressed them flat against her stomach.

"Let the flame burn within you. Hold it at your centre, feel its heat spreading through your torso, through your limbs…through every part of your body…"

As he spoke, Ancano's fingers began to move in small, slow circles over her abdomen and the heat she tried to call forth from the magicka within, almost paled in comparison to the delicious warmth from the Thalmor's touch.

"Focus…" He whispered, a slight tremble evident in his smooth, elegant voice. "Do not let yourself be distracted by my attentions. The flesh is weak, but the will must remain strong…"

Marielle gasped in surprise as his hands rose steadily upwards and cupped the fullness of her bosom. As he began to knead the pliant flesh, she thought she heard him moaning softly.

"What are you…?"

"Silence." He hissed, squeezing and massaging her until she felt both nipples become pert and erect, sensitively rubbing against her shirt. "You should be concentrating on the magicka, not the wanton needs of your own body. Control those instincts and feel nothing but the flames inside you…feel them, burning…"

Closing her eyes against the pleasurable sensations that were threatening to break her concentration, Marielle focused on summoning the powerful destructive energies that she had channelled so often. Sweat beaded on her brow as will battled with desire to gain dominance over her actions, but she had been a mage long enough to know that to lose control was to run the risk of enveloping herself and everything around her in flames. She would not give in so easily.

"Good, good." Ancano purred, now fitting his hips snugly against her backside. "You resist me still, but what if I were to do this…?"

One of his hands slid beneath her shirt and she felt him grasp her nipple firmly between his thumb and forefinger. Slowly he began to tweak it, gently at first but then more firmly as he began grinding rhythmically against her. It took a supreme effort of will not to cry out, to moan loudly and let go of the magickal tension building within her, but be damned if she would let him see just how he was making her feel, be damned if she would surrender herself to him…

…not yet.

"Impressive…"

By now his voice was barely above a whisper, and he breathed deeply as he bent down to brush his lips against her throat. His kisses were tentative at first, hesitant almost, but they soon became more confident as he flicked his tongue out to taste her sweat and used his small, sharp teeth to nip at her skin. The hand that was not fondling her breast now travelled quickly to the waistband of her leggings and slipped under the soft doeskin, into the silken fabric of her smallclothes.

With slow deliberate movements, Ancano pushed his fingers through the thick, curling hair that he found there and gently prised apart the folds of her nether lips. Her sex was already slick with arousal and she whimpered softly as he pushed a slender digit into her glossy heat, searching for the spot she knew would make her crumble.

"Ancano, please…"

Marielle gasped as she felt her concentration slipping, but the Thalmor ignored her half-hearted protest. A slight movement of his finger was all it took to locate her nub and as he pressed hard against the swollen bundle of nerves, her will finally shattered and bolts of flame exploded outward from her hands, scorching the wall ahead of them.

"Pitiful."

The all-too familiar sneer was back in his voice as Ancano suddenly tore himself away from her. Her swollen clitoris throbbed painfully and she nearly cried with desperation, robbed as she was from the intensity of his heat and the exquisite agony of his touch. From the way he looked, she thought he was done with her, apparently appalled by her lack of control, but the next thing she knew he had lifted his finger to his lips and was sampling her flavour with a flick of his tongue. When he returned his imperious gaze back to hers, he wore the expression of a hungry sabre-cat that had cornered its prey.

"Take off your clothes." He said firmly as he shrugged out of the rest of his robes and pulled off his boots. "I said take off your clothes, Apprentice."

She complied at once, unwilling to defy him and excited beyond measure by this new turn of events. His eyes never left hers as she pulled off her shirt, boots and leggings along with her smallclothes, and set them down on the ground. When she lay before him completely naked, he finally lost the contemptuous expression that so often made him look cold and indifferent, and seemed to be seeing her as if for the first time.

"Auri-El, but you are beautiful…" He murmured with a look of wonder stealing over his angular face as he took in her form, but when he noticed her staring back at him, the expression was swiftly hidden again behind his stern façade. "Now spread your legs for me…so I may taste you."

