The sky was awash of red and blue pastels, and through the crack in the curtains Malcolm watched it change colour as the sun came up over the horizon and ascended into the chalky sky. He turned his head on the pillow to look at Elyna as he stretched and smiled, watching her sleep; she looked peaceful and taken by dreams. The Mortalborn got out of bed, careful not to wake his sleeping beauty and washed up before finding something to wear, a pair of fitted trousers and a white, long sleeved shirt with a large V in the front, the stark tone making his skin appear darker than it was.
Outside on the doorstep he found his leather boots and pulled them on, leaning against the entryway for balance while he wrestled with the stiff leather. Feeding the horses was first on the agenda, and Malcolm made quick work of this before checking the water level in their large feeding container. He had found an old well down the back of the property along the tree line and decided this was the trial he was going to fix it. The man didn't have very many tools to work with, but would make do with a bucket and some rope, which he carried up the slope to where the ground evened off again.
It didn't look like much, but Malcolm was certain there was fresh water down there, good enough for the hsomethingorses at least or for them to boil and use for cooking. He took down some of the rocks that made up the tired looking wall of the well, and tied the rope to the handle of the bucket, casting it down into the dark pit. When he heard a splash, Malcolm let the bucket sink into the water to fill up and draw out whatever was down there. The water he retrieved was full of green slime like the rocks in the creek that ran through the forest that their property backed onto, covered in the same stuff.
He continued to fish out as much slime as he could using the bucket before leaving the well to walk around the field and pick up rocks that he could use to rebuild the wall. It took him the better part of two breaks to pile up enough rocks to reconstruct the wall of the well, and he used up a lot more time fitting them together, a task that might have been better accomplished with a light lime based cement to hold everything in place, still it would do for now.
Upon his return to the house, Malcolm removed his boots and went inside to start a fire before he worked to stack some wood beside the fireplace, making sure he was careful not to make too much noise in case he woke Elyna. After washing his hands, the knight limped into the kitchen, quite sure he had overdone it for the morning, but as the day was closer to lunchtime now, he opted to prepare some food, rinsing some grapes and cutting the tops off of some strawberries before halving them. He tore apart some of the bread he had purchased the day before and browned some of the beef in the cooking pot over the hot plate on top of the fire.
With the lunch arranged neatly on the cutting board and some fresh ginger tea for Elyna, he entered the bedroom quietly and put the board down on the edge of the bed before sitting alongside the woman to brush her hair back from her face and wake her with a kiss.
"Ely," he murmured against her cheek before pressing another kiss to her jaw, "time to wake up, beautiful." Malcolm was happy to let the woman sleep in, but anything beyond lunch might mean she found getting to sleep tonight troublesome.
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 652
Elyna lay at the bottom of an ocean, staring up through the washes of turquoise and blue at a crystalline sky above the water line. Warm and comfortable, pinned down by the pressure of the seas above she turned in her sleep, wrapping an arm over her face. Unwilling to return to the surface as Malcolm stirred beside her. The woman was aware of him sitting up in the bed, sheets rustling as they bunched. She struggled to wake, pushing back the exhaustion that had dogged her days, only to sink back into the depths and be claimed by dreams once more.
She dreamt of the seas spinning slowly above her head, no longer the black and treacherous waters that threatened to drown. But soft, safe and slumberous. Bare feet trailed along soft white sand and the water withdrew, lapping at her feet. Sunshine burnt her shoulders and back and she turned to look away from the whispering shore to look over a new land. Elyna wasn’t sure of where she dreamt, but she had never been there before. Was this the west? Did Jesine grant her a view of the future? Or was it merely a pleasant dream?
Deep in languid slumber, it seemed as though she wouldn’t stir as Malcolm tried to coax her back to wakefulness. A sigh parted her lips and she turned to look up at him, reluctant in her departure from Emea. Bright sunshine lit the freckles across her nose and the shadows beneath her eyes. Chocolate eyes shone and brightened to copper as they landed on the Mortalborn. A shy smile parted lips. She edged to sit up, pulling the sheet up, tucking it under her arms. Content to simply sit and wait for the pull of sleep to release her from its. She rubbed sleep away, blinking quickly. What break was it? How long had she slept? Malcolm looked as though he’d completed a day’s work already.
