#i am frolicking through the dash sending air kisses to you all

[teddybeartoji]

anyway i am kissing you all very sweetly thank you for being my friends:3333333

[i-jus-wanna-writehappy]

Glory

Pairing: Poe Dameron x fem!Reader

Warnings: SMUT. THIS IS SMUT. 18+. 

Author’s Note: Welp, I stayed up until 4:11 just to finish this. It’s the longest piece I have ever written, so, if you think my pieces are always too short and not sweet enough, hopefully this can make up for it. Also, this has been in my drafts for weeks and up until 3:59 this morning, it was titled Delicate. Glory literally wasn’t in here once until this morning.

Tags: @thotyana-in-this-hoe @neeadinghugs 

Masterlist 

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Poe can’t help it as his eyes shift to you every few minutes as you talk with Finn. Everyone is out getting drinks after a smooth mission and you treat everyone out with you to a free round. You and Finn laugh your way through two shots before he has to rush to the refresher to vomit all he’s drank.

“Is he alright?” Rey chuckles, leaning against you, slight concern making its way into her voice. You can’t stop the laugh that pushes from your lips as you take another small sip from the large cup you ordered before Finn suggested something stronger, “He will be.” Rey huffs with a smile before leaning in closer to you so she can talk without being heard and completely throwing off Poe’s groove.

“Poe... Poe! Are you even listening?” Rose asks, her brow furrowed as she shakes the pilot out of his stupor. “Yeah, yeah, of course I’m listening. The story is hilarious. I just got worried about Finn, you’ve got my full attention.” Poe wants so badly to give all of his attention to the group surrounding him, but you’re laughing with Rey and swaying to the music playing and he can’t stop his eyes from looking to you. Shift. You and Rey are leaning on each other laughing. Shift. You give Rey a nod, shrugging a shoulder as you feign indifference. Shift. You’re both downing the last of your drinks. Shift. You’re not there any more. Shit, you aren’t there anymore. Poe’s head whips around as he tries to see where you and Rey could have disappeared to so quickly.

Realizing that you and Rey have left before he could make his big move, which he is definitely going to do tonight, Poe flashes his audience a charming smile, “I apologize, you’re right, Rose, my mind is a little flighty, there’s a mission issue I need to discuss and I just know it’s gonna bug me all night if I don’t just go take care of it. Save the good stories til I get back?” He asks, backing away from the group. Rose purses her lips like she knows that Poe is up to something, but instead of calling him out, she waves him off, “Yeah yeah, we’ll save the good ones til you get back.” Raising his drink to her, Poe turns around and sets the bottle on the counter before finally making his way outside.

There are a few people talking and laughing right outside the cantina and Poe almost wishes he didn’t leave BB-8 to charge so the little droid could do it’s thing and find you. The more reasonable part of him knows that BB would probably embarrass him incredibly. Either way, he’s on his own, so Poe just turns right and begins walking. It isn’t long before he steps into an expanse of trees, and Poe is almost ready to turn around and try going left when he hears your shriek. His heart starts racing in panic and Poe sets off in a run, quickly slowing himself down when he hears that the shriek is followed by a laugh. The slower pace gives Poe just small enough steps to trip over something. He catches himself on a nearby tree, and when he looks down, Poe realizes that he’s tripped over a jacket.

More specifically, he’s tripped over your jacket.

The discovery piques Poe’s interest just a little more than he’d care to admit. Grabbing the jacket, Poe follows the sound of your voice and Rey’s laughter. The ground begins to get a little softer beneath his feet and Poe’s pants tighten when his mind concludes there’s a body of water nearby. You and Rey could just be relaxing with your feet in the water. That isn’t the thought that excites Poe though, what excites Poe is the idea of you and Rey being in the water. What all did you keep on in the water? Oh, Maker, what all did you take off?

His questions are answered when he approaches and sees Rey’s bare shoulders and back sticking out of the water. “That’s definitely unfair! I am not Force sensitive, so I think that because you got to both cheat and catch me off guard, I should get to dunk your head under water.” Rey snorts and wraps her arms around herself, “Are you sure that you’re the best negotiator we have?” Your laugh rings through the air again and Poe realizes that he’s peeking at you from behind a tree like a child. He also realizes that he can’t quite move so he isn’t. You’re ducked into the water up to your chin, also refusing to move, but when Rey groans and lifts her arms, admitting defeat, you approach her, the water revealing more and more of you the closer you get until all of you is out down to your belly button. Out and definitely naked. Poe closes his eyes for a while, able now to take complete cover behind the tree nearest him.

First things first, Stars, you’re gorgeous and Poe has no idea if there’s any way he’ll be able to look at you ever again without thinking of you, completely naked and soaking wet. And now thinking about it, he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to do that without getting almost painfully hard. Maker, how is he gonna make his move? Does he wait for you to get out? That would be the gentlemanly thing to do. He could step out with a dashing smile and ask Rey to give the two of you a moment of privacy. This doesn’t have to be weird.

