Chapter 1:
An Answer
Veralidaine Sarrasri woke with a start, practically swimming in sweat. Air went through her lungs in short bursts, making it a struggle to breathe. "Mithros, Mynoss, and Shakith!" she cursed when she was finally able to fill her lungs properly. "Why do I keep having nasty dreams?!" Daine hissed into the cool night air.
Something beside her stirred. Daine's blue-gray eyes flickered to the long figure stretched out a few inches from her on the ground. She smiled in spite of herself. Just gazing at the sleeping form of Numair Salmalín made her feel better.
Grinning impishly, she climbed out of her bedroll and tucked herself carefully into his, wrapping her arms around the mage. Daine could hardly wait for Numair's reaction in the morning, when he woke, only to find Daine curled up with him.
Even though his feelings for her had been made known more than a year ago, Numair still insisted that they sleep separately. Especially on missions for the king, such as this. When Daine pouted, he agreed to sleep next to her, instead of on the other side of the campfire as he usually did.
Whenever Daine questioned him on the matter, Numair insisted it was because he didn't want people to get ideas, since they weren't even betrothed yet. But Daine suspected that it was really because he didn't want to invoke the wrath of her parents, Weiryn, god of the hunt; and Sarra, northern goddess of childbirth. Weiryn had been less than friendly toward Numair when he and Daine were trapped in the realms of the gods.
Sighing contentedly, Daine wiggled herself into a more comfortable position, using her love's arm and a pillow. To her complete surprise and pleasure, Numair, in his sleep, gathered her up in his arms and kissed the top of her head. Daine giggled silently and fell asleep, all traces of her nightmare forgotten.
1 An hour after dawn, Daine woke and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Sitting up in the bedroll, she looked around the camp. She saw Skysong, the baby dragon better known as Kitten, curled up in a tight ball on Daine's abandoned bed. Her eyes traveled to Numair, who had already bathed and dressed, and was cooking breakfast.
Seeing that Daine was awake, the powerful mage stirred the contents of the cooking pot harder and glared at her. Smothering a giggle with her hand, Daine gathered her clothes, a towel, and soap so she could wash in the nearby stream and get dressed.
Putting the bundle down, Daine went over to Numair. He scowled slightly as Daine put his arms around his neck, but his sour expression quickly faded when she kissed him. Pulling the girl on his lap, smiling now, he said "Daine, dearest, you can't be creeping into my bed in the middle of the night. It's not proper." When she started to protest, Numair silenced her with one of his gigantic hands. "We aren't married; we aren't betrothed. And until you consent, we shall be sleeping separately. He removed his hand from her mouth.
Now it was Daine's turn to scowl. "You weren't married or betrothed to any of those other women. And certainly not Varice Kingsford." She spat the woman's name with contempt.
Numair blushed. "Oh, magelet," he said, using his pet name for her. "Those women meant nothing to me. Nothing," he emphasized when he saw Daine roll her eyes. "I was only attracted to them for their looks. They hardly had two brain cells to rub together. You, on the other had, mean the world to me. Not only are you beautiful, but you're smart, talented, witty- the list could go on forever. I just don't want to sabotage our love by rushing into anything."
Daine argued. "But what's the harm in just holding each other as we fall asleep? It was very nice."
"As true as that may be, it's not what respectable people should do."
"They shouldn't, but they do! And since when are we respectable? Besides, I had a nightmare. It was really horrible, and being with you made be feel better. And I know how you hate the cold." She smiled wickedly at him. "I'll keep you warm."
Numair ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead. "We'll see, magelet. We'll see."
Suddenly, smoke filled their vision, and Daine began to cough. Numair used a string of colorful phrases as he placed Daine gently down and turned his attention to the fire.
"Well, breakfast is ruined," he said grimly as he held up the smoking cooking pot. The contents were now as black as the mage's hair.
"That's fine," said Daine, struggling to keep a straight face. "You're not a very good cook anyway." She collapsed into giggles when Numair made a face at her. Daine grabbed her bundle of clothing and ran to the stream.
Once there, she removed her clothes and gingerly stepped into the water, which was refreshingly warm. As she walked deeper, she began to sort her thoughts carefully. I love Numair. I've never felt this happy with anyone. And it's so nice to be loved back.
Daine sighed and retrieved her soap. Why is it taking me so long to say yes to his marriage proposal? I want to marry him. He wants to marry me. So what's wrong?
Nothing, she decided as she finished washing. Nothing's wrong. And I think both of us have waited long enough.
Toweling off carefully and climbing into her clothes, she stepped out of the trees that hid the stream and walked back to the camp.
"I hope you're done insulting my cooking," Numair said, feigning indignation as he handed Daine an apple. She bit into it and tried to look innocent. Polishing it off quickly, she petted Kitten, who was lounging in the tall man's lap.
Then she shooed the small immortal away and took Numair's hands, pulling him to his feet.
Looking up into his eyes, she smiled and said shyly, "Yes, Numair, I'll marry you."
Stunned, Numair just stared at her. Then he threw his head back and laughed, long and loud. Stopping at last, he swept Daine up into a bone- crushing hug.
