After reuniting our two star crossed lovers, decide to bed down for the night. Both wanting the comfort that came from being in one another arms.
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(We start with Rahl and then it is back and forth from there)
Setting her down on the bed and helping her to undress, “I can make something for you to help with that.” Undressing next himself, “To help you feel better and your ankles to be less swollen.”
----
Curling up in bed and covering up with the blanket as she let out a sigh, having not realized how much she’d missed a proper bed. “There are things to help with that?”
----
“Aye…” climbing into bed beside her. “And we will start with you elevating your feet periodically. To help with the swelling,” draping his arm around her, hand resting on her stomach. “Think this is what I missed the most….”
—-
Her hand coming to rest stop his, she quietly laughed, “you missed cuddling up to an elephant?” But after a moment, she nodded and whispered, “he I missed this, too…”
——
“If you are an elephant then I am a titan,” he said kissing the back of her neck. “You never realize how much you need to have something until it is gone…” whispering softly and hugging her just a bit closer. “I just never want to lose you again…”
----
“Well, you haven’t lost me yet…we just had a small break to explore while…hopelessly worrying about the other…”
After another moment, she asked, “so…you can really feel me? If I weren’t in this room, you’d know I was okay?”
——
“I think so,” kissing her again and breathing deep her scent, Rahl closed his eyes. “Its...like...my heart...beats in time to yours? And I can feel it, feel the sound of your heart with my own. When we were apart it was like that humming was further away and I thought I was getting closer to it when I came here. But nothing…”
----
It all sounded like it was right out of a fairytale. The knight who could feel his love was alive and alright, and eventually finding his way back to her. “Is that something giants can do?”
——
“I do not think so? I am not even sure Giants are capable of love, so I am not sure how they could do that?” pausing for a moment in thought. “My mother did say...that they could...mate with another? Bonding I suppose it is called, but she only heard of it in stories and my father never talked about anything helpful he was…” pausing not wanting to ruin this moment with thoughts of him.
“I am just glad I went back to looking, or else who knows when we would have found one another…”
----
“Maybe I would’ve found you again,” she offered, sending the need for the subject change and keeping with it. “I still had so much to explore of the area, but I was being so careful, especially when I saw one of those…spiders hanging off of a tall tree.”
——
“Those things…” sighing at the memory when he first encountered them. “I nearly died to those more than once...but...when I managed to tame one, getting it mates and now...well they are unnerving but very handy. Considering I cannot seem to ride anything that flies here.”
-----
“We can’t ride on a flyer? I didn’t have anything that I could try with… On the one hand, I’m happy I don’t need to tie myself onto a saddle to fly in the sky, but on the other…the idea of being held by a spider to fling around with nothing beneath me is terrifying.”
It took her a second to allow herself to think about what could’ve happened to him. “Your armor kept me alive with my couple of close calls. Nothing I would have tried to tame, but things would’ve been very different if I wasn’t wearing what you made me.”
——
“I am glad,” kissing her neck again. “My armor did not come with me, so I had to make some more but it was not of the same material. Nowhere near as durable, but my giant blood kept me alive if not always in one piece,” laughing softly. “From the looks of it, I will have to adjust your armor again, for the baby. Which is a good thing, because that means our baby is getting bigger...stronger.”
----
“Even though I…haven’t felt anything yet?” Voice quiet, the guilt working its way back into her voice. “I know you said we should still be fine, but…I wish I knew definitively…”
Pausing, “I was stuck under water… While getting the sharks, I was stung by a sea scorpion. Thought I was pretty tolerant to the poison, but I went under and…I don’t even know how long I was under there for… I don’t know if something I did hurt the baby before then, or if…if that moment is what did it…”
——
Silence followed her confession, for just the span of a heartbeat before he pushed himself up so that he could look down at her. “I am glad you are alright…” he said sincerely. “Losing you would have ended my world certainly,” giving her a smile. “I have faith our child is fine,” wanting to try and assure her. “However, if something has happened and we do lose this child that is alright. We can always try again later, right? Maybe when we are not running for our lives all the time, but I do not even think we have to worry about that. Our baby is fine, you are fine and we are finally back together. Trust me. Have I ever let you down?”