Yeah, yeah, it doesn’t have to be weird at all. Not at all. Not weird or anything like it. Poe is a grown man! He’s seen naked women before. And you are a grown woman, and surely people have seen your naked body before. And then he’s hit with an awful realization. Rey. Shit, you’re both just frolicking around naked, together. Maker, what if he’s just being a pretentious asshole and you aren’t attracted to -

“Fuck! I um - General Dameron.” Poe jumps, turning around, he realizes that he has been pacing in his thinking and has moved from behind the tree. “Poe? Are you alright?” Rey asks, seeing Poe’s shocked face. Both of you have dipped beneath the water so that all can be seen is your heads. And now, all of Poe’s ideas are completely shot. He’s right in front of you and he has not gotten his shit together yet. “You don’t have to call me General, Y/N, I’m not used to it myself. But uh, if you get a second, can I speak with you about a mission I’ve been thinkin bout sending you on? With security detail, of course.”

You start to get up to scramble around for your clothes, but you remember that you’re naked and settle back down in the water. “Of course, I have a minute now. Could I have a second to get dressed?” Poe isn’t sure if he should be excited or dreading the moment as he begins stepping away with his raging hard-on still jutting out of his pants. “I will just be a few feet out, take your time.” Poe answers, your jacket clutched before him. Not until he’s out of ear shot does Poe lose it a little, clenching his fist and biting softly at his knuckles, groaning around them. It occurs to him the time he saw you kissing that newer pilot a while back, he was a man, so maybe he does have chance? And don’t Rey and Finn have that whole ‘will they, won’t they’ thing going on purpose? So that makes his chances a bit better, well, at least with the kid gone - he was lost on a mission not too long after you were seen locking lips. The thought makes Poe feel awful, but his erection is softening, so he can’t be too upset with himself.

Rey, on the other hand, is entirely delighted by the situation, no holds barred at all. As soon as she’s sure Poe is out of ear shot, Rey barks a laugh so loud it startles you as you make your way out of the water. “He’s almost forgotten he’s General now? Poe reminds me at least once every other day that I’m lucky he doesn’t have me call him General Dameron.” She teases, splashing water at your back. You suck your teeth and pull your pants on over your damp legs, foregoing your underwear for the sake of your comfort. “Well, the two of you are friends, Rey, that’s friendly teasing. This was just professional prattle.”

“Or...” Rey drawls, following you out of the water and dressing before speaking again, “Maybe, General Dameron has a crush. I reckon he wanted your little secret meeting to be as private as possible,” Rey teases, head tilted suggestively, “So, I’ll buy you a drink and keep it warm, yeah?” You want to tell Rey that you’re sure that the talk will only take as long as the walk back to the cantina, but she’s already started walking off and you aren’t sure how close Poe is, and, the idea of Poe having crush on you is a little exciting, so you just leave the idea as it is and hold your shoes and underwear in hand as you search for Poe.

It isn’t too long before you catch up to Poe. Rey passed him just a minute ago, giving him a once over before smirking and leaving him with a, “Have fun, General Dameron.” When you arrive, you’re holding some of your clothes, and Poe has to remind himself to not spend too much time admiring how your wet skin makes your clothes stick to you, especially not now that he’s finally got himself just half hard.

“Sorry, I hope I didn’t end up taking too long. Is walking and talking fine?” You greet Poe, almost sheepishly, your smile conveying any apologies on your part. “Yeah, yeah, we can walk and talk. Are your uh, feet gonna be okay without the shoes?” Poe asks, slipping into his natural charm as he points at your shoes. Laughing, you begin walking first, “Oh, they’ll be fine. I walked in plenty worse places barefoot as a child.” You reassure Poe before rubbing a bead of water on your forearm into your skin, “But, this mission. Are we looking to settle on another planet and use an old Rebel base? Need to negotiate for cheaper prices on our repair parts?”

Poe lets go of your jacket with one of his hands, wiping it against his pants, “I uh, I actually lied. I came looking for you to ask you out, and then I saw you in all your naked glory and panicked.” Poe is nervous about what your response might be, but a soft chuckle is not one of the things he expected to hear, “I don’t know if my nakedness has ever been referred to as ‘glory’ before.” Poe’s relief almost rolls off of him in a wave. He shoots you a quick smile and shrugs his shoulder, the cantina coming into view, “Really? Surely that was only due to the inability to articulate. Glory does that some times. Especially naked glory.”

Much to Poe’s surprise, you don’t go straight for the entrance, instead leading him to walk around the building at your leisurely pace. “You know, Rey said you might have a crush on me.” You say nonchalantly, not even looking at Poe. He would step a little more cautiously if this was how the conversation started, but the banter makes him a little more confident in his chances, so Poe moves so he’s standing in front of you, stopping completely. “Would that be a bad thing? If I liked you?” Now at a standstill, you look Poe right in his eyes before smiling, “It’d actually be a bit of a relief. It’s a little awkward to pretend unrequited adoration isn’t there.”

Another wave of relief from Poe. He uses his free hand to rub his curls back into place, their order disappearing as soon as Poe lowers his hand, “Adoration? Oh, I don’t think that was the word I used.” His response makes you laugh and before you can calm down, Poe leans in, “Can I kiss you?” You don’t answer, instead shifting your belongings in your arms and using your now free hand to bury into Poe’s curls and pull his mouth to you. That is answer enough for Poe though as he drops your now almost unrecognizably dirty jacket and wraps both of his arms around you to pull you closer. Your lips are just as soft as he always imagined and your nipples rub at his chest through his shirt, completely undoing the work he put in to getting rid of his erection.

Poe pulls away, one hand now cradling your face and a wide smile on his face matching yours, “Can I kiss you again?” You laugh again, dropping your shoes and underwear so you can embrace him properly, both arms wrapping around Poe in a strong embrace. The lack of barrier between your bottom halves makes Poe’s erection evident to you now and your moan into his mouth quickly changes the energy of the kiss. Where you were once giggling into each other’s mouths, now you’re grinding against each other and drowning your whimpers and groans in the mouth of the other.