"Sweetling, I was beginning to think you'd never answer me!" Kissing her fiercely, he put her down and ran to his saddlebags. He searched through them until he found what he wanted them came back over to where Daine stood.
Dropping down to one knee, Numair said, "Might as well do this right." Clearing his throat, he held up a little black box. "Veralidaine Sarrasri, will you marry me?" He opened the box. In it lay an exquisite ring.
Daine stared in wonder at it. "Um…Daine?" asked Numair. He waved a hand in front of her face. "Hello, you in there?"
She blinked rapidly, looking as if she had just awoken from a trance. She carefully picked up the ring. It was a small gold band set with a radiant diamond, which shimmered in the sun. "It's, it's…" she groped for words. "Beautiful." Looking at Numair, Daine nodded, and began to cry when he slipped the ring on her finger.
Numair wiped the tears away and kissed her with desire in his lips, encircling her in his muscled arms.
Kitten trilled a question at Daine. When the girl didn't answer, (she was rather busy at the moment), Kitten stalked off, her scales burning scarlet.
Numair broke the kiss. "Are you sure about this? I'm so much older than you are…"
"Here's your answer:" She kissed him soundly.
After a time, when neither could handle any more passion, Numair sat and just held Daine. He rocked back and forth with her on his lap. "I love you so much," he whispered.
Kissing his long nose, Daine replied, "I love you more." He chuckled softly, and no one said anything for quite a while. Both were just satisfied just to be with each other.
Kitten stormed over angrily and whistled loudly in their ears. "Ouch!" they both exclaimed, glaring at the dragon.
"What is it Kit?" Daine asked when she refused to stop whistling. As Kitten chirped and clicked at her, Daine nodded and untangled herself from Numair's arms.
"She's right. We should get going. We've already wasted most of the morning."
"Well, I wouldn't say 'wasted,'" Numair said as he got to his feet. Beaming at Daine, he stretched. "I'm glad we go that settled. I didn't know if I could wait much longer for your answer. No more procrastinating!"
Daine stuck her tongue out at him and took his hand. He squeezed hers, and then raised it to his lips and kissed it. "Let's pack. We have a long trip ahead of us."
A/N: *sighs* Awww…don't ya just love Daine and Numair? They're my favorite couple. I know this was very fluffy, but hey, fluff is good! The next chapters (if I ever get around to writing them) won't be quite as fluffy. Considerable amounts of mush, but nothing too sappy…nah. UP WITH FLUFF!
Disclaimer- Tamora Pierce is the genius who created these wonderful characters. I just write stories containing them. But my pitiful stories pale in comparison to her brilliance.
An Answer
Veralidaine Sarrasri woke with a start, practically swimming in sweat. Air went through her lungs in short bursts, making it a struggle to breathe. "Mithros, Mynoss, and Shakith!" she cursed when she was finally able to fill her lungs properly. "Why do I keep having nasty dreams?!" Daine hissed into the cool night air.
Something beside her stirred. Daine's blue-gray eyes flickered to the long figure stretched out a few inches from her on the ground. She smiled in spite of herself. Just gazing at the sleeping form of Numair Salmalín made her feel better.
Grinning impishly, she climbed out of her bedroll and tucked herself carefully into his, wrapping her arms around the mage. Daine could hardly wait for Numair's reaction in the morning, when he woke, only to find Daine curled up with him.
Even though his feelings for her had been made known more than a year ago, Numair still insisted that they sleep separately. Especially on missions for the king, such as this. When Daine pouted, he agreed to sleep next to her, instead of on the other side of the campfire as he usually did.
Whenever Daine questioned him on the matter, Numair insisted it was because he didn't want people to get ideas, since they weren't even betrothed yet. But Daine suspected that it was really because he didn't want to invoke the wrath of her parents, Weiryn, god of the hunt; and Sarra, northern goddess of childbirth. Weiryn had been less than friendly toward Numair when he and Daine were trapped in the realms of the gods.
Sighing contentedly, Daine wiggled herself into a more comfortable position, using her love's arm and a pillow. To her complete surprise and pleasure, Numair, in his sleep, gathered her up in his arms and kissed the top of her head. Daine giggled silently and fell asleep, all traces of her nightmare forgotten.
1 An hour after dawn, Daine woke and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Sitting up in the bedroll, she looked around the camp. She saw Skysong, the baby dragon better known as Kitten, curled up in a tight ball on Daine's abandoned bed. Her eyes traveled to Numair, who had already bathed and dressed, and was cooking breakfast.
Seeing that Daine was awake, the powerful mage stirred the contents of the cooking pot harder and glared at her. Smothering a giggle with her hand, Daine gathered her clothes, a towel, and soap so she could wash in the nearby stream and get dressed.
Putting the bundle down, Daine went over to Numair. He scowled slightly as Daine put his arms around his neck, but his sour expression quickly faded when she kissed him. Pulling the girl on his lap, smiling now, he said "Daine, dearest, you can't be creeping into my bed in the middle of the night. It's not proper." When she started to protest, Numair silenced her with one of his gigantic hands. "We aren't married; we aren't betrothed. And until you consent, we shall be sleeping separately. He removed his hand from her mouth.