Sudden shyness caused Marielle to blush furiously as she willingly parted her thighs to reveal the dusky pink petals of her moistened folds. Ancano held her gaze for a second more, before allowing himself to look longingly at her open sex and falling to knees before her. With a tenderness she didn't expect, he placed his hands on her inner-thighs and lowered his head. By now she was so wet that she barely noticed the sweep of his tongue until he began to lap the cream from her entrance, and she whimpered pathetically as his eager mouth explored every part of her that was open to him. Alternating powerful strokes of his tongue along her slit with the nibbling kisses he placed over her reddened pearl, Marielle soon felt the first stirrings of orgasm beginning to pulse deep inside her. Unconsciously, she began to thrust up onto the Thalmor's face, pressing herself against his chin and delighting in the way he seized upon her nub and suckled it hard, drawing forth the ecstasy of climax as she rushed to feel its welcome relief…

But then he stopped and yet again she we left with the hollow ache of agonised un-fulfilment.

"Too easy, my dear." He said with a smile, casually wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "You wish to climax, and I to be the reason for it, but your pleasure shall be on my terms. This your punishment for your lack of control…"

"Ancano, I beg you…"

Watching him from beneath her heavy-lidded eyes, she reached her fingers down between her legs to try ease the suffering.

"No, no…none of that." Ancano crooned, grabbing her wrists and pulling her into a seated position. "There are things I would have you do before I give you release."

It was becoming unbearable and Marielle scowled as he slowly began to untie the laces of his britches. However, her attention was soon drawn to the sheer length of the slender penis that was silhouetted beneath the black fabric, until he finally shrugged off the restrictive garment and stood before her in all his glory.

For one who had spent most of his life eschewing combat training for magickal study, Ancano had the wiry, muscular physique of a man who knew how to take care of himself. His chest was not as broad as a that of a human male, but it was well-shaped and clearly defined. His stomach too, was a flat plane of muscle, flexing as he moved and as firm as the mattress she was sitting on. Appreciative of those details as she was, Marielle found her eyes drawn to thin strip of white hair that led to his groin and the jutting, golden member that stood proud and erect from the ivory thatch at its base.

"Take it in your mouth." He whispered hoarsely, grasping himself in his hand and pressing his bronzed tip to her waiting lips. "I want to see you take it…"

She gave him a look of feigned innocence and then wrapped her fingers around his shaft. "You mean, like this?"

Marielle smiled inwardly when she heard him gasp as she slipped her lips over his length and drew him deep into her throat. It gave her even more pleasure to note the hiss escape him she slid her head backward, sucking gently as she rolled her tongue around his thickness. Feeling more confident that she now held his rapt attention, she repeated the action, lunging forward and closing her mouth around his girth as she swallowed him down and then pulling back, sucking and licking him as she went. Over and over she pleasured him and he showed his excitement by fisting his hands in her hair and keeping her in a steady rhythm. All too soon his hips began to buck as she took him, and she noticed that his bronze head was swollen with promise and his shaft had become as hard as iron.

"Stop…" He commanded, his thighs trembling as he struggled to remain upright. "Stop, Marielle…stop…stop, now!"

She flashed him a grin of triumph as he tore himself free of her oral ministrations, grasping himself firmly as he struggled to contain the climax that threatened to burst forth at any moment.

It felt good to see the frustrated look on his face as he realised she had almost broken him…

"Why Ancano…" She sighed, languidly stretching as she lay back on the soft blankets that covered the bed. "It seems you are having a problem with control. Maybe someone should teach you how to master that, don't you think?"

A look came over him then and his whole body became rigid.

"And you think you are that someone?" He snarled menacingly, advancing upon her like a crazed animal. "Gods help you woman, I'll show you control!"

Seizing her ankles in each hand, he held her legs wide apart as he positioned himself at her entrance then thrust into her with a force that made her cry out in alarm. Harder and harder he thrust, each time drilling into her so deeply that she could feel his scrotum slapping against her buttocks as he hilted himself.

"Who is in control now!" He growled, watching her writhing in pleasurable torment. "Do you hear me! I said…who…is in…control…now!"

"Ancano…wait…"

He ignored her, focusing only on the angry rhythm of his penetration, spearing her to the bed as he filled her with his shaft.

"Ancano…I can't take it…stop…please!"

A few more sharp, intense thrusts and then he did stop, frozen in place with his length still buried deep inside her. She thought he was about to come, uncaring of either her feelings or her comfort, but when she looked into his slanted, amber eyes she saw a look of such anguished remorse that she thought he was about to run from the room.