Shifting your arms so they’re both over Poe’s shoulders, you jump up and wrap your legs around Poe’s waist, fingernails scratching at his scalp as you tug at his hair, “Is this okay with you?” You ask Poe between kisses as you map your way to the extra sensitive part of his neck. Wanting to use his arms for more than holding you up, Poe walks until your back is against the cantina, the back door cool against his fingers, “Sweetheart, I don’t think anything has been okay until now.” The end of the statement is choked out when you finally find Poe’s soft spot and drag the tip of your tongue along the skin right at the lobe of his ear.

Feeling the need to return the favor, Poe pushes his hips closer to you to help you and the wall in keeping you up before letting his hands roam. His hands find the hem of your shirt first, the warm wet fabric leaving the same feeling on your skin. You sigh out loud as Poe’s fingers inch up and brush softly against your nipples. “Maker, that feels good.” You whimper as you take Poe’s lobe between your teeth and scratch your nails across the nape of his neck just hard enough to make him hiss. Poe pinches your nipple in his fingers and uses his other hand to squeeze at your thigh as he begins to thrust his hips into yours.

You rest your head on the door behind you and roll your hips in needy circles, “Later Poe, we can do it later, but I really just wanna have your dick in me right now.” The declaration makes Poe’s cock jump in his pants and he decides that, yes, he can explore your body later. “You’re gonna have to be a little quieter if we’re gonna fuck right here right now, sweetheart.” Poe warns as he sets you down. You’d believe he was chastising you if he didn’t have a cocky smile slapped across his mouth. “And that goes for both of us?” You ask with a giggle as you work Poe’s pants and briefs down just enough to release his red, leaking cock from its harsh confines. “Fuck,” You groan. Poe gives you a quick look, his hands stilling on your pants to make sure everything is still alright. When your eyes lock, you pull his face closer to yous and speak just against his lips, “Glory.” You whisper before pressing your lips to his softly.

Poe giggles softly against your mouth as he finally works your pants down to your knees, the wetness of the material making the short trek a little harder than usual. Hands cupping the underside of your thighs, Poe helps you to your tiptoes, lips disconnecting from yours in anticipation. Poe’s hot breath fans against your lips as he lets you slip a little, feeling just the tip of his dick slide into you. In an attempt to keep quiet, you clench your teeth, but the sound is determined and a soft growl rumbles in your chest and the entire situation makes Poe shudder, his dick swelling even more just at the thought of finally having you, here, even if not in the most comfortable - or convenient - of spots.

“Y/N, I’m gonna let some more in, but sweetheart, I need you to try a little harder to keep those pretty little noises to yourself, alright?” You don’t have to say it out loud, Poe feels you nod against him, and he has to remember to practice what he’s preaching as he lowers you all the way. Feeling your chest rumble with sounds unmade, Poe buries his face into the crook of your neck. The heat of your skin and the heat wrapped around him feeling too good to be true.

“I need, Poe, please - please, I need you to move.” You whine, squeezing your walls around him just to feel some kind of friction. Poe knows he needs to move. He can feel what should be the best orgasm he’s had in a long time stirring within him, and he doesn’t know how quiet, how sane, how strong he can stay while fucking into you. But he’s got to do something, so focusing his mouth on licking at the salted stretches of your neck and his arms on wrapping tightly around you, Poe pulls his hips back as far as he can, as slow as he can. “General Dameron, fuck me please.” The end of your whispered plea is cut off by a grunt when Poe shoots his hips forward with as much speed and ferocity and he can manage with you both so close together.

Removing one of his arms from around you, Poe moves it to the back of your head, pressing your face into his shoulder to muffle the sigh that leaves your mouth. Once again, Poe pulls out slowly, only to punch back in again. One of your hands has found its way to the curls at the nape of Poe’s neck and holds them in a tight grip, making Poe whimper into your neck. “Maker, sweetheart, your pussy feels better than anything I’ve ever had.” His words have you moaning into the warmth of his shirt, the material dampening from the heat of your panting.

You want to say something clever. To pull away from Poe and tell him to wait until you’re actually doing something as you smirk smugly when the words make him groan at the thought of you doing this again. Of you pushing him onto a bed and riding him so hard his pelvis is bruised and he can’t make any more noise his throat is so sore. But you feel quite the same, so instead of making yourself the protagonist in a cheesy sex scene, you lift one of your legs up and clench around Poe again. To both of your surprise, Poe’s knees get weak at the feeling, and he knows that if there wasn’t the door supporting you, that he’d have fallen to the ground and taken you with him.

“Oh, fuck, fuck, please do that again.” Poe begs, his hand going from your head to gripping at your elevated thigh. “Ah, yeah, come on sweetheart, you feel so good. Wanna feel what your pussy does around me when I shoot into you. Can we do that?” Poe whines into your skin as he peppers it with wet kisses, hot licks of his tongue gracing your skin at every peck and driving you insane. “Maker, yes. Whatever you want.” Poe exhales a laugh, his breath quickening as he feels his orgasm approaching, “Fuck me, sweetheart, You know what I’m gonna do?” Poe grunts, his short fingernails leaving crescent indents in your skin as his thrusts become haphazard and a whine begins to make its way into each of his breaths. Giving a single breath chuckle, you push a stray curl from Poe’s forehead, “Cum?”