The smell of beef hit her first, and made her stomach roll. She reached for the tea and inhaled the fumes of ginger, embarrassment racing across her cheeks, “Mal,” she gulped, “the beef…”
After a pause she reached out for the fruit and bread, touched by the thoughtful effort he’d made in creating breakfast, or was it lunch? But then, he had always taken good care of her, when given the chance. She should have expected as much, following her poisoning. Thoughts stirred slowly and she shook off the final brush of sleep. She put the tea to one side and reached for her tunic, pulling it over her head so she could sit, without feeling completely exposed. Elyna reached out, trailing fingertips over the man’s face without thought. Careful not to upset the board of food she knelt up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, drawing back to search green eyes. Had anything changed? She still felt mean for waking him in the middle of the night, and he’d sounded so certain, so excited...could the passing of a few breaks cause him to regret his agreement?
“I worry,” she admitted, “I worry about the poison and the antidote, and what that might have done…”
Malcolm took care of the beef, sandwiching it in the crust of the bread Elyna had picked around. He chewed and smiled when she reached out to peck his cheek, the meat was good for him; it probably would have been for her too if she could stomach it. The sun was high in the sky now, making the shadow cast through the open curtains short, the sheets still warm where it had lingered all morning. Elyna voiced her concerns and Malcolm leaned forward to rest his head against her shoulder and close his hand over her flat belly.
“I got you to the city quickly,” he assured her, though Elyna might have cause to think twice about who he was speaking to, green eyes fixed on his hand.
The Mortalborn soon turned his attention on the woman’s face and leaned in to snatch one of her grapes, taking it right from her fingers with his mouth, closing his lips against her digits gently. He grinned and cut the grape in two with his front teeth before chewing it slowly. Malcolm was thoughtful for a time, could he say more, was there any advice he could offer her? It had been about twenty-eight arcs since Vanessa was last pregnant.
“Careful what you drink,” he offered, “wine, ale, go easy, and you might be dizzy because you need more meat,” Malcolm licked his lower lip, he didn’t want come across as if he were telling her what to do or how to take care of herself, Elyna was a grown woman after all, but what he knew, he would share.
It seemed they were both avoiding it, the conversation from last night, and finally Malcolm plucked up the courage to say something. “We are getting married?” He smiled like a boy who had just been given his first sword.
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 311
“It’s the smell,” she explained, watching him eat the sandwich with an expression that could only be described as suspicious, “I don’t know what it is with beef… but the smell gets me every time.”
It was a gentle moment, the distant crash of the waves on the shore below and the fresh scent of sea-air drifting with pollen and the twist of summer flowers left them in peace. This was far better than their time arguing, fighting each other and themselves.
The hand on her stomach made her skin jump, as though sparks had moved from his palm to her skin. She gulped, teeth closing on her bottom lip. It was strange, the sudden sensation that this wasn’t simply something in her own mind, it was real. There was going to be a baby. A real, living tiny person. Air caught in her chest and came out in a slow shiver. Excitement threaded with concern, and yet she found that she was smiling. Reaching up she pushed fingers through dark hair and nuzzled against him in turn, happy to be wrapped in a strong arm.
“I havn’t had more than a sip or two of ale or anything stronger,” she admitted and was suddenly glad, “it’s the smell again… I couldn’t face it. Even that wine you bought from the Olde Inn,” she smiled at the memory, “I think you had more than you remember…” It had been a good night, until it had been soured.
