Episode 123 Anything You Want
Anything You Want
Elowyn barely registers what’s happening when the warm seawater rises to meet her.
Whistling wind. Rominy wasn’t bluffing about tossing her into the sea.
The quiet cove isn’t deep, and Elowyn quickly surfaces, searching for Rominy in the dim light. He sits on the edge of their sailboat, his legs dangling off the side. It’s hard to tell in the shadows, but he seems to be smiling.
“How’s the water, love?” he asks.
“Shall I douse you with it so you may see for yourself?”
He laughs in response. “No dousing required. I’ll join you.”
After stripping off his shirt, he jumps into the water beside her, and she waits for him to surface.
Ever since he fainted into the sea and she had to rescue him, her heart has beat a little faster whenever his head is underwater, but the waves are subdued here, and his golden-brown head soon pops up beside her.
“It’s really dark tonight,” he says as he treads water and looks up at the sky.
She follows his gaze. “A perfect night for stargazing.”
“If you’re into that sort of thing.”
A smile slips across her lips. “Yes.”
He’s quiet for a few moments before he looks toward her again. “Why is it called Starhaven? Your family’s home in Celesta?”
“Because it’s shaped like a star. Well, more or less.”
“Huh. I thought you were going to say something deep about your ancestors and the heavens. Star-shaped is fun, too, though.”
“Zelovon, the first Westarian king, was fond of the stars,” she says.
“Explains a few things.”
“Indeed.” She takes in the twinkling lights dotting the purplish expanse above them again.
“Zelovon was known as the Dragon King. Riding his air magic through the sky, raining fire down on the invading armies that sought to destroy our fledgling kingdom in its infancy. Many have called my father the Phoenix King. The Dragon King reborn from the ashes.”
“Because he wields air and fire magic as Zelovon did?”
“Yes. And because he used his magic to keep our kingdom from splintering. The threat then came from within, though.”
“I do know quite a bit of elven history,” Rominy says as he lies back and lets the languid waves carry him. “The Lostarien civil war that my people got sucked into where your father almost died. The reason we both exist today.”
Of course he knows that part.
“There is still prejudice among some of my people,” Elowyn says softly.
“An arrogance at times. An unspoken, quiet disdain. I don’t wish for you to be surprised when we travel to Celesta.
My parents may have quashed an open rebellion bent on culling the strongest of the low-born elves from Lostariel, but elves are not quick to forget. ”
Rominy’s heart speeds up at her words. “Do I need to worry someone will try to hurt you again? Because your mother is low born?”
“I don’t believe so. But we will almost certainly encounter rudeness, especially from some of the most well-established high-born families.”
“I doubt marrying a human has helped your cause.”
A quiet chuckle fills her. “No. But most elves love my parents.”
Rominy moves closer to her in the water and slides his hands onto her waist. “Don’t let me drown.”
“Are you asking me to buoy you with my water magic so you can touch me without worrying about treading water?”
“That sounds about right.”
Laughter flits from her. “Done.”
He relaxes into her magic and sighs. “Perfect. Thank you. Now, I believe I promised you anything you want, love, and I still haven’t made good on that promise. What do you want to do tonight?”
“Let’s go on an adventure and see our dragons again.”
“Dragons. I offer you whatever you want, and you choose dragons. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“I don’t chase dragons with just anyone, you know.”
“There are other things you don’t do with just anyone.” He steals a kiss, and she holds back another laugh.
“What makes you think that’s not next on my list? After the dragons.”
“Either way, I promised anything you want, so I guess we go chasing dragons.”
Rominy follows Elowyn down the stairs into their little cottage.
Chasing dragons. He shakes his head. He imagined that conversation going much differently.
It’s so good to see Elowyn strong, though. She doesn’t seem tired at all tonight.
She doesn’t even slow down at the bottom of the stairs as she pivots toward the bedroom, and he follows at a more sedate pace.
By the time he reaches the door, she’s already stripped out of her soggy dress, and he leans against the doorframe and watches her.