The remark sobers Poe a little and he lifts his head from your chest and rests his forehead on yours so you can look right in his eyes, “That’s right, sweetheart. I’m gonna cum in you. And then I’m gonna keep thrusting into you until your throat is sore from keeping quiet. And before you can cum, I’m gonna get down on my knees and lick all evidence of this out of you. I’m gonna suck on that clit of yours until your legs are shaking and you’re afraid you’re gonna rip all my hair out at the root.” The way Poe’s grunts and whimpers cut him off makes it evident that his filthy words are helping him get off too.

Now you don’t care much at all about being clever or witty, the throbbing of Poe’s cock inside you is intoxicating and all you can think about is the warmth of his cum as it shoots inside you, coating your insides and pulling your own orgasm from it’s concentrated place. “Poe,” You whisper, your body so tense as it clenches around Poe that your voice won’t get any louder, “General Dameron, I’m only gonna ask once that you fuck that cum into me right now before I push you down and take it.” As much as Poe wants to hold on for that, and he wants to so badly that his eyes well up with tears, Poe Dameron has never been able to hold his orgasm when it came to dirty talk, and especially not when referred to by his title.

A whimper falls from Poe’s mouth, and he makes sure to shove his mouth onto yours to quiet his grunts and enamored wails of your name. Poe pulls your pelvis as close to his as he can, opting for pushing you down onto his dick as far as he can get you rather than thrusting up into you as he releases. As your tongue easily beats Poe’s for dominance, you feel a tear slip into the crevice of your faces and soak into your skin. It takes one blink from you to realize that the tear is not from you, but from Poe, and if his mouth wasn’t muffling you, you probably would have audibly gasped. Yeah, you’ve been fucked to the point of crying orgasmic tears, but you’ve never brought a man to that point. And if he’s being honest, it hasn’t ever happened to Poe before so he’s rather surprised as well. But as his hips stutter and you take his bottom lip between your teeth, Poe is even more surprised he isn’t full on bawling.

Poe doesn’t remove his mouth from yours until all of his cum has been shot into you and when he does, he looks like he’s been drinking all night. Eyes blown and watery, lips swollen, and a lazy, but ecstatic grin on his face, Poe takes one of his hands from your thighs to rub your clit at a leisurely pace. “I think I made you a promise, sweetheart.” Poe rasps, coming back to himself a bit. With a pinched groan, Poe pulls his half hard cock from inside of you and drops to his knees. As much as he would have loved to keep his cock sheathed in you until you refused to hold him there any more, he couldn’t wait to taste you and have your cum smeared around his cheeks and chin while he devoured you.

“Maker, sweetheart, you’re gorgeous.” Poe admires softly, so soft, you’re pretty sure he wasn’t even really talking to you. Pushing your legs open more, Poe licks a stripe of dripping cum from your thigh up to your slit, humming in satisfaction at the taste of your skin, of the two of you combined. Poe takes a deep breath and you think he’s going to say something, but instead, he pulls one of your legs over his shoulder and wraps his lips around your clit, moving his thumb to your entrance and teasing you with it as he pushes the thick digit barely into you. Poe sucks on your clit like he needs it and nuzzles his nose against your pelvis, wanting to be as close to you as he can.

Your hands fumble, from your hair, to your breasts, and to Poe’s hair as you struggle to not grind on his face. Noticing your struggle, Poe removes his thumb from your opening and his mouth from your clit, “Cover your mouth.” You grumble at the loss of his mouth on you and give his hair a quick tug in question. Poe licks another stream of cum from your quivering inner thigh, “I’m not up there to muffle you, I need you to do it yourself.” Poe explains, his eyes lighting up like he’s just received a present as he pulls your other leg up to rest on his free shoulder. The change makes you gasp, and you flatten your back to the door, “Poe, we just fucked, you shouldn’t be holding me up, I don’t -” Poe cuts you off, looking up into your eyes for the first time since falling to his knees, “Y/N, I don’t care if my back is broken. I want you where you can grind your pussy all over my face, and I like where we are now. Is that okay with you?” He gets his answer when you tug at your bottom lip with your teeth and push his face as close as you can to your dripping cunt, now more your juices than his.

Poe gives your inner thigh a quick bite before covering your heat with his mouth. Maker, had he known you’d taste this good, that you’d get this wet for him, Poe would have asked to kiss you much earlier. Poe sticks his tongue in your entrance and licks around as if he were exploring your mouth. You’re delicious and your squirms intensify as Poe rubs firm circles onto your clit with his thumb. You mumble something from behind your hands and if this had been a few hours earlier, Poe would probably think you were crying, and you probably were now, but he gets the gist of what you said; I’m close.

For a moment, Poe is sad that he’ll have to stop eating you out so soon, but then a disgusting thought runs through his mind and circles for a few more laps. Pulling back from your dripping cunt to deliver kitten licks to your clit, Poe caresses the top of your thigh, “Y/N, sweetheart, do you trust me?” He can’t hear your response, so Poe looks up to see you have indeed shed a few tears. When his eyes meet yours, you nod again, pumping your hips impatiently. The wicked smile Poe gives you is almost enough to still you, “Can I try something? Just to get you off?” Your mind sparks, but with lustful curiosity rather than fear. When you whimper and nod again, Poe looks like he wants to pump his fist victoriously, but instead, he delves right back into your folds, resuming his teasing of your clit with his thumb. Poe’s mouth isn’t back on you right away and you’re curious until he takes his hand from your leg and pulls his thumb into his mouth, covering it with saliva until it was dripping down his wrist.

