Unwanted

Savouring each touch, he leaned back and let her do as she pleased, and what she'd pleased with him. Reigning in his thoughts was a different matter altogether. Now that he was somewhat in her good graces, he allowed himself to hope a little more.

" Lean forward," She said as she filled a pitcher with water, " I need to rinse your hair," She added when he opened his eyes and looked up at her. He didn't even hear her stand up, not that his ears were perked up enough to do so.

He complied, a little disappointed that his time with her had come to an end and took a deep breath when she emptied the entire pitcher in one go. Was she trying to drown him?

Wiping the remainder of the water off his face, " If I didn't know any better, I would think that you're trying to drown me," He chuckled as he leaned back against the tub. His time lounging in the bath was over when she appeared with a towel in her hand.

She smirked, " It's for you to find out, " She amusedly added when he pushed himself to stand in front of her. Inadvertently her gaze drifted down to his groin.

She cleared her throat, and slowly her gaze drifted up to his face. He knew that look. It is the faint spark of desire. She could fool herself all she wanted.

Hissing at the sharp pain in his shoulder, he raised his arms to allow her to wrap the towel around him. Tomorrow, yes. He said to himself, there will be more of this.

Once the towel was fastened around his waist she fished out of the drawers a tunic and a pair of slacks, and once more appeared in before him.

" Do you need help dressing?" She asked as she placed the garments on the chair. Yes. Well, no, but yes.

" If you don't mind giving me a hand, " He cooly said. A slight nod and puckered lips were what he considered a reluctant yes.

And with that, she helped him put on the tunic, and his slacks, with a little resistance and a glare when she was faced with his cock. He couldn't thank the stars, the roe deer and the fawn for getting him shot with an arrow.

When that was done she sat down at the table and he followed her suit. Fortunately, the roe he'd hunted in the morning, now lay on the dinner table. Some of it anyway.

" Why didn't you use your abilities before?" He felt the need to ask, and after much ruminating, he realised that in the forest when she was looking at him, she was just as surprised as he was. He'd never seen what she was capable of but, the stories of her and her predecessors were bountiful if you knew who to ask.

She swallowed her mouthful, " I didn't think I had any. When I renounced my position as the Guardian of Ellora, all the power I had retained should have passed on to Azra. It might be a remnant of those very same powers. Although, green liquid fire has never been one of my abilities nor to the ones before me. All the Guardians of Ellora were elementalists. None of which included the ability to conjure up green liquid fire, " She took a deep breath in, puzzled.

Humming, he returned to his meal, thinking about what she'd said. He'd gathered as much when she had had every opportunity under the sun to wipe him out of existence and yet she resorted to using blades, and other pointy things.

" What do you make of it then?" He pried further, making her halt mid-bite and look at him.

" I don't know. I know just about as much as you do," She shrugged and returned to her meal. And that was a whole lot of nothing.

Leaning back in his chair, he allowed himself to observe her as she munched on her food.

The fawn had triggered her. A mother. Natural instinct prevailed to preserve the life of a youngling. Like any mother would.

Perhaps, it had always been there, dormant. She glanced at him but decided not to say anything and returned to her meal.

His attempt to curb the life of the fawn had set in motion a string of events. Would that mean that he would have to threaten children or more defenceless creatures in order to verify his theory? She didn't seem to care much about it. Perhaps she had made her peace with living life as a mere human.

" Do you want it?" He found himself asking.

Placing the cutlery on her plate very slowly, she turned to him," No," She quietly said, pushed herself up from the chair, and stacked the dishes together. Perhaps she was right. There was the possibility that her outburst was nothing more than a small remainder of her previous powers, all fused in one.

Corvin nodded, pushed himself up to stand and followed her with his eyes, as she ambled towards the bed. If she didn't want it, there was nothing he could do about it.

Nonetheless, he was curious whether she was right.

After she'd tightly snuggled within the covers, he picked up the stack of plates and made his way out. He needed to think. He'd been doing a lot of thinking lately. He'd spent his entire life focusing on staying alive. Now, he found his newfound freedom a little suffocating.

Dakran had sent missives asking for him to return home. He wondered, what it would take for Dakran to leave Irostone, and drag him back by the scruff of his neck.

He wasn't done yet, not by far. He glanced at the castle behind him. The repairs were going slow, mostly because of the lack of labourers.

He'd get his hands dirty if he'd have any knowledge of how to build a castle. That wasn't part of his teachings on the front lines.

He shrugged at his thoughts and turned to look ahead. He'd happily learn if it would become his permanent home. He would have to find a way to win her heart, just like she won his.

Still, he had no clue how that happened. One day he was content with the life before him, and the day after he found himself running south.

He shook his head at his own thought, and now he was in this mess. A man holding a torch walking from the opposite direction nodded in greeting. Night had settled over Hessia and its surroundings, blanketed by a star-spangled sky. No moon in sight, just yet. When he reached the Eastern gate he turned on his heels, to return to her, and the bed they shared.