----
The silence was deafening even in only that brief moment, but he didn’t let it linger for long. Looking up at him, she could feel the tears springing to her eyes as she’d just voiced aloud her worries. And, to her surprise, he wasn’t upset with her for being reckless, offered a positive outlook if something did end up being wrong. But even with that, he was still optimistic that the baby was okay.
“You haven’t let me down, no…” still speaking quietly as she didn’t trust her voice not to be shaky.
——
Leaning down and kissing her with the love he had for her and her alone, “I love you, Vehlayra. I will always love you. In this life...or the next and no matter what happens we will always have one another.”
The words were whispered into the deepening darkness, only able to see her via the dimming light of the fireplace.
-----
Lip quivering against his in the kiss as she worked to calm herself down, she let out a shaky breath, his declaration of love soothing some of her concerns. “I love you, too…” A hand reached up to caress his cheek, “and always will.”
——
Settling back down behind her, “You know what though? I have not made this home big enough for a child,” sighing. “Maybe a baby, certainly, but as they grow they will need more space and their own space,” seeming to grumble at his own blunder. “Maybe you can help me? Figure out how to make us a better home?”
-—
“I can try to help with that, absolutely. Perhaps we’ll be back home before more space is needed,” musing aloud. “But I love what you built so I’d want to keep some sort of a design like this or even this exact house right here as I love the views.”
——
“Maybe, we build onto it? Add on? Could be a project and Gods willing we are not here when they get bigger but if not at least they will have all the space they could ever need or want. Right?”
----
“Right,” she agreed. “And you put so much work into this home, I wouldn’t want to abandon it. I’ll start figuring out what to do to expand or add on tomorrow.”
——
“Now I have someone to admire as I do all the heavy lifting again,” he joked pulling the heavy fur blanket over the both of them and closing his eyes. “I love you.”
----
“And I have something to ogle while pretending to do work,” she teased back, sighing softly as she allowed her own eyes to drift closed. “I love you, too…”
And for what felt like the first time in ages, she actually fell into a deep sleep, exhausted.
——
Rahl slept in, a rare occurrence for the man that woke up generally before the sun. However, his body and mind both needed the rest that only came from being beside the woman he loved so dearly. So, snoring just a bit the large man continued to cuddle close to Ve, almost perhaps thinking that if he woke this would have all been somekind of wonderful dream.
----
Ve woke up first, momentarily confused as to where she was while in her groggy state. But the world filtered in and the weight of Rahl’s arm over her and his snoring reminded her that they were finally safe together. Not a dream but reality.
Slowly rolling over to face him, she watched him sleep, smiling softly to herself.
——
Almost as if he could feel her eyes on him, Rahl slowly roused. Eyes slowly blinking open followed by a yawn, “Good morning, Beautiful.” Voice thick with sleep, deeper than usual as he pulled her closer and his eyes closed once again. “Are we leaving the bed today? Or more the point, do we have to leave the bed today?”
----
Her smile grew as he started to wake up, cuddling closer at his insistence with a contented sigh. “I’d be happy to stay in bed all day, as I think we both earned it,” answering amid a yawn of her own. “Nothing that we need gathered today to eat?”
——
“Mmm...good…” kissing the top of her head and then rubbing her back. “Did you sleep alright? I hoped I didn’t smother with you with too much affection?”
----
“You could’ve smothered me more and I’d have been happy,” Ve replied with a smile. “I slept…far better than I have in so long. I actually feel rested today. What about you?”