Poe’s mouth is back on you then and your neck hurts from craning it to watch him. Poe lets the fingers of his free hand graze over your ass, and just before you can ask him to speed up, Poe rubs his thumb against your tight puckered hole. Moving your hands from your mouth to Poe’s sweat dampened curls, you grip them tightly in warning. Poe nods against you and just barely pushes his thumb in before your hips jut against his face and your thighs squeeze his head tightly. A sharp cry of Poe’s name starts to make its way out of your mouth, but you slap one of your hands over your mouth and bite the skin there instead.

Your orgasm feels like you’re back in the water: as soon as a wave makes its way to your feet, another one starts at your head again and rocks you to your core. Your orgasm hits you so hard that you barely notice Poe setting your feet back on the ground and kissing at your hips as he keeps his thumb rubbing over your clit to help you ride out your high. Once you’ve recovered yourself, you’re on the ground across from Poe and his shit eating grin.”Was that okay?” He asks you, finishing closing his pants. You go to do yours, but realize Poe has already done it for you. Giving a breathless laugh, you shake your head at Poe, “I don’t think anything has been okay until now.”

Poe laughs and shuffles so he’s sitting beside you, “You wanna go in and get a drink or stay out here for a little bit longer?” Snuggling into Poe’s side, you rest your head on him, “I uh, I don’t think I can mingle or walk right now.” Poe huffs, amused and wraps his arm around you, “Great because I don’t think I can either.” Completely content in your situation, you almost doze off, but before sleep can take you, Poe gives you a squeeze, “So... glory, huh?” He asks, making you snort and give him a soft kiss. “What’s better than glory? Cause you got it.”

[scurvgirl]

The Dragon and the Princess Grew Close

More Fairy Tale AU!

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

Meanwhile, Part One

Worldbuilding

Tagging @feynites​ for characters, but won’t say who to keep it at least a little interesting ;)

After the day at the waterfall, Adannar starts taking Serahlin places.

It’s only every few days since there is work to be done for her to survive sufficiently on her own. It is a goal he supports, even if he knows that she may choose to not spend as much time with him afterwards. She deserves her independence, she’s worked for it, and he doesn’t want to forcefully spend time with her anyways. Her choice makes the time better.

He takes her to a great tree, first. The Great Tree, to be exact. An old spirit of Content possessed it a millennium ago, and it has remained here ever since, growing to a gargantuan size. An old hollowed voice rings from it, greeting Adannar in an equally old tongue. Serahlin doesn’t realize what it says is a greeting, but she marvels at it all the same. She touches its bark with respectful reverence, more polite than even some of the scholars Adannar knew hundreds of years ago.

“Content, perhaps you could show our guest your view?” He requests.

In the old tongue, Content replies, “Has she not ridden upon your back yet? Oh, you have not told her. Very well, I will show her.” A thick branch slowly lowers to in front of Serahlin.

She glances back at him for reassurance. He smiles and gestures for her to climb onto the branch. Adannar joins her, and slowly they are lifted up to another branch. Content guides them to the canopy in this manor, having them climb aboard semi-mobile branches until they sit perched atop the tree, looking out around them.

The sun is low in the sky, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange and blue. The tops of the trees all stop below Content, their leaves soft and pliant as the cool air of the afternoon swirls around them. Serahlin’s hair loosens from its tie and sways with the wind, but she does not seem to mind as she leans her head back, eyes closed, and smiling in enjoyment. It is an entrancing image of her, leaning back and enjoying the natural magic of the forest. She is entrancing.

His heart clenches. There is no beauty like hers, no heart, no person whose eyes shine so brightly when discovering something new. And there is nothing more natural for him at this point to love her, even in secret, even if she does not return the sentiment. He loves her, and he is happy to even know that. To know her.

He wants to tell her, but fear holds him back still. She isn’t ready to know quite yet. He wants her to know him before…before potentially running from him. It is selfish, he knows, but he can’t bring himself to change course.

He takes her home after the sun sets. He takes her hands in his at the door to the cottage. She is looking up at him with a soft expression that makes his heart melt and oh, how he loves her. He lifts her hands up to his lips, kissing her knuckles before wishing her a good night. He steps away but does not hear the door close, and when he turns around, he sees her watching him, her cheeks almost as pink as her eyes.

Adannar lifts his hand in the air, waving goodnight as he slips into the forest. His nocturnal creations skitter through the night, joining him as he heads back to his home.

There are other places he can take her to, like the meadow and he can even see about showing her some of the crystal caves in the mountains. He wants her to enjoy living her and to know that even though she is far from her home court and palace, she is still surrounded by beauty.

He goes through more of his storage, finding more beautiful clothing to give her. The breeches he had given her earlier were fairly basic, mostly in beiges and browns, along with white shirts. But now he finds the more colorful garments – pinks, greens, blues, even a few reds that he think she will look splendid in. He packages them in a case and the next morning presents them to her.

“Adannar! You don’t need to,” she says even as she fawns over the prettier clothes.

“Do you like them?” He asks in earnest. She looks up and smiles, then cups his face.

“I adore them, thank you.” He leans into her touch just for a moment before straightening his back.

