Curlan smiled as the yelling ended. He knew no one else in the castle had heard anything, but he was happy all the same. He curled up under his blankets and started dozing off, finding the wolves before dropping off completely.
Raekal RP Admin Band OL King of Manetheren
Posts: 226
(11/26/06 11:51 pm) Reply
Re: The Return (Curlan)
Saker felt the beginning of a smile tug at his lips. Her question, so pure and innocent.. was completely.. odd. She already knew why, just so well as he did. But he supposed, as only he could, that she was just hiding it from herself the same way she had hid everythign else from them both. He played idly with a lock of hair on her shoulder for a moment while he considered his words. While he knew the answer.. it was in his heart, and his heart rarely was good at giving voice to words.
He twisted the hair around his finger, and then let out a long breath as he let his fingers trail back, to her spine, and trace the ridged bumps lower down her back, a bare feather's touch under the sheet that covered her from his eyes.
"Well.. I would have to ask you the same thign in order to answer that, love," he said softly, his hand slipping up into the dip of her waist. She had smooth, satiny skin. He loved the feel of it under his rough fingers. "You are beautiful. You are smart. You are strong-willed." He gave her a slight wink at that. "Strong-willed" was a strong understatement. They were both as stubborn as stubborn could be.. he supposed he loved that about her. She wouldn't back down. She wasn't weak, and afraid. But yet.. she was still tender. She was still soft.. and now, she realized that she had him to help her.. it was good, he supposed. His fingers trailed across her stomach, tickling lightly, feeling her muscles twitch under her skin. As soft as she was.. she was just as hard.
"I love you for everything about yourself," he said after a small pause. "There is not one thing about you I don't love.. I love your hair. I love your eyes. I love your fingers." His other hand brought her hand to his lips so he could lovingly kiss each finger. "I love your lips." He tipped her chin up and twisted slightly so he could kiss her lips. "I love you." He looked into her eyes. Beautiful eyes. No other eyes were nearly as beautiful, he thought. "Besides.. ever since I first laid eyes on you, I knew, somewhere in my heart, that you would always be the other half that made me whole." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Hmm.. my turn!" His hand was still on her stomach, only a tad lower now, and in danger of running farther south. "How often did you dream of this? Of laying in my bed, nestled in my arms?"
(Raekal Dunshain) -- First Stormleader Asha'man Bonded to Brenna Selanos (Saker Mandell) -- King of Manetheren (Seia Vron) -- Asha'man (Tristan Du'saa) -- Gaidin in Training (Kerin Lizaile) -- Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
Re: The Return (Curlan)
Alaren let her eyes close, Saker’s words caressing her heart as his hands caressed her naked skin. The words he spoke meant everything and nothing; it was enough to feel the strength of his fingers against her back and the steadiness of the bond, to hear gentle lull of his voice. He could have been talking of sheep and tabac, for all she cared; she was entranced by his mere presence. That he was practically speaking in sonnets was simply icing on the cake.
It was not until Saker kissed her lips, pressing her head back into the pillow, that Alaren opened her eyes again to find his own gazing into them.
"Besides.. he said, ever since I first laid eyes on you, I knew, somewhere in my heart, that you would always be the other half that made me whole."
At this Alaren could only nod. Her relationship with Saker had been riddled with misunderstandings, but this… this she could more than comprehend. What was life without Saker? He was everything to her.
"Hmm.. my turn!" he continued, his eyes mischievous and his brows cocked. "How often did you dream of this? Of laying in my bed, nestled in my arms?"
Alaren laughed, the twinkle returning to her eyes. “Never, actually,” she said slyly. “Not like this, at least.” Her voice fell into seriousness. “I was too preoccupied wishing you were alive to dream of anything more. Although…” she paused momentarily, staring thoughtfully past Saker. “There was one time, at the Tower,” she said thoughtfully, her lighthearted tone returned. “I can’t remember when, exactly. I dreamt that we were in bed together, although it was mine, rather than yours. I believe my father was there as well, so I suppose that does not count.”
She pondered this momentarily, before realizing its implications.
“Oh Light!” she said, giggling into her pillow. “That sounded wrong, didn’t it?”
Bonded to Saker Mandell
Raekal RP Admin Band OL King of Manetheren
Posts: 232
(11/27/06 5:11 pm) Reply
Re: The Return (Curlan)
A moment of heavy silence hung between them for a moment. His hand had frozen on her stomach, his thumb across her navel, his fingers stretched lower and across her smooth skin.
