"Alys… Psst… Wake up." Alys heard someone whisper. She woke up, being shaken. She groaned.
"Just … Five more hours…" she mumbled still half asleep.
"Hours?"
"I said what I said," she replied and turned back onto her side. Alys heard Selendrile's throaty chuckle. Even though she was half asleep, her stomach felt like it had butterflies when she heard his laugh.
"Come on. We have to get going," Selendrile's voice turned serious. Alys turned around to face him.
"Wait… Where are we going?"
"Some where… Secluded…" Selendrile trailed off. He moved one of his fingers towards one of the strands of her hair that had fallen into her face, and pushed it back behind her ear. She blushed and looked down. They weren't officially courting, but she prayed to God every night it would be soon. It had been two months since they decided to travel together. Two long months of moving to each inn, and two long months of them side stepping their feelings for one another. They hadn't kissed since she gave him the small little peck before she ran to Saint Toby's to save his life. Selendrile stood up. "Get dressed into some day clothes. I doubt you want to go outside in your night clothes. Meet me outside, I already packed."
Alys groaned and stood up, slowly. 'He better be saying he'll court me, or I'll rip him to shreds for this.'
XXX
Alys went outside to where Selendrile said he would be waiting. Sure enough, she saw his long, gorgeous, blond hair glow in the night. He was so beautiful; it physically hurt to look at him. "Okay, I'm ready!" Selendrile turned around and raised one of his eyebrows.
"Let's go." He grabbed her hand, running towards the city gates. Confused, Alys tried keeping up with him, almost tripping over her feet since he held onto her hand.
"Selendrile, where are we going," she frowned. "Why are you in such a hurry?" He didn't answer and kept running, dragging Alys along. Stubborn, Alys went limp. She immediately made impact with the ground, face first. 'That was a mistake.' She groaned. Selendrile, impatient, picked her up off the ground, and carried her like she was his bride. She blushed instantly. "Selendrile! Put me down!" she yelled, trying to squirm. He kept running.
"I'm stronger than you Alys; Don't even try," he smirked.
"Dragons…" Alys muttered, and rolled her eyes.
"Once, we're secluded, I'll fly, but it's not exactly the smart thing to transform into a dragon in a village."
Alys sighed. "Fine, but I'm still annoyed," she tried to cross her arms for added effort, but it was hard, considering she was squished between Selendrile's chest and his arms.
Selendrile gave her a rare smile, and her breathing hitched, "I know." He had finally reached the gates, but he ran farther, making sure it was okay to change form. He had finally set her back down on the ground. Selendrile began to strip down, and Alys turned around.
"You can at least give me a warning before you do that."
"Like you don't want to look," he scoffed. He sounded so smug. Alys blushed.
"It doesn't matter if I wanted to." God knew she did, and she was sure Selendrile knew, too. "It's the matter of it being appropriate."
"No one is around. It's night and there's wolves. If it were a matter of being appropriate, Alys, no one would know. Besides, I am about to be a dragon. I would have to make sure no one saw that, either." He had a point, but as stubborn as she was, Alys did not turn around. She would be standing there, red in the face, and he would laugh at her innocence. Not like he wasn't already laughing now.
"Are you done yet?" Selendrile didn't respond. Alys turned around to face him and immediately turned back around, heat crept up her face. "Selendrile!" she shrieked. He roared in laughter. Alys turned back around, with her head high to make sure she did not see that part again. His head was thrown back, and his teeth gleamed in the moonlight. 'He's so beautiful.' Alys had never seen him laugh before. Not like this. "Have you finished laughing?" she snapped.
"Your… face…" he was almost giggling now, his laughter starting to die. Selendrile then made a funny face, trying to imitate hers. Alys fought a smile, still annoyed and upset at him tricking her to turn around.
"It wasn't that funny… And I did not make that face!"
"Yeah. Okay," Selendrile chuckled, his hands up in the air. "All I'm saying, is that it shouldn't matter what's proper or improper. Who cares anyways?"
"I care," Alys said stubbornly.
"Uh-huh. Why do you care?"
"Well…. B-because…" Alys tried to think.
"Exactly. Humans are so weird. They have these rules of what's right and wrong, but they're all hypocrites. You know what I say, Alys? Fuck them. Fuck humans. They pretend to know everything when they don't even know half of anything. Did you know the world isn't flat? That there's a whole other side of the world that people don't know about? Did you know that there's an entire other side where they don't burn people at the stake?" Alys flinched when he mentioned the words 'burn' and 'stake'. Selendrile's violet eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that… It's just… People don't know anything." He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he put his head in the crook of her neck. Alys couldn't breathe. He was holding her. For once in her life, she couldn't speak. She had no words to describe the emotions running through her at this moment. She couldn't help but think how right it felt for him to be holding her. Selendrile never spoke so much emotion, and he had never hugged her before. He sighed and pulled away from her. "Ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be," Alys said breathless. He turned around and looked up at the sky. He looked so free. Alys felt an ache in her heart, to reach out to him. She didn't think about him being naked in front of her; it didn't cross her mind. Selendrile changed his form, and Alys bent down to pick up his clothes. His gold scales glistened and she went up to him, petting him. She climbed onto his back, ready for their next adventure together. If he were really telling the truth about the other side of the world, maybe they could go there and stay. Selendrile started flight, and Alys looked up into the sky wistfully. 'Yeah… I could stay there with him…' she thought as she looked back down to Selendrile's dragon face, 'It wouldn't be so bad.'
