User blog:Leea/The Tale of Voronwe, Chapter 13

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1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th

4th Era 100, 27th of First Seed, Summerset Isle
Curwe smiled up at Balasian. "Well, do you think its done?"

Returning her smile, he replied, "Yes, it is done. Congratulations. You have made the first set of Captain's Harbor Guard armor out of Pyandonea."

She blushed. "I couldn't have done it without your help, though I never thought pearls and sand would make such a strong glue to adhere those plates to the leather."

He smirked. "I'm sure there are plenty of other uses for pearls that even Sea Elves haven't found yet."

Matching his smile, she asked if he wanted to try it on.

He tilted his head questioningly. "Why?"

"I want to see what it looks like on someone."

"You could just put it on yourself," he countered.

"Its too big for me. It was made for a man, not a woman." she objected.

Seeing that she was almost bouncing with excitement, he relented. "All right. Wait here while I put it on." he stated, motioning for her to remain in the kitchen.

Walking into her bedroom, he stripped out of his clothes and began to don the armor. It had been years since he had worn such armor, so he was slightly surprised to find that he still knew how to put it on, though he mused that the body remembers how to do something if it had gone through the process many times before, like he had. Pulling on the gloves and helmet, he studied himself in the floor-length mirror before he called Curwe in.

Barring the somewhat crude sand plates, it was a mirror copy of the armor he had once worn when he had been Captain of the Harbor Guard. Each rank of the Guard had unique pauldrons to announce his or her status, and the Captain's were like no other. They resembled wings, almost like the pauldrons of the Altmer's armor, but more like wings in flight, while the lesser ranks' pauldrons resembled the tails and heads of different sea creatures. The carved wings on his shoulders, coupled with the scale-like appearance of the rest of the armor, and the arrangement of the carved sand plates on the gloves, boots and helmet gave the impression of a magnificent winged sea creature about to take flight.

He had only the position for two years before he was noted to have more than usual skill with water magics, and was thus picked by the Archmage of the Hydromancers to have a place in the guild, where he learned even more about water magic, impressing everyone, including King Orgnum, who, after only a year in the Hydromancers, took him out and had him taught the languages of the other continents, making him his translator. Seeing himself clad in the armor once more brought back so many memories, even though this was just a copy, not his original. Reaching out, he touched the reflection and whispered to the twin staring back at him, "That was your old life; this is your new one. Make some memories befitting this life." Turning away from the mirror, he called to Curwe to come and see.

Walking into the room, her mouth dropped as her eyes grew round. "Oh...it's...wonderful. So...magnificent." Coming closer, she cautiously touched one of the sleeves of the armor and gushed, "I never thought I'd say this, but melted sand is so beautiful."

Smiling a little, he replied, "It should. Its a near copy of the original."

Something about his eyes made...something...in her chest stir. They were the same eyes she had known for over two weeks, but now there was something...different about them. Gently touching his chest plate, she moved closer, until their bodies were almost touching.

Watching her as she moved closer, Balasian rested his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. Gazing deep into each other's eyes, there seemed a connection there that would defy time, forever. Lifting one of his hands, he soflty caressed her cheek with the back of his gloved fingers. Lifting her hand from his chest, she laid her hand over his, cupping it to her cheek. Dropping his head by increments, he kissed her forehead, in between her eyebrows, on the bridge of her nose, before tenderly kissing her lips. The feel of them, soft and pillowy, made it seem as if his chest and stomach were full of butterflies. As they shared their first kiss, both reveled in the sensations it created, neither having been more than embraced before. Arms wrapping around the other, they each pressed closer, full of new feelings and sensations. Pulling his head back, Balasian probed deep into her lovely amber eyes, asking in no more than a whisper, "Do you know what to do?"

Curwe smiled bashfully. "No. Do you?"

White eyes roaming over her face, he lifted a hand and brushed an errant tendril of hair from her face. "Somehow, I think I do, though I don't remember being told about it or reading it in a book."

A slight frown on her features, Curwe said, "That seems foreboding, somehow."

He smiled indulgently. "What better way to find out than experimenting?"

Fingering the closures that kept the armor on, she gazed into his eyes and asked how easy the armor was to take off.

Eyes full of intent, he smiled out of a corner of his mouth while pulling on the bow of the drawstring that kept her dress closed. "It comes off as easy as it goes on." Placing a finger under her chin, he raised her lips to his.

* * *

Snuggling up to him under the sheets, Curwe leaned her head on his strong, white shoulder. "That was a good experiment."

Balasian laughed heartliy before shifting to face her. Looking deep into his eyes, she reached out and hooked a wisp of his white hair behind his ear. Catching her hand as she withdrew it, he brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. She smiled knowingly. "I don't think you need a separate bedroom anymore."

He returned the smile. "No. I don't beleive so."

Her eyes sparkled in the failing light of the day that streamed through the window. "I'm excited about what the future may have in store for us."

His eyes as well caught the remaining light coming from the window, though they glowed, rather than sparkled. "Me too. My outlook on life has never been better."

Kissing her knuckles again, he hugged her close, both of them thinking of the other before sleep took them into her soft embrace.