Now it was Daine's turn to scowl. "You weren't married or betrothed to any of those other women. And certainly not Varice Kingsford." She spat the woman's name with contempt.
Numair blushed. "Oh, magelet," he said, using his pet name for her. "Those women meant nothing to me. Nothing," he emphasized when he saw Daine roll her eyes. "I was only attracted to them for their looks. They hardly had two brain cells to rub together. You, on the other had, mean the world to me. Not only are you beautiful, but you're smart, talented, witty- the list could go on forever. I just don't want to sabotage our love by rushing into anything."
Daine argued. "But what's the harm in just holding each other as we fall asleep? It was very nice."
"As true as that may be, it's not what respectable people should do."
"They shouldn't, but they do! And since when are we respectable? Besides, I had a nightmare. It was really horrible, and being with you made be feel better. And I know how you hate the cold." She smiled wickedly at him. "I'll keep you warm."
Numair ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead. "We'll see, magelet. We'll see."
Suddenly, smoke filled their vision, and Daine began to cough. Numair used a string of colorful phrases as he placed Daine gently down and turned his attention to the fire.
"Well, breakfast is ruined," he said grimly as he held up the smoking cooking pot. The contents were now as black as the mage's hair.
"That's fine," said Daine, struggling to keep a straight face. "You're not a very good cook anyway." She collapsed into giggles when Numair made a face at her. Daine grabbed her bundle of clothing and ran to the stream.
Once there, she removed her clothes and gingerly stepped into the water, which was refreshingly warm. As she walked deeper, she began to sort her thoughts carefully. I love Numair. I've never felt this happy with anyone. And it's so nice to be loved back.
Daine sighed and retrieved her soap. Why is it taking me so long to say yes to his marriage proposal? I want to marry him. He wants to marry me. So what's wrong?
Nothing, she decided as she finished washing. Nothing's wrong. And I think both of us have waited long enough.
Toweling off carefully and climbing into her clothes, she stepped out of the trees that hid the stream and walked back to the camp.
"I hope you're done insulting my cooking," Numair said, feigning indignation as he handed Daine an apple. She bit into it and tried to look innocent. Polishing it off quickly, she petted Kitten, who was lounging in the tall man's lap.
Then she shooed the small immortal away and took Numair's hands, pulling him to his feet.
Looking up into his eyes, she smiled and said shyly, "Yes, Numair, I'll marry you."
Stunned, Numair just stared at her. Then he threw his head back and laughed, long and loud. Stopping at last, he swept Daine up into a bone- crushing hug.
"Sweetling, I was beginning to think you'd never answer me!" Kissing her fiercely, he put her down and ran to his saddlebags. He searched through them until he found what he wanted them came back over to where Daine stood.
Dropping down to one knee, Numair said, "Might as well do this right." Clearing his throat, he held up a little black box. "Veralidaine Sarrasri, will you marry me?" He opened the box. In it lay an exquisite ring.
Daine stared in wonder at it. "Um…Daine?" asked Numair. He waved a hand in front of her face. "Hello, you in there?"
She blinked rapidly, looking as if she had just awoken from a trance. She carefully picked up the ring. It was a small gold band set with a radiant diamond, which shimmered in the sun. "It's, it's…" she groped for words. "Beautiful." Looking at Numair, Daine nodded, and began to cry when he slipped the ring on her finger.
Numair wiped the tears away and kissed her with desire in his lips, encircling her in his muscled arms.
Kitten trilled a question at Daine. When the girl didn't answer, (she was rather busy at the moment), Kitten stalked off, her scales burning scarlet.
Numair broke the kiss. "Are you sure about this? I'm so much older than you are…"
"Here's your answer:" She kissed him soundly.
After a time, when neither could handle any more passion, Numair sat and just held Daine. He rocked back and forth with her on his lap. "I love you so much," he whispered.
Kissing his long nose, Daine replied, "I love you more." He chuckled softly, and no one said anything for quite a while. Both were just satisfied just to be with each other.
Kitten stormed over angrily and whistled loudly in their ears. "Ouch!" they both exclaimed, glaring at the dragon.
"What is it Kit?" Daine asked when she refused to stop whistling. As Kitten chirped and clicked at her, Daine nodded and untangled herself from Numair's arms.
"She's right. We should get going. We've already wasted most of the morning."
"Well, I wouldn't say 'wasted,'" Numair said as he got to his feet. Beaming at Daine, he stretched. "I'm glad we go that settled. I didn't know if I could wait much longer for your answer. No more procrastinating!"
Daine stuck her tongue out at him and took his hand. He squeezed hers, and then raised it to his lips and kissed it. "Let's pack. We have a long trip ahead of us."
A/N: *sighs* Awww…don't ya just love Daine and Numair? They're my favorite couple. I know this was very fluffy, but hey, fluff is good! The next chapters (if I ever get around to writing them) won't be quite as fluffy. Considerable amounts of mush, but nothing too sappy…nah. UP WITH FLUFF!
Disclaimer- Tamora Pierce is the genius who created these wonderful characters. I just write stories containing them. But my pitiful stories pale in comparison to her brilliance.