“Wonderful!”

He means to take her to the meadow today, but there is work that needs to be done and they end up spending the day working around the cottage. The chickens need tending to, as does the garden they’ve created in the past weeks. The roof of the cottage also needs a repair, it’s been leaking, and then by the time everything’s completed, the sun is low in the sky and there is no time to take her anywhere special. But they do have enough time to cook and eat dinner together. Well, a dinner for her. Adannar will need to do some night hunting to fill up.

Serahlin lets her hair out, spilling down her shoulders, making her look like the princess he first saw in the Dreaming. But now she is smiling and happy as she eats her stew and makes conversation with him.

“In Eletharan, it is customary to have small meals throughout the day. Consuming large meals at once is seen as bad for health,” she says, even as she breaks a bread roll to sop up some stew.

“But I can’t say I have felt any different with this regimen. Sometimes I think half of the things the nobility did was simply because they could and it set them, us, apart from everyone else. How often you ate became a symbol of wealth. I would eat eight small meals a day, my sister ate ten. I knew of merchants who would stretch their food to last six meals a day.”

Adannar tries to contemplate that. He knows that she came from a world of wealth and excess, but this seemed…much. He knows that her meals were made for her, judging by how she has not exactly been that great in the kitchen. He is not judging her for any of it, of course, she was born into this and she did what she could to survive the environment.

“The company was horrid most of the time,” she says, “All these people just…watching, waiting for me to be imperfect.” Her eyes move down to her food and his brow furrows in concern.

“I find perfection boring, to be honest,” Adannar says, “It is fleeting, and flaws are what make people unique. There is no true beauty in perfection. I am not perfect, you are not perfect, but it does not make you lesser.”

Serahlin blinks and her lips part on a silent “oh.” She tucks her hair behind her ear in a gesture he has come to know as a sign of nervous flattery.

“I…thank you.” She speaks in the way of someone unused to compliments, but perhaps it is not the compliment that is throwing her, but the sincerity. Those at court must be so…blind, he thinks, to lack the ability to see how much Serahlin truly deserves compliments. She is kind and funny and beautiful, even if she is imperfect with her distrustful nature and stubbornness.

They finish dinner and he helps her clean up before it is time for him to leave her to her nightly routine. But before he leaves, she takes his hand.

He turns to her, heart beating, expectant.

Serahlin opens her mouth to say something then shuts it. His heart falls but she takes a step towards him and lifts her free hand to his face. She caresses his cheek and while the silence stretches before them, it feels like she is saying a thousand words, and he is replying in kind.

She pulls back after a moment and straightens her clothes. The normal Serahlin with her stoicism and pleasantries. More and more, however, that Serahlin gives way to a softer version of herself. A version of herself that smiles easily and enjoys his jokes and the simple comforts of the forest.

Adannar leaves that night with his heart in his throat and a great desire to sweep her off her feet.

It takes a few more days of completing chores, but eventually they find the day where the work can wait. On that day, Adannar guides her through a young part of the forest. Small critters scurry from their path. Serahlin holds onto Adannar’s arm as they stride through the brush and it sends little electric flares through him.

They are both dressed in flowing fabrics, her in a pink tunic and him in one of his brighter blue robes.

“It shouldn’t be too much further,” he tells her.

She smiles up at him, “Even if it was, I would not mind. I am enjoying our walk.” He returns the smile and feels his heart do a little pitter patter.

“Have I told you that you look lovely today?” He asks and she nods.

“It was one of the first things you said, but I do not tire of hearing it.” She leans into him, grinning playfully.

“Well, you look lovely still…even with the leaves in your hair,” he points out, to her playful horror.

“Oh no!” She bats at her hair and he calms her, reaching carefully and extracting the few leaves.

“There, no worse for wear.”

He steps over a root, then down a small knoll. Light filters in from where the trees end and the meadow begins. With this time of year, the meadow should be filled with wild flowers – and potentially even some frolicking spirits of the forest. He shifts their positions so that he is holding her hand, leading her through the brush. Excitement fills the air as they reach the boundary of trees.

They emerge from the forest and into the meadow. Serahlin gasps in awe, filling Adannar with a relieved sense of pride. It is a tad hilly for a meadow, but the flowers carpet it all the same, reaching up to the sun in brilliant hues of yellow, cream, pink, and blue. Spirits swirl in brilliant displays of light, shooting up fallen petals into little petal dust devils.

Adannar turns, smiling, to see Serahlin with a near devious expression on her face.

“Serahlin?”

She lets go of his hand and dashes into the meadow, “Catch me!” She calls back, running headlong into the field of flowers. Adannar laughs and does as she commands, letting himself go and feel free as he chases her.

The spirits turn their attentions to them, initial alarm turning to gleeful mischief. They are harmless and Serahlin shows no fear of them as she laughs and darts through the flowers. Adannar lets his inhibitions go as he runs after her.

**

It was a spur of the moment decision to dart off, enticing Adannar to chase her. But she had been so inspired by the beauty of the meadow. All she wanted to do was to run and feel free and happy. And this meadow is so…it is from her dreams it is so beautiful. Maybe she has seen this place in her dreams, her spirit drifting from her sleeping body, drawn to this magical place.

Now she runs through a field of flowers, past bright spirits as a former spirit chases her. His laughter, so pure and joyful, is music to her ears. It sets a rhythm to them running. She turns and laughs with him, cresting over a hill. They revel in the sunlight, and she has not felt so far and free from the court as she does now.