“Oh Light! That sounded wrong, didn’t it?” she asked with a giggle.
A sly smile stole across his face. "Interesting, I would call it," he said. She looked up at him, and his mischevious grin grew wider. "I've never thought about sharing..." he left the unsaid hang in the air for a moment, her eyes staring at him. Then, when he busted out laughing, she laughed with him.
Curiosity wore at his mind for a while, when they fell silent and contented in holding, and feeling, one another. His hand continued it's gentle explorations of her satin skin, running over the swell of one hip and back up her back to the nape of her neck. "Why.." he paused, tryign to find the words. "Why in the name of the Light would your father be there if we were... in bed?"
(Raekal Dunshain) -- First Stormleader Asha'man Bonded to Brenna Selanos (Saker Mandell) -- King of Manetheren (Seia Vron) -- Asha'man (Tristan Du'saa) -- Gaidin in Training (Kerin Lizaile) -- Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
Re: The Return (Curlan)
“Oh,” Alaren said quickly, curling up against him and leaning her head against his chest. “It wasn’t like that at all.” Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she felt his hand settle on the small of her back. “We weren’t… I had just woken up,” she explained quietly. “In my dream. You were next to me, sleeping. You looked… surreal. Like an illusion.” Alaren closed her eyes, trying to remember. She remembered Saker, asleep yet not asleep, as still as death as the light of the window reflected off his skin. It had been a strange dream. “One of the Aes Sedai came into the room… perhaps it was the Amyrlin, perhaps it was Kamariana. I do not remember… She said something, whoever she was, and then suddenly she was gone and my father was there instead.”
Her voice was clear and monotone as she spoke, the pain that she knew must plague her masked beneath her quiet calm. It had been over ten years since she had spoken of her father; she had not so much as mentioned his name since she and Arigan left Whitebridge so long ago. Time alone had numbed the pain, though she knew the wound must still be there. It felt strange to talk of him now, even his dream self, but Alaren continued regardless.
“He talked about my mother, told me that I was responsible for what happened to her and to our family, that I had destroyed them. And he told me… he told me that you were next. That I would destroy you too.”
She shook her head, tilting it back so that she could study his expression. “I am sorry. What a depressing thing to talk about! I should not even have brought it up. I’m sorry.”
Bonded to Saker Mandell
Raekal RP Admin Band OL King of Manetheren
Posts: 243
(11/30/06 3:27 pm) Reply
Re: The Return (Curlan)“He talked about my mother, told me that I was responsible for what happened to her and to our family, that I had destroyed them. And he told me… he told me that you were next. That I would destroy you too.”
There was a slight pause, while he considered her words, and she moved to look at him. He didn't know what it could mean.. after all.. it couldn't really have been him, could it?
“I am sorry. What a depressing thing to talk about! I should not even have brought it up. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head slightly, to show he wasn't mad, or displeased. He wrapped his arm around her tigher, pulling her against him snugly. He stared at the ceilign for a long moment, feeling her eyes still on his face.
"Well." He finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen for several long moments. "I don't think you have much to worry about." He looked down at her, saw her slightly puzzled expression, and smiled softly as he bent his neck to brush her lips with his, a soft kiss. "You won't destroy me. I'm sure of that. If anything does, it'll be a sword or spear that takes me while you're too far away to do anything about it." He paused for a moment. Then he wanted to wince. Light, but he could say some pretty stupid things every once in a while. "It would seem we both seem to be hot on the subject of depressing things to speak of," he said bitterly, and then twisted to his side, to face her.
"Do you.. do you think your dream was real? Some sort of vision of your father? A foretelling of some sort? Or just a dream, your inner fears expressing themselves through some whimsical outlet?"
(Raekal Dunshain) -- First Stormleader Asha'man Bonded to Brenna Selanos (Saker Mandell) -- King of Manetheren (Seia Vron) -- Asha'man (Tristan Du'saa) -- Gaidin in Training (Kerin Lizaile) -- Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
Re: The Return (Curlan)"You won't destroy me,” Saker said softly, the taste of his kiss still lingering on Alaren’s lips. “I'm sure of that. If anything does, it'll be a sword or spear that takes me while you're too far away to do anything about it."