XXX
Alys didn't realize she was drifting off to sleep until she felt Selendrile making the motion of his wings to land. When he landed, Alys dropped down on to the ground, and put down his clothes. Alys looked around, taking in their surrondings, while he dressed. "Where are we?" inquired Alys.
"A clearing I found one day. There's a lake near-by. It's a wonderful place," Alys was surprised he had actually answered her. He was so different tonight. Selendrile began walking towards, what only Alys could guess, the lake. She followed him of course and they chatted. Sometimes, Selendrile would throw his head back in laughter at what she said. He was so carefree, which she had never seen before. He was usually so cold and aloof.
"What you said, about the other side of the world, is it true?" Alys could not help but ask, her curiosity always starving, begging for more information.
"Yes. It's true… There aren't that many people there, considering no one knows about it," he gave a small smile.
"Sounds perfect… People suck." Selendrile laughed harder than when he tricked her earlier.
"Yes, Alys, people do in fact suck."
After a while, the thick tress became skinner, bit by bit. They had reached the lake. The trees were circled around it, and the moon reflected off the water. "It's so beautiful here," Alys whispered in awe.
"Yeah… I guess it is," Selendrile shrugged. Alys rolled her eyes. 'Typical.' He grabbed her hand and led her by the water. His hand moved away from hers, and went towards his shirt.
"What are you doing?" Alys demanded.
"Taking of my clothes…? Don't be such a prude, Alys. I'm leaving my under clothes on. Do you not know how to swim?" He kept stripping, and splashed into the water.
"We're swimming?"
"Yeah. You stink," Selendrile stated.
"I do not stink," she replied, angrily. "If anything, you stink since you transform into animals." Selendrile rolled his eyes.
"Are you coming in or not?" He asked.
Alys sighed, and stripped down to her small clothes. 'Damn him being half naked. With his stupid beautiful hair.' She splashed into the water next to him. It was not hot outside, but the water felt so nice. Her feet touched the mushy ground, and she pushed herself up to float on her back. Selendrile walked over to her.
"Alys..." His eyes turned serious. Confused, Alys stood back up and turned to look at him.
"Yes, Selendrile?" she asked. He closed the distance between them and grabbed one of her hands, and he brushed her hair behind her ear once more.
He moved her hand to his chest, where his heart would be. "Can you tell me what I'm feeling right now?" Alys swallowed a lump in her throat as she felt his heart beating quickly. Not knowing how to respond, Alys blushed and grabbed his other hand and put it on her heart, knowing it was going just as fast as his. They were standing in the middle of the lake, under the moonlight, with each other's hands on one another's heart. "Alys… You mean so much to me… I don't know what this feeling is. I have never encountered it before." He was staring intensely into her eyes
"It's okay. I haven't felt it in this context before."
"Felt what in what context?"
"Love…" Alys whispered. She was afraid to say it out loud.
"Love…" Selendrile trailed off and looked away. "Funny, isn't it? A dragon. In love. With a human."
Alys frowned. "I don't find it funny at all. It's heartbreaking. How does this work? How will it work? Don't you age slower than I do? Even if we could find a way for it to work, how...?" 'How will I stay alive long enough to live with you?'
"We'll make it work. Hell, we made Saint Toby's work," Selendrile moved his hand up to her cheek, and leaned in. Alys closed her eyes tilting her head up. His lips met hers in a slow kiss. Their mouths moved together slowly; Alys let out a happy sigh. He moved his kisses down her neck, and they moved out of the water. Selendrile continued kissing her until they reached the bank.
"Court me," Alys whispered to him between kisses.
"Court you? What does that mean?" He pulled back to look at her, confused.
"Like… You know… Get me flowers, hold my hand… Stuff like that," Alys replied shyly. "Make me yours…"
"You mean-?"
"No! Oh God, Selendrile! Not like that… Not until we can figure this thing out. I just mean… Ugh nevermind!" Alys felt so stupid. She shouldn't have said that. 'Court me? What was I thinking?' Her hands went to her face in embarrassment. She immediately felt hands on hers, pulling them away from her face gently.
"Alys… Look at me…"
Slowly, she looked up. Amusement danced in his purple eyes. "We'll figure it out. Okay? And isn't loving you already courting you?" Selendrile asked. Alys blushed and looked down; butterflies danced in her stomach.
"I love you," she whispered.
"Look at me when you say that or I'll think you're lying," he teased.
Alys looked up and glared at him. "I love you, okay?"
Selendrile shrugged. "I think if you truly loved me, you wouldn't be using that tone of voice with me."
"If I didn't love you, I would be saying it all nice and sweet!"
Selendrile thought about her response. "Touché, my dear, sweet, Alys." He leaned his head back down and kissed her. Alys could never feel happier.
A/N: This was a really, really long chapter, lol.