Serahlin spins, her eyes closing at the wonder of it all. Her arms are outstretched, palms up feeling the warmth of the sun. She used to walk the gardens at the palace, enamored with the flowers. But she had always been bedecked in fashion, a smile plastered on her face as a thousand eyes watched her every move. The fashion she loved, the eyes she wanted gone. But here, there are flowers and sun, and the only eyes are Adannar’s. And his eyes are so kind, so beautiful.

He reaches the knoll she is slowly spinning on and rounds on her. His arm slides around her waist and pulls in her close. She travels with his moment, her arms quickly wrapping around his shoulders for stability. They spin together, laughing, until he stumbles and falls back into the lush grass. She lands on top of him, hair flying free from its loose bun.

“Oof!” She says, splayed on top of him, the long grass curving over them. She can feel his chest rising and falling with his labored breaths, and the warmth radiating from his body.

Adannar leans his head back and laughs, only leaning back up to cup her face. His laughter dissipates but his face remains blissful and soft. His hands are rough from work, but she does not mind them as he brushes a thumb over her cheek.

“Serahlin, you are a wonder,” he whispers full sincerity and warmth. Her heart stutters and breath hitches. Through all this time, Adannar has seen her at her worst, broken down, dirty, ugly, and starving. He has seen her struggle with everything she has learned, and not once has he shamed her, or looked at her like she is useless or bad. He has been kind and patient, caring and thoughtful. He hasn’t babied her, but respected her and where she has come from. Not in all her life has she ever met someone like him, and she doubts there is anyone else quite like him either. There is an undeniable goodness to him, a light within him that makes her want to be better.

She shifts up his body and brushes her fingers across his cheek. He sighs and leans into her touch, yellow eyes growing hooded. He is beautiful, she sees. A beauty unlike those at court, natural and striking, full of softness.

Boldness and fondness in equal measure take over her. She leans down and presses her lips to his. He startles for only a second before responding. He leans into her, kissing her back, lips moving under hers. She angles her head and sucks his bottom lip into her mouth, earning her a gasp, borderline moan. It thrills and warms her both to feel his reaction to her.

His hands trail down her body, holding her waist, running up into her hair. It feels so, so good, she leans into him, arching her back. He is the first to pull away, lips pink and breath labored.

“Serahlin, I…do you…” he breathes. She isn’t sure exactly what he is asking, but she feels like she has an answer all the same. She strokes his cheek and her expression remains soft.

“You amaze me,” she murmurs before leaning down to kiss him again.

**

The days following the kisses in the field turn into a new pace. Adannar still arrives at the same time in the morning and leaves the same time at night, but he kisses her hello and goodbye. He is even more free with his affections, holding her waist, and pulling her to him. She enjoys it all, holding him and kissing him back as much as she pleases. There is no worry that they will be caught. He is not a dalliance someone at court is waiting to use to blackmail her. The result is Serahlin being free with her affections in return.

On an evening where the sunset is turning blue and purple from the magic in the sky, she turns to him.

“We have grown so close, and I feel like I am…not being entirely truthful with you,” she explains.

Adannar looks down from the sunset to her, expression curious but sweet, “How so?”

She swallows, “I never told you what I was doing in the cottage that first day you found me.”

“You were running from a political monster of some sort.”

Serahlin nods slowly, “Yes. But that is…a great over simplification.” She wrings her hands and averts her gaze. Adannar reaches over and settles his much larger hand over her nervous ones.

“You do not have to tell me,” he whispers, his tone far more understanding than she has a right to ask for.

Serahlin shakes her head, “No, I do because I left a terrible mess behind. I fear I will have to return to it at some point. I can’t always run, some day we all have to face what chases us.” She takes a deep breath, and begins.

“I was born Serahlin Felise Elethari, to Queen Felena Elethari of the kingdom Eletharan to the west of this forest. I am the eldest, and by rights, that makes me in line to succeed the throne if my mother should die. My younger sister, Elvara is also a princess, and she has been named heir apparent due to my…inability to secure diplomatic relations with the kingdom to the east, Elvhenan.” She goes slow, giving herself time to pause and assess. Adannar remains quiet, listening to her story.

“They wanted to create a tie that will unite the kingdoms in custom and spirit. Which meant an arranged marriage between me, and the High Knight family’s chosen. After visiting their court, the younger son, Dirthamen was chosen for my betrothal. It could have been worse, the eldest son spurned the idea of me, the younger son was by far better. Not a man I could fall in love with, but a man I could at least be happy with. But unfortunately, as the envoy passed through this forest, he went missing.

“With the alliance in jeopardy, a new knight was chosen from his brother’s honor guard somehow. A man greatly indebted to the family, so loyal he could never betray them. His name is Ser Darris, Slayer of Mighty Tor’el, a dragon to the east.” Adannar nodded and swallowed, his face stony and solemn.

Serahlin continued, her voice only wavering slightly, “They arrived at the palace and explained the situation. My mother foolishly allowed the switch, saying that this alliance was still the best option for the kingdom. But my former betrothed and I had been exchanging letters – in Eletharan, it is customary to know your intended for at least a year before marriage. The switch meant that Darris would have to wait a year, and in that year, we would have to spend a lot of time together.” She takes a deep breath and steadies herself.