——
“Same. The bed does not feel empty anymore,” opening his eyes to look at her. “By the way, I saw what you were sleeping on before. So, I need you to promise me that no matter what, next time you make yourself a proper bed. Alright? I cannot have my Pirate Queen sleeping on a cot hardly fit for a beast let alone the love of my life and soon to be mother of my child.”
----
There was a slight wince, “I didn’t think I needed a bigger bed since it was just me. My priority was trying to make sure you were okay and alive, not stranded on an island.” Shrugging, “Besides, I wasn’t really able to sleep so I don’t think the bed would’ve changed that.”
——
“It is a matter of principal and comfort for you,” not backing down. “So, promise me. Please…”
----
He didn’t seem to want to let the bed go, so after a moment, she nodded. “If we get separated again, I will make a bigger bed.”
——
“Does not have to be bigger, just better,” kissing her and relaxing back. “Though suppose bigger would be needed for the baby. Hmm…” thinking for a moment. “How often did you have to go out for meat? Those whales take so long to kill anything it is often not worth it to bring them along.”
----
“You’re right about that… I could safely navigate the ocean but using them to kill anything was a long commitment. Only a couple days before we found one another again did I get a hunting pack together that could do proper meat running. So I was constantly having to go out to get fish.”
——
“Were there no other beasts you could get meat from?”
----
“Climbing up the rocky islands just gave me more of the little ones and dodos, so the most lucrative meat sources were in the water. Unless I went down in the depths with the squids and the larger beasts, I could only really find more long whales, sharks, mantas, and the little fish.”
——
Frowning, “Then I am glad that I found you. Having to dive down deeper would have become harder once your armor no longer fit you. There are plenty of beasts here, so we are in good supply here.”
----
“Are they the same beasts as the last snow we ventured into? No new surprises like the spiders in the swamp?”
——
“They all appear the same. They just have different markings, which I think has to do with the environment more than anything else.”
---
“The water creatures had new markings, too, but I didn’t pay it much mind. And, in this area, are there many of the screamers or wolf packs? No…big toothed beasts anywhere?”
——
“I have not seen any of the big toothed beasts, lots of screamers and wolves though,” smiling after a moment. “Do you know how good it is to have you to talk to again? To just...discuss the world and figure out our next course of action?”
-----
“I do know how good it is, because I feel the same. I don’t think I said much of a word out loud while you were away. So having someone who can actually answer back is amazing.”
——
“I did talk to someone…” pausing for a moment. “This little flying machine, she kept talking to me about things and places. Which is how I figured out how to move to here to find you.”
----
“I have this little thing that I can see, but it just talked at me. Commented about a passing ship and I panicked, only realizing after that the thing lied and was mocking me.”
—-
“Wait...is it like...a shiny metal? With a light?”
----
“Yes, the light that changes color depending on the tone or if…If I went to these weird purple and blue lights.”
——
“YES! I thought I was losing my mind there for a bit,” chuckling aloud. “So, we both have one? Or the same one? This is all very fascinating.”
----
“Do you think it’s the same one? Even though we were in two different areas? Is that possible?” More confused than anything else.
——
“Maybe? I am not sure. What did yours call itself?”
----
“I couldn’t tell if it was saying Helena or spelling it without the e’s… And it has an accent.”
——
“HNLA?” spelling it out the way he had heard it.
----
“HLNA,” she replied. “Similar so maybe? It floats around my head and has…triangles on the top of it?”
——
“And sometimes, it makes snarky comments? About my standing still or when I go to a bush to relieve myself….”
----
“Yes, if I stay still for too long, it remarks about trying to find signs of life. Along with the bathroom comments, or telling me to try and avoid danger rather than fight if I get attacked.”
——
“Hmm...maybe...it is the same being? Trying to help us? A spirit guide perhaps?”
-----
“That mocks us at its leisure? I would have expected guides to be nice or helpful.”
——
“It is helpful, but maybe...the mocking it just...poor training?”
----
“Maybe…I’d have rather just speak to you to figure things out, but it did sometimes explain things.” Shrugging, “it’s weird technology I don’t understand.”