"By…By the Eight…" He stammered, shame causing him to hang his head and avoid her questioning gaze. "I…I'm sorry. I never meant for this…that is, I never meant to cause you pain. I just wanted…wanted to be inside you and I never expected to feel…"

"Feel…feel what?" Marielle asked, afraid to encourage more sexual aggression against her aching sex, but even more afraid to hear Ancano's answer.

Shaking like a new-born colt, the usually restrained Thalmor mage slowly released her legs and lowered himself down to her, covering her body with his own and stroking her silky, black hair.

"I never expected to feel…" He began, but then angrily shook his head.

"Tell me."

At last he found the courage to look into her eyes. "I never expected to feel like this about a human…about you…"

"Feel like what?" She whispered, reaching up to brush an ivory strand of hair away from his slender cheek.

"Like…like this…" He breathed, as his lips finally met hers in a kiss that was so deep, it was as if he was stealing a part of her soul.

Suddenly something had changed between them, and Marielle felt tears sliding across her face as she breathed in his pain and passion in equal measure. As if seeking to become as much a part of him as his own heart, she twined her tongue around his to draw him ever deeper into herself, and he responded by wrapping his arms around her and moulding his body against hers, savouring the sensation of skin against skin, white against gold…

A gentle nudge from her hips was all it took to encourage him to continue his intimate invasion of her slickened centre, only this time his movements were slow and controlled, with each stroke stoking not only the flames of her desire but the fires that were starting to burn oh-so brightly in her reluctant heart.

Deeper and deeper he took her now, this time relishing the feel of her inner walls spasming about his cock as the semi-painful pulse of her orgasm built in intensity. She felt his own organ swelling within her as a climax of his own forced hot blood into his shaft, thickening the girth and swelling his tip as his thrusts became more erratic and uncontrolled.

"Ancano…" She wailed, as her body shook with the need for blissful release. "Ancano…don't stop…please don't stop…."

"I feel you!" He cried in response, rolling his hips and grinding into her with careless abandon. "Marielle, my beautiful girl…yes…I feel you!"

She barely heard his cries as her climax broke over her like the cooling waves of the ocean, practically sizzling against her heated skin and making her shudder with delight as her body expelled the creamy fluids of her want. A moment later, Ancano threw back his head and slipped from her centre, milky seed erupting onto her thighs as he grasped himself in hand, ending his own longing with a cry that was part ecstasy, part relief.

Afterwards, he collapsed onto the bed beside her apparently deliriously drowsy, and as weak as a kitten.

They lay together like that for a while, neither of them daring to speak and nor willing to move until finally the slender altmer reached for a towel and gently wiped her clean of his spilled semen. Cautiously getting to his feet, he pulled back the blankets and then slipped into bed, holding out his hand and beckoning her to come closer.

"I believe you wished to know what it was like to sleep here." He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Please, do get in."

Her heart began to pound inside her chest. "You wish me to stay with you?"

Ancano looked at her then and simply smiled. "You seem to be under the impression that this is a request…"

Despite aching in every conceivable way, Marielle eagerly climbed in beside him and then rested her head upon his shoulder as he held her tightly. When she heard him take a deep breath, she thought he was about to speak, but when she looked into his handsome, golden face, he had closed his slanted eyes and was already fast asleep.

No doubt by morning, most of the college would be aware that something had transpired between them and then there would be the inevitable questions and bitter recriminations. Not to mention having to hear a lecture from the Arch-Mage about the dangers of being involved with one of the Thalmor, how all the servants of the Aldmeri Dominion couldn't be trusted and were the enemies of all free people of Tamriel…blah blah, blah blah.

But just for now, while she lay there exhausted and sore from a night of passionate sex with her high-elven lover, the only thing that Marielle could think about was how she could never tell Ancano how she was really starting to feel about him.

And that in her heart of hearts, she knew that the Dragonborn would one day have to leave her arrogant but beloved, Thalmor mage

Author's note: Ancano is just a pure-bred bastard, but I couldn't get this drabble out of my head. Yeah, I know it was a little fluffy right at the very end but after all that attitude, I figured the DB deserved some tender loving...and possibly an ice pack ;-P

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my lusty angst-fic!

Best wishes

Quin xXx