Episode 113 How’s This, Love?
How’s This, Love?
When Elowyn opens her eyes on their sailboat, she smiles.
She made it back to the real world. Back to Feressa. Back to Rominy.
And she’ll wake again in the morning.
She may as well enjoy the heartlanding with Rominy tonight.
Without warning, he’s there, hovering over her, and she laughs as he kisses her cheek. Her jaw.
“Mine,” he whispers in her ear, and her breath catches.
“Yours?”
“Definitely mine.” He rubs her ear with his nose, and her toes curl.
“Rominy.”
“You have no idea how much I wanted to kiss you in the real world.” His breath is warm on her neck, sending shivers down her arm as heat pools in her belly and fire races through her veins.
“With my whole family watching?”
Rominy shrugs. “I’ve had some interesting conversations with your father and Tharios. I get the feeling a kiss would have made them laugh.”
Elowyn’s eyes grow wide. Tharios and Pera? Whistling wind.
“I’m not certain I wish to know,” she murmurs.
“I think they like me.” Rominy’s hand slides along her leg, and she closes her eyes.
“Are you trying to set me on fire, my love?”
“That is definitely my goal.”
“Literally?”
Because her fire magic is already challenging her control.
“What do you need? Rain? Our waterfall? Our pebbled beach?” His words come between kisses along her ear and neck, and she moans.
“You. I just want you.”
“How’s this, love?”
The boat transforms around them to their treehouse, where they lie on a bed of moss on the slanted floor as a steady, gentle rain falls.
And a basin of water sits nearby.
Before she can respond, he kisses her again, and she melts into him, into his kisses and his touch.
“Why the basin?” she murmurs against his lips.
“I’m hoping you’ll use your water magic on me again. I think I’m addicted to it.”
His words draw out her smile, and she pulls him into a kiss once more.
Later, Elowyn lies on Rominy’s chest, looking down at him as the rain tapers off.
“Aren’t you glad we built this treehouse now?” she asks. His hands are cool on her back, a pleasing contrast to the lingering heat filling her.
“I was glad before. It was worth it to see you smile, love.” He steals a soft kiss. “But I admit, it came in useful tonight for other reasons.”
“What should we do next?”
“Next?” he laughs as he looks away. “Are you not tired?”
“Maybe a little.”
“You still need to take it easy, love. You don’t want to have a setback.”
With a huff, she blows the hair away from her forehead.
“And I’m definitely tired now,” he says as he pokes her ribs.
A smile threatens her face, and she buries her head against him. “Forgive me.”
“Don’t you dare apologize.” He presses his lips to her hair and holds her close. “Hey, love, can we talk for a minute?”
Something in his tone sounds off, and she lifts her head. “What’s wrong?”
He sighs. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to tell you, but I don’t want you to be surprised and confused when you wake. It’s your mother.”
“My mother?” Elowyn pushes herself up, and Rominy leans up on his elbows.
“She’s fine. I should have said that first.”
Well, that’s a relief at least.
“But her life magic isn’t,” Rominy continues. “I didn’t understand all of their conversation, but I think Tharios warned her that if she doesn’t care for it now, it may never reach its full strength again.”
The blood drains from Elowyn’s face. “Lose her life magic? She’s been helping Tharios care for me, hasn’t she? But she looked so strong.”
“She is strong. And she didn’t want you to worry.”
“This is my fault. She should have been resting. Not—”
“No, Elowyn.” He reaches for her hands. “This is not your fault. And she’s resting now.”
“But—”
“If she’s worried about you, nothing will keep her from your side. So I need you to be strong, all right? So your parents can focus on replenishing your mother’s magic.”
Elowyn stares at him for a moment. “Pera is helping her?”
“Yes. So they won’t be there when you wake up this time. But it will be all right.”
Elowyn sucks in her cheeks.
“You look like you’re trying not to laugh, which is confusing me at the moment,” Rominy says.
“Did Tharios send them away?”
“He did. I only understood half of their conversation. But he said something about resting for a few days.” Rominy can’t hold back his own smile as he adds, “And yes, I am very much aware that they aren’t doing much actual resting.”
Laughter fills her despite her best effort to stop it.
“Let me just say it’s a good thing my mother doesn’t speak Elvish,” he says, and Elowyn leans into him again as her shoulders shake.
Once her laughter slows, he holds her close, and she snuggles against him. “So they won’t be there in the morning?”
“Not if Tharios and Grandmera have anything to say about it. Half the time, you ask for your father first when you wake, so I didn’t want you to be surprised when he’s not there.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“It will all work out, Elowyn. Your mother is strong. Hold on to that, all right?”
“I will do my best.”
“Good. In the meantime, do you want to play a game like we did on the train to Wolbourne?”
Her smile grows. “That would be delightful. I will try not to slaughter you.”
He laughs at that as he steals another kiss.
Arisanna leans against the wall, fingering Cerian’s vines as she watches him brush his teeth after they wake. It’s such a mundane thing, but he’s never let her watch him before. She thought perhaps elves didn’t need to do anything so...normal.
As he wipes his chin when he finishes, she frowns.
“What?” he asks.
“I’ve never seen you shave. And you don’t have even a prickle of a beard. I’d think elves don’t grow facial hair, but Tharios always has a bit of a shadow, and your father definitely has one.”