Dragons.
At least he’ll get to see her in leather again. With her painted eyes.
He should probably put on his own leathers.
As she slides her tunic over her head, he asks the heartlanding for his dragon-chasing garb and painted eyes, and the heartlanding doesn’t disappoint.
That transformation is still incredibly unsettling.
“You should change, my love,” Elowyn calls to him, and he doesn’t even try to hold back his grin.
“Are you eager to see me in leather again, El?”
“I’m always eager to see you in leather,” she says under her breath as she gathers her hair into a braid over her shoulder.
“Maybe we should get leathers for me in the real world once we reach Lostariel.”
Her hands slow their movements in her hair. She’s thinking about him in leather for real now. Clearly, she likes that idea.
“Not until I’m better,” she says.
She really likes that idea.
“Fair enough. You should leave your own leathers hanging in the closet when we arrive at Windhaven. Until you’re better.”
That gets her attention, and she finally glances over her shoulder at him and does a double-take.
“What’s wrong, love?” he asks. “Have I rendered you speechless?”
“What?”
He pushes off the doorframe and wanders toward her. “You know, the heartlanding is very accommodating, when it wants to be.”
“I see that.”
“Are you ready to chase dragons, love?” He holds his hand out to her. She starts to place her fingers in his upturned palm but stops with her hand hovering above his as her brows wrinkle.
“What’s wrong?” he asks more seriously.
“Is that a tattoo?”
“What?”
“On your wrist. It’s...it’s my name. In Elvish.”
“Oh. I wrote it there in the real world. It was in your book. I didn’t expect to see it in the heartlanding, though.” He examines it more closely. “It is a tattoo here. Huh. That’s fascinating. It’s just pen ink in the real world. I was thinking about asking Tharios to make it permanent, though.”
She stares at him, and he clears his throat.
“I may be a little obsessed with you,” he whispers.
“You wish to tattoo my name on your wrist?”
“Is that silly? I just love looking at it. There’s this strong center line pointing true north, but it’s surrounded by swirls, and I can’t decide if they look more like water or fire. Maybe both? Imagine if some of them were orange and some were blue. It would be perfect.”
She continues staring at him, and he tugs his sleeve lower again. What is she even thinking? What was he thinking?
“Rominy,” she breathes.
“Shall we chase your dragons now, love?” Anything to distract from how ridiculous he feels now.
“Right. Dragons.” She glances at the open bedroom door before looking back at him. “I haven’t painted my eyes yet.”
“I wish Elowyn’s eyes were painted,” he says, and the heartlanding grants his request. Hopefully, that’s all right with her.
Something about the way her gray eyes almost glow with the korathite framing them makes his heart beat a little faster. Her heart’s racing too.
“Shall we?” he asks.
She nods and strides toward the door, and he follows.
Before they step through, she grabs the doorknob and closes it.
Then she turns and leans back against it, and memories of the way their last dragon adventure ended fill him.
They stood here, just like this. Before she yanked his shirt off. That was the night she got sick.
“This looks familiar,” he whispers.
“I changed my mind. I don’t want dragons.”
A smile threatens to sneak up on him. “You don’t?”
She shakes her head. “You tattooed my name on your wrist, Rominy. I may never recover.”
“Well, I wrote it with a pen in the real world.”
“Do you really want Tharios to make it permanent?”
“That depends on whether your shock means you think I’m ridiculous or you want to rip my shirt off. I’m not quite sure.”
When she reaches for the hem of his shirt, he grins and shrugs out of it for her.
“In that case, the answer is definitely yes.”
“Stop talking.” She doesn’t give him the chance to do anything else before her lips claim his in an eager kiss and her hands find his chest.
This is more like it. They can chase dragons later. Probably.
“You sure this is what you want, love?” he breathes as he trails his lips along her jaw.
“I want many things from you tonight, Rominy Montarac.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“No more talking.”
He holds back a smile and happily gives her what she wants.