——
“For once we are there together, but I am sure we will figure it out,” tilting her face up so that he could kiss her. “Does not matter now, unless it plans on like...watching us when we are together. Not sure I want that…” smirking and kissing her again.
-----
(A snarky comment from Ve about the bot critiquing their form and certain physical tastes, the couple plan to make a nice hot meal together. Ve wanting to wash up a bit but finding difficulty doing so, Rahl offers to help only for the concern about the baby to be brought up again. Again, we start with Rahl.)
----
Frowning a bit, he lowered his hand. “Are you still worried about the baby?”
——
Her eyes dropped, “You can’t really blame me for worrying, can you?” she asked quietly. “I’m trying not to…but if I can do something small just to make sure…then I should do that, shouldn’t I?”
——
Smiling and nodding, “Of course. Maybe part of your worry is the lack of my cooking?” Trying to relax her a bit with a subject change while he went back to helping her clean. “Have you tried singing to the baby? Maybe they are just waiting for a performance from their mother?”
——
“Tried singing to them?” Frowning as her brow furrowed. “They aren’t out here to hear me singing to them…Wouldn’t I just look crazy?”
——
“Babies can hear while in there,” resting his hand on her stomach. “So, if you sing they can hear you. And maybe that will let it know it’s safe and that their amazing mother is waiting to take care of them.”
——
“Maybe…I’ll try to sing to them later,” Ve replied quietly after a moment of thought. “After we eat. It’ll feel weird to just…sing at my stomach, but I’ll try.”
——
“Well, pretend you are singing to me,” offering with a shrug and getting back to washing her up then together they went back up to the bedroom. The bed was changed the best he could and the meal prepared.
“Let me know how it tastes?”
——
Settled back into bed, the plate of food balances on her stomach as she cut into her steak. The bite popped into her mouth, face thoughtful before a soft moan escaped. “It tastes…so good,” immediately going in for another bite. “I’ve never wanted rare steak but this might be a new favorite.”
——
Smiling he joined in, “I made you another piece just in case you wanted more.”
——
“I swear, you’ve mystical powers sensing what I’m craving,” she remarked, smiling over at him. “I will likely need it as my appetite when I can eat is so big now.”
—-
“That’s a good thing though,” eating happily. “If you are craving anything else I can keep my eye out for it when hunting.”
——
“I’ll let you know when I think of things. Oh! Speaking of, is there any chance you could make me that stew sometime?”
——
“I actually have some allos,” taking a bite. “I will have to find a replacement for giga meat but I can make the stew of course.”
——
Her smile grew by the second, “I had a dream about your stew once while you were away. Considered trying to make it myself and then realized I’d just bastardize and butcher your recipe.”
——
“Hardly, you need to give yourself more credit.”
—-
“When I don’t know everything you put into it, nor how long you cook it for, I know my limits and I know it wouldn’t taste like yours,” she insisted with a laugh.
——
“Then I guess my place is secure then?” Laughing with her. “This is nice. Eating and laughing together.”
——
“It is…” her smile softening as she took another bite. “Something I seem to take for granted when we have it as I only seen to realize how much I enjoy it when I don’t.”
——
“Funny how life works,” voice soft, taking another bite and eating with a happy sigh.
——
“Perhaps, just in case, we fashion a chain between you and I. That way, if something happens, we’ll already be together, and then I won’t ever have to miss your company again.”
——
“Hmmm….” Standing and going to where his clothes ended up on the floor last night he started to dig through his pockets. Finally, pulling out something small kept hidden in his hand. “I had a lot of time left alone with my thoughts and decided to do something to keep me happy…” sitting back down, Rahl opened his palm to reveal two bands of gold. One obviously her size and the other sized for him.