At this they fell into an unhappy silence; Alaren could tell that Saker was internally kicking himself, but he was right. Alaren would at some point or another have to grapple with the fact that Saker would likely die before her, and it was not an easy concept to accept. She had known from the start how complicated it would be to fall in love, especially with her Warder- it was this knowledge that had prevented her from doing so to begin with. As quickly as she had fallen into Saker’s arms that night, it would take longer to overcome her other concerns and inhibitions- to accept that she would have to watch him die again.
"It would seem we both seem to be hot on the subject of depressing things to speak of. Do you.. do you think your dream was real? Some sort of vision of your father? A foretelling of some sort? Or just a dream, your inner fears expressing themselves through some whimsical outlet?"
Alaren thought about this momentarily, gazing into his eyes as he turned to face her.
“Just a dream, I think.” I hope. “A strange dream, but just a dream.” She laughed. “Besides, my father would never have been kind enough to give me any sort of warning, even one so… tactless.”
Bonded to Saker Mandell
Raekal RP Admin Band OL King of Manetheren
Posts: 256
(12/2/06 9:23 pm) Reply
Re: The Return (Curlan)
He frowned at this, but put it from his mind for a moment. He stroked her cheek with one finger, then let it trail down her throat and pulled her closer, kissing her passionately. His lips trailed down her neck as his fingers had done, lingering on her shoulders before moving back up to her lips. He wanted to spend hours and hours with her without ever having to leave. Despite knowing that they had the rest of their lives to spend with one another, he knew it would never be enough. Never content him, never make him happy.
He kissed her again, and let his passions take him.
Sometime later, he was laying on his back, now very thoroughly tired, but still not wantign to sleep just yet. He looked at her, nestled against him, content, and was loathe to disturb her, but he had learned so much he hadn't known about her before...
"What was he like? Your father, I mean. You never speak of him... well, except for just now, you never have. I've often wondered where they were, what it would be like to meet the parents of an Aes Sedai such as yourself."
(Raekal Dunshain) -- First Stormleader Asha'man Bonded to Brenna Selanos (Saker Mandell) -- King of Manetheren (Seia Vron) -- Asha'man (Tristan Du'saa) -- Gaidin in Training (Kerin Lizaile) -- Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
Re: The Return (Curlan)
“I’m afraid that would be impossible,” Alaren said with a yawn, adjusting the blanket so that it covered her shoulders. It seemed strange that they had gone from their depressing talk of death and nightmares into a fit of passion, and then back into a quiet and calm discussion about parents and family. But that was how they had always been, Alaren and Saker; their relationship had always been a balance of passion and painful reality. “They are both dead.”
Saker looked as though he might speak, so Alaren pressed a finger to his lips.
“I am not sorry,” she said. “I would not have want you to meet them anyways. My father was hardly a pleasant person. He was a drunk. An angry drunk.” She paused. “Life was hard on him, you know? I don’t know what made him snap, but… he started drinking. He would come home angry, would fight with my mother. Would hurt her. I always resented her for staying with him. I told her to leave, but… she would tell me she loved him, and she would stay.” Alaren bit her lip thoughtfully, resting her head on Saker’s shoulder. “He tried to kill her one day-would have come after me too- and I bolted. Arigan and I ran away to Caemlyn, and I never heard from them again. The year before I came to the tower I found out my father had died a year after I left, and my mother two weeks after that.”
Silence descended upon them.
“Well,” Alaren said drowsily. “I’ve ruined the mood again, haven’t I?”
Raekal RP Admin Band OL King of Manetheren
Posts: 260
(12/3/06 6:09 pm) Reply
Re: The Return (Curlan)
Saker shot her a look from the side of his eye. "Well actually love... Yes, yes you have. Quite thoroughly, I'm afraid. While we're at it, shall we start talking of Tear, and Baerlon? Or better yet, the times at the Tower?" he grinned at his own sarcasm.
Alaren apparently did not see the humor and gave him a small glare. He laughed. "I'm only joking. I'm sorry. It's just... talking about this..." He trailed off. How to explain it?
"It's like learning that there's this whole side to you that I never knew before. Ever. You've never spoke of your father, or your past, or anything. Or even Arigan." His voice went dark at the name. Bloody fool. He had been the only man on the Grounds that had been able to best Saker when Saker had left. He had never got a chance for a rematch, and to teach the arrogant bastard a lesson that everyone had to learn.. that Saker himself had learned. That no one, no matter their skill, was invincible to everything. Arigan had believed himself so... that had to be why he was dead now.