Elyna turned her face up, “yes,” the Skyrider agreed with a grin that was slow to spread across her features, “I think we are," she paused and let the idea settle. Her heart felt too large for her chest, "When? There isn’t much time before we sail. I would like a few trials to see if I can invite a couple of folk,” she tested the idea on her tongue. Witnesses for the marriage, people of a decent reputation that would confirm it had taken place. That felt important, necessary. Not her parents though, not her grandparents. Screw tradition, it wasn’t going to take place in Saun, it wouldn’t carry the blessing of her family, it wouldn’t be sacred because Malcolm had already married, and yet… she didn’t care. This was to be her family, this was her life. She closed her hand over his.
“You’ll ask Ben?”
“This evening,” he promised, knowing Ben would stop in on his way to the docks. “Ben, Kathryn, Ronald.” Heath hadn’t made the list, Malcolm still didn’t know how he felt about the man’s involvement in his arrest and no one had seen him since that morning. “I suppose I should invite Peter too, grumpy bastard,” he smirked and took the rest of the beef away, leaving Elyna with the fruit and tea.
Malcolm took a moment to himself in the kitchen, so she had been serious about it all then? He washed the cutting board and cleared away some of the mess he had made, staring out of the kitchen window back in the direction of the city. The man felt strange, floaty all of the sudden, the future finally held some promise, excitement settling in the pit of his belly.
Returning to the room, this time with his own tea, Malcolm found Elyna dressed and looking a lot more awake. “What about the thirtieth?” It would give them just enough time to send a few letters and get things arranged. “Last night I set a condition, do you remember?” He smiled apologetically. “I haven’t changed my mind, I would still love you to accompany me west, but I want you to give it some serious thought and do what you think is best. I plan to be home by Vhalar, but if you’re to give birth, we may have to postpone any travel plans for some time,” ships and babies, he knew, weren’t a very enjoyable mix for anyone, not in any confined spaces really.
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 272
Elyna grinned as he gave the list of names, before hesitation pulled at her stomach and tightened it. What would they think of her? Stealing the Captain from his marriage, carrying his baby. Took a gulp of tea as he departed then set about dressing from the day. Whenever she could she chose to be barefoot and so breaches, cut below the knee and a loose shirt were chosen. The day promised to be a hot one. She finished the rapidly cooling drink and the remaining fruit and straightened out the bedsheets, humming quietly to herself.
The thirtieth? She padded, mug in hand towards the tall man and pressed another kiss to his cheek, fingers snaking around his right side and under his shirt to press against the warm skin beneath. She ran her nose along the line of his neck, still smiling like an idiot and then slipped past him, backing away into the kitchen, head titled with thought.
“You won’t hold me to the condition… but you still want to get married?” Elyna asked, surprised. Of course she remembered. She remember every detail of the night before in vivid clarity, the taste of him on her tongue, the passionate exchange. Heat rose in her cheeks and she leant back against the worktop.
She set the empty mug down with a clink on the side and ran her fingertips along the bridge of her nose, “you said that you didn’t know… You didn’t know if it would be trials, or seasons or arcs that you’d be away for,” she searched his expression again, “what if you can’t get back? The seas can be treacherous, fate can be cruel.”
What if he set sail, and the next she heard was that the sea had claimed his bones? She couldn’t do that again. Elyna had always sworn she’d rather have gone down on Yoreth's ship then spend the arcs that followed in shame and grief. There had been no option to go with the sailor, but she could go with Malcolm. She slid a hand over her shirt, conscious that she was no longer responsible for merely her own life.
“Fate is cruel,” he agreed, following her out into the kitchen like a lost dog, “but I have my ways of defying fate.” Malcolm should have died that night he was poisoned in Krome, and again when he had been cut open on the sands of the arena, but he was a stubborn son of a bitch, who didn’t bow easily to the likes of fate.
The man’s right side tingled where Elyna’s fingers had crept under his shirt to caress his unnaturally warm skin, the little temptress leaving him wanting more. Malcolm put his arms around the woman and kissed the nape of her neck before sweeping her hair aside to attack the more sensitive parts with relentless, slow, delicate kisses.
“I won’t hold you to anything, even if you change your mind a break before we leave,” he mouthed and closed his hands against her hips, pulling her against him gently. “Who will you be inviting?”