Handing her the one that was sized for him he kept the one for her. Holding the ring up, “I never thought I would find someone that makes me as happy or completes me as much as you. I expected my life to be one of loneliness, but then we got stolen away to this place and the feeling so harbored for you for years I finally grew the courage to say.”
Looking down at the ring now, “I do not know when we may get to a place where someone else can marry us and I’d rather not wait. Losing you put that into perspective for me. So, I don’t think I need to or have to wait. With this ring I, Rahl Morguer, promise to love you, honor you and keep you safe. I promise to always find you no matter where you might roam and most importantly I promise you my heart and soul. They are yours now and forever, in this life and the next” Carefully, his hand reached for her own and slipped the band around her finger. “You are my soulmate and now as far as I am concerned you are my wife as well.”
——
Everything had suddenly taken a serious turn, a romantic turn, but a serious one as she stopped cutting into her steak with surprise. Taking the ring from him as he started speaking, her heart skipped a few beats as what was happening really clicked into place. A few tears filled her eyes, vision blurring as a soft smile pulled at the corners of her lips.
“Rahl, I…” The weight of the ring in her finger causing her smile to grow. “…I can’t possibly say something that romantic without…preparation and time…I don’t want to say the wrong thing…for our marriage…” Rolling his ring around in the palm of her hand, “Nothing I could say right now would be…half as beautiful as that…”
——
“Well, the beauty of this is that we can wait for you,” smiling and kissing her hand. “Though, whatever you would say would be perfect to me because you are perfect to me.”
——
Part of her wanted to wait so that she could make sure she said just the right thing. But another part wanted to be married to him, and to no longer wait for what might be the right time or right thing.
“You said it took coming here to find the courage. …Like you, I expected my life to go in as it always had, lonely without knowing I was lonely. I expected to fuck my way through the world while taking what I could from who I wanted and creating a hoard of wealth. However, unlike you…I don’t think I would have gotten the courage to say anything to you. I’d resorted to omitting who I was, stealing away into your cave to see you while you slept.”
A quiet laugh followed, “But, now that you did get the courage to tell me how you feel and to bridge that barrier with me…I’m not letting you go. Whatever powers that be, whatever waits for me after death, I’ll carry my love for you. I didn’t think I believed in soulmates but that was before we met and now…I know you’re my soulmate. You’re the love of my life, and even if I don’t say it often, I hope to show you how I feel for the rest of our lives.”
Slipping the ring on his finger, a couple small tears falling down her cheeks, “As far as I’m concerned, you’re my husband just as I am your wife.”
——
Her words had silent tears rolling down his face and for a moment he just sat there unsure of what to say or do. Before finally, leaning over and kissing her when it ended he still lingered close.
“I love you…so very much….”
——
Returning the kiss happily, she sighed as one of her hands reached up to caress his cheek, wiping the tears away. “I love you, too…Thank you for choosing me despite my faults…”
——
“Thank you for choosing me…accepting me for what I am…” kissing her again. “My…wife….my mate…my whole world…”
——
“The only thing that you are…is a handsome…kind man…who happens to be tall,” she replied to that before leaning in to steal a soft kiss of her own. “Ve Morguer has a good ring to it…Don’t you think?”
——
“It’s the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard,” kissing her again, completely overjoyed by this moment. “My wife…” whispering it again.
——
Kissing him back with another contented sigh. “My husband…” Hand taking hold of his, giving it a light squeeze, “Now, what does my husband want to do first to celebrate?”
——
“Finish dinner and then, we can just see where the evening goes from there?” Kissing her hand then kissing her again.
——
Another kiss later and she was resting her forehead against his. “Sounds perfect…”
——
Sitting back and moving closer to her, “when we get back I want a large and proper wedding. So, all can see our love for one another. Maybe on a ship at sea?”
——
“How large of a wedding would you want? Did you ever dream of what one might be like?” glancing at him as she took another bite of her steak.
——
“Never before but maybe you might have wanted one like in a fairy tale?”