Only after the words are out does it occur to her that he might not appreciate her pointing out his inability to grow a beard. Human men seem to derive some odd pride from such things.
“I’m only twenty.” He says it as if that explains everything.
“So...”
“So I’m too young.” He shrugs and looks away. “Elves come into their facial hair later than humans.”
“Rominy would envy you.”
Cerian looks back up at that.
“He gets scruffy if he doesn’t shave every day,” she continues.
A slight smile teases Cerian’s face. “I noticed.”
She wanders closer and trails her hand across his smooth chin. “I like you this way.” Then she pulls him into a kiss. He tastes minty.
On top of the faint smokiness.
When a vine tickles her bare foot, she squeals and clutches at Cerian’s shirt before burying her face against his chest as she tries not to laugh. “Sorry.”
“I like when you squeal,” he whispers near her ear.
Of course he does.
As she leans against him, he holds her close and blankets her with his heat. “I need to speak to Father about all these vines again. Some of them are blooming.”
“But they’re so pretty.”
He pokes her, and she grins.
“Are we done here?” he asks.
“I think so. Shall we join the others?”
With a sigh, he nods, and they put on their shoes before making their way downstairs.
As they step into the hallway, Mother’s voice reaches them, and Cerian’s grip on Arisanna’s hand tightens.
“There you are,” Mother says. “I was about to fetch you. I have decided we should go to breakfast together.”
Cerian’s hold almost crushes Arisanna’s hand, and Arisanna resists the urge to sigh.
“Perhaps we should ask if they would like to accompany us,” Father says at Mother’s side. Was that an apologetic look he sent Cerian?
Mother gazes at them expectantly.
Well. It’s not as if they can refuse now. Arisanna would leave Cerian here, but can they even be that far apart? Mother’s favorite restaurant is on the other side of town.
“I would like to check on Elowyn first,” Cerian says quietly, and Arisanna snaps her eyes toward him. He’s still clutching her hand more tightly than he probably realizes, but whatever turmoil fills him is hidden behind those familiar walls of his.
How hard he’s trying. She could kiss him.
If Mother weren’t standing there watching them, that is.
Forget Mother. If Cerian’s trying to adjust to her family and her customs, she can do the same. Lifting onto her toes, she brushes his smooth cheek with her lips. It’s not much of a kiss, but for a moment, those walls of his fall away as he gazes down at her.
Neither of them speaks, but it feels as if they do. Perhaps they’ll learn to communicate without words with time.
When Arisanna turns back to her parents, Mother seems far more interested in the painting on the wall than she’s ever been in a landscape before.
She’s trying, too.
“We’ll join you in a few minutes,” Arisanna says softly, and Father nods.
“We’ll wait out here. Rominy and Elowyn were still sleeping when we checked, but Tharios is there if you want to talk to him.”
Just Tharios? Perhaps everyone else is still asleep.
Arisanna follows Cerian past Father’s guards before slipping into Elowyn’s room, and Tharios turns when he sees them.
“You retired early last night. Sleep well?” Tharios lifts his lips in that teasing grin he’s mastered so well, and Arisanna tries not to blush.
“You’re just jealous we got the honeymoon suite,” Cerian mutters, and Arisanna looks at him in shock.
Tharios seems surprised, too, but it quickly passes, and his grin returns.
“Well, that sounds amazing. No wonder you keep disappearing.”
It’s no use. Her face is flaming now.
“Where is everyone?” Cerian asks, changing the subject, much to Arisanna’s relief.
Tharios’s expression grows serious. “Grandmera was here most of the night. She’s resting now. And Viala is taking a shower. We really need showers in Lostariel.”
Arisanna won’t argue with that.
“And Mother and Father?” Cerian asks.
Tharios sighs and rubs his brow. “I forgot you missed that conversation last night.”
“What conversation last night?” Cerian’s hold tightens on Arisanna’s hand again.
“It’s Mother’s life magic. It’s not recovering properly, and if she’s not careful, it may never reach its full strength again. She’s resting and will be for a few days if I have any say in it, and Father is helping her.”
Cerian pales, and Tharios steps toward him, gripping his shoulders.
“Everything will be all right, Cer. Mother is strong. She’ll pull through this.”
“But she might lose some of her magic?”
“I don’t know. But I will do everything within my power to ensure that doesn’t happen. Mother doesn’t wish for you to worry, and neither do I. All right?”
Cerian breathes out slowly and nods.
“And I know I’m not Father,” Tharios continues, “but I’m here if you need me.”
“Thank you,” Arisanna says when Cerian doesn’t respond. What is he thinking now?
He turns toward the bed. “How is Elowyn?”
“Tired, it seems, but I expect they’ll wake soon. It’s just a normal sleep this time.”
Relief fills Arisanna at the image of Rominy and Elowyn sleeping peacefully across the room.
“I suppose...”
Arisanna looks up at Cerian, waiting for him to finish.
“I suppose we should get some breakfast,” he whispers.
Arisanna squeezes his hand and offers him a smile.
“Have fun.” Tharios claps Cerian on the shoulder, and Cerian takes a steadying breath before leading Arisanna back into the corridor.
Hopefully, this isn’t a disaster.