“It only took a month before things began to become suspect. Darris is an intensely charismatic man, and he charmed my mother and sister instantly. But I was more hesitant. He was not the man I had spent the last three years getting to know. I had resigned myself to a loveless marriage, but a marriage of respect and decency nonetheless. I didn’t know Darris, and I was expected to…marry him in so little time. A year is nothing! I was reluctant, and it showed. But I was also curious – what had happened to my betrothed? His brother was still at the palace, making life difficult. He is possibly the worst person I have ever met in my life, cruel, arrogant, and stupid.”

“He sounds terrible,” Adannar says softly, his expression still inscrutable. Serahlin nods, then bites her lip.

“I never found what happened, because while I was distracted and distant, Elvara was seizing the opportunity. She went to our mother and said she would be a better candidate for marriage with Darris. She should be made heir over me. And mother agreed.” Her voice trembles and she fumbles with her hair, biting back tears.

“When I was told, I was horrified. Relieved I did not have to marry Darris, but my baby sister, she…I protected her from court, I did everything in my power to protect her, that is the only reason she was where she was, and she used that position to stab me in the back. I was distraught, I wanted to be alone. When Falon’din found me, I was in no mood to be played. He grabbed me, demanded I look at him – which I did, as I backhanded him.”

Adannar’s eyes widen, “I know that was a very dangerous thing for you to do, but I would have liked to have seen that.”

She shakes her head, unable to hold back tears any longer, “He said terrible things, hitting me back. And after my inability to play nice with Darris…he convinced my mother I would serve the alliance better as a sacrifice. And my mother…agreed.” Her voice breaks and her tears begin to flow freely as she cries. Adannar takes her into his harms.

“No, no, no, I cannot believe…what kind of mother…no,” his horror is palpable and strangely welcome. It is the horror she wanted more to feel around her, what she had expected her own mother to feel when Falon’din had suggested it, even when Elvara had suggested supplanting her.

“I was locked away and-and only loyal guards and spies came to my rescue. My queen-mother was content to let me die, my sister…my memae had long been dead, and I was alone. They stuck me on a horse, and I ran.” Her voice breaks and disappears as she succumbs to her sobs, leaning into Adannar. He holds her tight and runs his hand through her hair in comfort while whispering sweet nothings to her.

She collapses into him, and it feels right to let him lift her completely into his lap. She gives him all her sorrow and heartbreak, her terror and horror that her own family would betray her like that. She gives him her gratitude and her amazement, the burgeoning love for him she is beginning to feel.

He holds her through it all, making her feel more loved here than she ever felt back home, surrounded by people who should have cared. Memae had cared, but Memae had also died. Ironic that when she felt more alone in a palace, constantly surrounded by people, than she does in the forest with only Adannar and his strange mechanical creatures to keep her company.

She stays in his arms for a long time, even after she stops crying. Adannar is warm, and he doesn’t seem to mind simply holding her even after the main tumult of her emotions pass. Eventually, Serahlin sighs and looks up at him. She guides his face to hers and kisses him sweetly, thanking him for listening to her.

He leans his forehead against hers and sighs, his grip tightening just slightly, “You deserve love and trust,” he whispers. There is an emotion in his voice she cannot quite place, but it almost feels like heartbreak.

Adannar stays late that night, holding her in her bed, stroking her hair. It soothes her into a sweet sleep, and when she wakes, he is gone.

Serahlin goes about her normal morning routine – dressing, collecting eggs from the coop, and tidying up a bit. Normally, Adannar arrives while she is tending to the chickens, but he must be running late today. Perhaps he slept in to make up for staying so late at the cottage? Should she have told him he was welcomed to stay? Because he was, and she hates to think he endangered himself by leaving so late at night.

It’s probably nothing, she tells herself, and continues with her day. She has a breakfast of eggs and toast then heads out to tend to her garden. It is midday when she begins to worry. Was it wrong of her to tell him why she is hiding in the forest? Or that she is likely to leave at some point? Is this her doing?

It’s hard to believe that Adannar would abandon her now, after everything he has done. By that logic, she fears something has happened to him.

Concerned, Serahlin heads back inside and dresses in her thickest leather breeches and boots and dons a tunic that feels like it has an old protective enchantment on it. She pulls her hair back and under a hat before heading outside.

Huirin, the mechanical deer that likes to linger around the cottage, is sniffing around the chicken coop, its eyes darting in curiosity to the chickens and then to Serahlin.

“Huirin,” she calls. It lifts its head up, ears forward in attention.

“I need you to take me to Adannar,” she tells it. Strange enough, it bobs its head, similar to a nod and turns to walk into the forest. It looks back at her, waiting to see if she will follow. She saddles and mounts her horse, then follows Huirin into the forest.

Without Adannar by her side, the forest takes on a more sinister feeling. She feels eyes upon her, watching her every movement, like the spirits and animals of the forest know that without one of their one with her, she is fair game. But she rides tall, and follows Huirin, keeping her eye out for Adannar. He could be lying in the dirt, needing assistance. While she has gotten stronger, she is unsure if she would be able to lift him onto Velini, her horse. But she will try and she will help him in any way she can – it’s the least she can do after everything he has done for her.

It is not long until they reach his waterfall. This is the farthest into the forest she has gone, and Adannar’s words from the first night echo in her head.

“Do not go past the waterfall to the west.”

But Huirin is moving past it, and she knows that whatever is to come, she must face it with a brave face and a braver heart. Adannar may need her.

She urges Velini forward and follows Huirin deeper into the Forest.