——
“I was never one for fairy tales, but I wouldn’t mind having a wedding like one out of a story. Any particular story in mind? Color scheme? Theme?”
——
“Blue and black?” Grinning at her. “Is love a theme?”
——
“You wouldn’t mind my wearing black to a wedding?” Teasing. “Most associate that color with death.”
——
“Those are our colors. Besides, at our wedding we can do whatever right?”
——
“You’re right. So blue and black on the sea,” reiterating it aloud to make sure she had it right. “I want to make sure the wedding you envisioned is the one you get.”
——
“It’s your wedding too. Don’t you have any ideas or visions?”
——
“We could be married in burlap sacks in a cave and I would be happy,” assuring him with a smile filled with love. “I want my Knight, my poet, to have his perfect happy ending.”
——
“Then, there is no need for a wedding because I’ve been living my happy ending since you agreed to live with me.”
——
Shaking her head, “No, you already said that you wanted a big wedding and I want that for you. With everything you’ve done for me, let me do this for you.”
——
“Done for you? What do you mean? You’re the one that saved me, remember?”
——
“I saved you once…and you’ve saved me every time after that. Hell, you were saving me before by not bringing me in when you could have many times over… Let me do this for you.”
——
“And you could have caused far more trouble for me but you never did,” winking at her. “If nothing else, I want a dance under the stars…like when we danced that first time together.”
——
“That can be arranged… on the deck in the middle of a flat calm, with friends there to celebrate our union with us… Sounds perfect.”
——
“Only because you will be there and you are perfect,” unable to stop himself from the extra sappy comments.
——
Blushing again, she shook her head, “it’ll be perfect because you’re there. I will, however, be present as eye candy.”
——
“You know you’ve never been that to me,” reaching for her hand. “Stole my breath with your beauty and when you looked at me I knew even if it never came to be, that you would be the only one for me.”
——
“You might’ve found someone else eventually… I couldn’t be the only one to notice you. …But I’m glad I don’t have to live in a world where you find someone else and I have to pretend I don’t mind.”
——
“Would you have tried to steal me away?”
——
“I might’ve. Or, as I wasn’t able to get out of my own way, I might have tried to sample you…at least once. If not more, see if I could persuade you to take me on as a…repeat performance.”
——
“So, show me what I could have?” Grinning.
—
“Yes, I’d give you the lay of your life and then work on making you see the benefits of something casual,” answering with a smirk. “Would you have tried for me if you saw me with someone else? Or would you have left me be?”
——
“Hmmm…my honor would have told me to not try for you…and if you appeared happy that would have been all that I wanted for you…” answering honestly. “Maybe…just a kiss…” saying after a moment.
——
“And…if after that kiss…you felt a spark? Would you have still stayed away? Left me to be happy with another?”
——
“It would have killed me but…if the kiss held only a spark for me then yes. And I would have dreamt of it for years to come…”
——
“You’re too honorable for your own good…” Ve mused after a breath. “I wasn’t monogamous before you, so if I’d felt something, I’d have sought you out for more.”
——
“But I would have felt bad going behind someone’s back…”
——
“Even if it meant…being with me? You wouldn’t have wanted to see what we could have?” Shaking her head, “That’s the difference between knights and pirates; I go for what I want regardless of other people’s feelings.”
——
“I would wonder and I would yearn and it might prompt me to sneak away for another kiss and if I felt from you what I wanted…”
——
“And I would have been right there with you…wanting you…wanting to feel you…I’d try for more than a mere kiss…”
——
“If…being with me was better would you choose me? If I promised you the world?”
——
“I would…I wouldn’t have had qualms leaving someone if they weren’t you…If we had the opportunity for more time together, if you were open to that, I’d have known you were the better option.”
——
Leaning in and kissing her deeply, “I love you…so very much…”
—-
A quiet sound tumbled free into the kiss, her tongue dancing with his. “I love you, too…” Holding him close as she poured her love for him into the kiss.
