Sten could not understand it. This woman, this warrior was unlike anything he expected of the South. And unlike anything he expected in a dwarf, especially. She gathered others around her, led them with a confidence he could barely wrap his head around. For one so small, so fragile looking, she was stronger than all they came across.
For the fifth night in a row - at least - Sten watched her from his bedroll. Watched as she chatted with their comrades, studied as she charmed the liaisons of their growing army and wondered all the while. The Qun needed more women like her, he'd eventually decided.
He'd lost himself in his musings when a light throat clearing stirred him from his mind. He blinked up at her, surprise briefly flashing over his expression at her sudden - and close - proximity. She stood, tapping one foot with her hands on her hips. The amused expression on her face, however, betrayed her otherwise stern demeanor.
"Did you need something?" she asked, the amusement just barely contained behind a thin veil of professionalism.
Sten frowned in thought. No. He did not require anything and yet he found himself considering. The draw to her was undeniable, and frustrating. After a moment, he grunted and looked away from her. Another moment and she was leaving him be, heading to her own bedroll to call it a night.
The same process repeated the next few nights. She'd notice him staring, come try and talk to him, only to be met with her silence. She'd leave and go to bed. Same thing. Until the third night. As she stood there, looking down at where he sat, he stared up at her with more curiosity than ever before. He'd been questioning his sanity, reviewing the Qun in his head only to come up with nothing.
"Yes," he finally answered her question. The same question she'd asked every night. 'Did he need something?' Sten sucked in a steadying breath as he stared at this beautiful, marvelous, strong woman and whispered: "I need you."