"I love you, Alaren. Regardless of anything that happened before. Maybe because of everything that happened before, I don't know. It's made you who are, made you.. you. And for that reason, I will always love your parents, and everyone else that had a part in your life. For in the end, it brought you to me, and me to you."
(Raekal Dunshain) -- First Stormleader Asha'man Bonded to Brenna Selanos (Saker Mandell) -- King of Manetheren (Seia Vron) -- Asha'man (Tristan Du'saa) -- Gaidin in Training (Kerin Lizaile) -- Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
If only it were that simple, Alaren thought to herself. Everything that had happened at the Tower, and Baerlon, in Tear even… it was all connected. It was because of her past, her parents, what she went through as a girl in Whitebridge and in Caemlyn that she had forgotten how to love in the first place, even if she did not know it at the time. But he was right; it did not matter now. She had Saker, she was in love, and she was happy.
Alaren reached for Saker’s hand beneath the blankets and entwining her fingers in his. His face was still turned to look at her, and so she propped herself up to kiss his lips, the first kiss that she had initiated, and rolled so that he was lying atop her once again. She smiled slyly, drawing his lips close to hers just as she heard a knock at the door.
Startled, Alaren slipped out from underneath her Warder, hiding below the blankets. She heard Saker hurrying to cover himself just in time for the door to swing open.
Re: The Return (Curlan)
Curlan poked his head into the room before squeezing himself through the barely opened door. He looked like he had slept little that night as well.
"Lord Mandel," he said softly, "Your servents await. Your bath is being drawn as we speak."
He turned back to the door, his disheveled hair matching his disheveled clothes. Ill dreams from the wolves had left him with little sleep and he hadn't cleaned and primped his uniform for todays cerimonies.
"Oh," he said, looking back before he oppened the door to leave, "Your handmaids are waiting as well Milady."
Raekal RP Admin Band OL King of Manetheren
Posts: 262
(12/3/06 7:10 pm) Reply
Re: The Return (Curlan)
Saker paused, his linen pants only halfway over his hips, but the sheet still over that. Alaren seemed to be trying to sink into the bed and disappear next to him. Grumbling, he rolled and tried to stand, but his pants caught on his heel and he tripped, still trying to pull them the rest of the way up with one hand as he hit the floor with a grunt.
Looking around, he grabbed the first thing that came to hand... a boot, and chucked it at the door. "Curlan!!!" he growled as the boot thunked off of the door, which had closed in a record speed. Growling, he sat up, his pants still partway down, and glared at the door before a moment more. He could hear Alaren's giggling on the bed above him and spun as he rose, diving across the tangled to sheets to land above her, on his hands and knees. "You plotted that, didn't you," he accused, with a sparkle of mischeviousness in his eyes.
(Raekal Dunshain) -- First Stormleader Asha'man Bonded to Brenna Selanos (Saker Mandell) -- King of Manetheren (Seia Vron) -- Asha'man (Tristan Du'saa) -- Gaidin in Training (Kerin Lizaile) -- Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
Re: The Return (Curlan)
Alaren smiled up at Saker, still shaking from laughter. She might have been mortified has the whole situation not been so amusing; instead she found herself giggling like a girl.
"You plotted that, didn't you?"
Alaren laughed, wrapping her fingers in his hair and cocking an eyebrow.
“There is no fooling you, is there?” she said with a grin, and kissed him thoroughly before, to Saker’s grunts of protest, slipping once again from under him with a teasing smile. She sat up, covering herself with the sheet as she surveyed the situation. Her robe had been abandoned on the floor near the wall, her shift was on the chair across the room, and somehow the belt of her robe was wrapped around the brass headboard. This posed a problem. She reached instead towards Saker’s night stand, upon which his shirt had been fortunately discarded, and squirmed into it. It fell almost to her knees when she crawled out of Saker’s bed; she tied her robe belt about her waist, just for good measure.
“You heard the man, Saker,” she said, a twinkle in her eye. “Your bath awaits. Although,” she said in sudden seriousness. “You may want to consider putting some pants on first.”
And with that she sashayed through the doorway into her own room.
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