[MillietheWarrior]

The rain beat down on the plains, soaking deep into the parched earth and refreshing a nearly dried out landscape. Sev was soaked all the way to the bone. The wind bit into his exposed skin, and he felt himself shiver involuntarily. But the shiver wasn’t from the cold; he had seen something in Aerowyn’s eyes that had unnerved and perhaps even moved him. She understood, she trusted, she accepted. His reality, or her reality; it didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was the two of them, in this moment, accepting one another for the things they couldn’t change. He wrapped his arms around her, daring to draw her closer to seek comfort in her embrace.

The rain continued to pound against them, soaking through their clothes and sending chills up and down Sev’s spine. “Then I will do everything I can to be what you need me to be.” His words were soft, a low, rumbling murmur against the howl of the wind. They stood for what seemed like an eternity for Sev; he wasn’t sure what to do next. He had done what he set out to do; reassure her that he wasn’t going to leave. Where did they go from here? What were they to one another? Sev wasn’t sure. Relationships, with anyone, weren’t his forte. He stared down into her hazel eyes, watching the soft glow they gave off in the gloomy, stormy afternoon. He seemed lost for a moment, his eyes fixated on hers, as if in a trance.

He leaned his head down, closing the gap between them, and pressed his lips to hers. It was nothing like their first shared kiss. Where that one had been rough and passionate, this one was tender and caring. There was a finality in the kiss; it was almost as if they were sealing some sort of deal they had just made. Maybe they were; for all intents and purposes, they had just promised to stay with one another for the rest of their lives, even if they didn’t quite say it out loud. Sev felt his lips tingle pleasantly, and wondered if it was from the cold, or the kiss. He felt a heated spark burn behind his eyes and tingle in the back of his throat, and he pulled away form her to take a short breath.

He wasn’t sure if the cold was getting to him, or if the emotion behind the kiss had somehow overwhelmed him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the clattering of what sounded like armor plates behind him. The burly armor smith was running his hands along the armor dangling above his shop, making a noisy racket to get their attention. He had a knowing smile on his face, a gleam in his eyes as he crossed his arms. “Ye’re armor is done,” he boomed, nearly having to yell to be heard above the storm. “If ye two are done kissin’ in the rain and puttin’ yerself out there fer some nasty ol’ colds, then you wouldn’t mind comin’ indoors a mite and takin’ a look at what I cooked up for the lil’ lady.”

Sev sighed, turning back to Aerowyn with a growl. “Well, you heard him,” he said, briefly touching his forehead to hers. “We should go check out that armor.” He let his arms fall from around her waist, and reach out to take her hand in his and gently tug her towards the armory where the old man was patiently waiting for them.

[31/44]

[Flame]

Aerowyn was hardly aware of the frigidity of the wind and rain which lashed at them, preoccupied with ebb and flow of capricious thoughts and feelings that dominated her mind. Her emotions seemed to be having a field day today: On one hand, she was happy and relieved that the worst of her fears and insecurities had been alleviated, but at the same time, she also acknowledged the distant wistfulness at having knowingly forfeited part of the independence which she had spent her life so fiercely defending. It was a bittersweet kind of sentiment, but one which she felt that she wouldn’t regret: It was all part of the process of learning to adapt to her new life, to let go of those indisputable things which she once clung to.

She felt his arms wrap comfortingly around her waist to draw her rain-drenched form close, her hands resting lightly against his chest, head tilted back slightly to look up at him. She realized that this was the first time she had allowed anyone this close to her, but discovered that instead of the restless discomfort she was used to and expected, the contact was reassuring, and she found herself leaning into him slightly. The warmth he provided was soothing, and there was a new kind of intimacy in the simple touch between them, as if they shared something with each other that no one else could understand. For several long moments, neither of them spoke, but simply savored the quiet interval in each other’s company, as if they could make this one instant last for a lifetime.

When he bent towards her, Aerowyn had thought that she knew what to expect, only to be surprised by the tenderness in his kiss as their lips met. Who might have imagined that Sev, of all men, might have that kind of gentleness in him? She was taken aback, but only for a moment before she reciprocated, her arms snaking up to curl around his neck, closing the last gap between them. It was one of those moments where any kind of coherent thought escaped a person, but she was content with living in just this instant in time. There was a subconscious hint of satisfaction in the back of her mind though: She was quite certain that this wasn’t something that they taught in the army, but the fact that Sev had overstepped the limitations which his leaders had set showed that perhaps he truly meant to fulfill his promise to her.

Only when her lungs began to burn from lack of air did she draw back once again, although her arms remained encircling his neck. Hazel eyes remained resting on crimson ones, but there was a different light in her gaze, as if he had breathed a new warmth into their depths. A sudden clattering of metal clashing on metal wrenched her consciousness back to the real world with a jolt: She had momentarily forgotten that anything outside of the two of them existed. Glancing over Sev’s shoulder, she saw the old armor smith at the entrance to his shop, rather pointedly making quite a racket. Aerowyn sighed, reluctant at the prospect of having to return to reality. She simply nodded in reply, still feeling rather speechless, although there was a wistfulness in her gaze. Finally disentangling herself from their embrace, she was glad for the small amount of contact which they still maintained, even if it was only through the time-honored gesture of holding hands. Only now did it occur to her how cold it really was out here in the blustery weather, especially now that she didn’t have Sev’s warmth to shield her from the biting chill. Still, she had to urge herself to budge from where she stood, but she finally managed to persuade her legs to move again as they made their way back towards the armory.

She glanced back over her shoulders at the rainy moors which they had just left behind, her gaze lingering on the grassy plains. She could almost imagine seeing two people, standing out there alone in the middle of the vast wilderness, oblivious to the tempest which raged around them, to everything but each other. She knew then that this place would always hold a unique significance for her, and that no matter what happened, what had transpired here would always hold a part of her heart.