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 162
It didn’t seem to matter what he said, or how potentially sad the words were, nothing could remove Elyna’s smile. She bowed her head against his collar with a soft moan as delicate touches sent shivers racing over the skin and down her spine. She took his kisses as an invitation to slid elegant fingers carefully beneath his shirt again. Her thumb moved over the smooth flesh of his right side and she wondered if the bandage around his left would need changing again. Then the thoughts started slipping away and she wrapped long arms around his neck.
The Skyrider pulled her lover into a kiss, with every intention of scorching him with heat, standing on her toes to do so. She withdrew enough to trail kisses along his jaw, nipped the sensitive skin beneath his ear, and grinning, slipped under his arm and away, dancing towards the table and the door. It was too hard to think with him so close, her heart thumped against her chest and it was impossible to focus. This was a serious conversation, so why was she still grinning?
Elyna tucked her hands innocently behind her back, “its not you…it’s me Mal…trouble finds me and seems intent on carving my heart out of my chest,” she swallowed and set her back to the door.
“I’d invite the whole world if I didn’t think they’d try and stop us,” she put aside her thoughts on fate. The memory of Vakhanor’s brother, dead by her hand, would be enough to strip the happiness from her. A reminder, that perhaps she didn’t deserve to be happy like this.
“But…I’d invite a noble…Tristan, and a man I know called Vakahanor, Levinia, Franz, and there’s a journalist, Sabine,” only two of the number were true as long time and genuine friends, but Tristan would provide respectability as a noble, “witnesses,” she explained, “so no one can try and take this away from us.”
Black hair disheveled and shirt ruffled, the man put his hands down on the kitchen bench as Elyna left him with the taste of her lips on his mouth, having made her quick escape. The Mortalborn let blood settle in familiar avenues, only for the buzzing high to soon subside, allowing him to turn and face her again. He wouldn't give too much thought to who she was inviting, nor the handful of names she had mentioned, pleased only to find that she was as serious about it all as she had been last night.
As the noble woman hadn't offered up any alternative to the date he had suggested, Malcolm assumed that in seven to eight days time they would be making this official. He couldn't help but wonder if their relationship would hold up, having left Vanessa for longer periods of time, but not so soon after their wedding, and if Elyna did follow him, he thought, what kind of strain would it put on the two of them, on her in particular?
"No more talk of curses," he told her, "you've had a couple of set backs, but you aren't cursed," the Mortalborn smiled. "Do you think Pre would choose to offer you her blessing if your were so unlucky?"
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 218
Elyna couldn't help but feel smug as Malcolm took a pause to recover from her deliberate attempt to raise a passionate response. It was good to know she could distract him, and leave him wanting more. She was careful to keep the distance between them though, aware that the moment he chose to close the distance, he could probably render her powerless, and malleable in his arms.
No more talk of curses, she'd been unlucky. The words caught in her throat and she looked down. Yoreth wasn't dead but she still felt responsible for his loss, no matter how angry his betrayal made her. It didn't make any sense, why she would still mourn his supposed death, even knowing it was false. Perhaps it was just habit. Malcolm, when they had first arrived at the house had pleaded that she didn't believe she was responsible for Simon's death, of the Mortalborn's own misfortune. The simple answer was that she did, and so she hadn't answered him. Then there was Bjorn. His death had haunted her sleep and rendered her afraid of dreaming. Elyna swallowed and searched the green gaze. What would he think of her when she told him? Would he agree, that she didn't deserve to be happy and understand her fear that the world would try and steal this magic from them?
He looked pensive, and she wondered what he was thinking about. She almost reminded him that he didn't need to marry her, but held her tongue. It would just be hurtful and cause a rift. Elyna, above all, did not want that. But he would learn sooner or later.
"Maybe it's why she chose me... so that I can deal justice in the places I go..." Her gaze lowered to the floor, "Mal...I killed a little boy, in Burhan."
