Reunion of Broken Hearts
Part 4
This is a soap opera. It's mushy and romantic with cliché scenes of drama. Love it or hate it, the sex is good at least!
Zevran stretched his long, lean muscles in the early dawn. He was naked, of course; that being his preferred form of clothing when in the presence of a lovely woman. He looked at his companion lying naked beside him on their conjoined sleeping rolls. She was beautiful. Since giving herself to him in the Inn, he'd never known pleasure more meaningful in his life. He didn't fall in love easily and couldn't recall even coming close but Tamyra was something else. He watched her sleep and sighed. Right now, he couldn't think of anywhere else in the world he would rather be.
He encircled her body with his and rested his head against her shoulder from behind. His arms tightened around her body and he felt her sigh against him. The past few weeks had been wonderful though lately, his pretty partner had been experiencing things. She was throwing up a lot, headaches, strange cravings… It was as if she were pregnant. Not by him, certainly. He had long ago taken precautions, reversible of course, that were infallible in what they were meant to do. So it would have to be Alistair's get if she was. That could complicate things. He still hadn't chosen a bride and if she was going to bear his heir, it could mean going back to him.
He sighed, aware now that he didn't want to share her. That he wanted nothing more than to be the only man in her life startled him. From a practical standpoint, he knew it wasn't possible. Could he even remain true to just one person himself? He wasn't sure. But falling in love with a human woman was about as far from his expectations as he ever dreamed possible. Yet here he was, happy as a lark nesting with the blue jay. Or something like that. He was happy and that was all he knew.
She rolled over in his arms and stretched, cat-like, and for the first time he was aware of her midsection and the way it had expanded. He sighed and pressed his face against her breasts. "Zevran?" she murmured to him softly. He held her more tightly as if afraid she would flee if he let go. She ran her fingers lovingly through his long, blond hair and kissed his face softly. "I like this. You could hold me like this forever and I would never get enough."
He drew himself up so that his face was right above hers. His golden eyes twinkled merrily as he said, "I plan to!" with a throaty chuckle. He then lowered his lips to hers and kissed her deeply, thoroughly but though his hands strayed along her body, he restrained his desires from doing anything more. His lips were wet and warm against her skin.
After a pleasant lovemaking session that was really quite tame, compared to the frenzied passion they usually shared, Zev lightly rested his hand on her belly. "There…is something we need to discuss," he murmured, his eyes on her.
Tami nestled against him and sighed. "I think I know…" she said warily.
He chuckled into her hair and smoothed it back with the flat of his hand. Her curls wound loosely around his fingers in tight little black corkscrews as he pet her. "Ah, you have become telepathic, I see. So. What do you know?"
She folded her hand over his and rested her cheek against his bare shoulder. "I think I'm pregnant and I think you suspect it too. It's…not yours."
He laughed and gave her a tight, loving squeeze. "Well! Thank the Gods for small favors! I'm safe from impending fatherhood," he said cheerfully.
"It's Alistair's…" she added in barely a whisper.
She looked up at Zevran, whose golden eyes held only humor and affection in them. "I'm not going to judge you, Tami. What you do is your business but I hope I will be permitted to tag along. If it's alright with you. I've nothing better to do with myself, after all. But…what will you do?"
She pushed away from him, her eyes flashing angrily. "I'm not going back, if that's what you're implying. I refuse! I don't care if he thinks he has a right to this child, because he certainly does not. I left and that's all there is to it. I-I'm done with him. I'll stay with you wherever the fates carry us, got it?"
Zevran pulled her back into his arms and sighed into her black curls. "He does have a right, Tamyra. The child is currently his only heir. I love that that you would deign to stay by my side but a child complicates matters greatly. Subsequently, I am at a loss for what we should do. Returning…"
She shoved away from him and rose to her feet unsteadily. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Never! If he is so desperate for a child, he can make another one with a woman better suited to his needs. This one… I-I'll kill it before I let him near it!"
Zevran rose to his feet and tried to take her by the arms. "Tami, you can't mean that." She evaded him and ran, sobbing, into the woods. How could he understand what she meant or didn't mean? How could he know what she was going through? He wasn't the child's father! He wouldn't have to shoulder the rearing, the nurturing of a bastard child of the king! Zevran could just go away and live his life. "Tami, wait! I-I'll help you…"
What? What did he say? She skidded to a halt just as she was about to go tumbling over the edge of an embankment and into a deep ravine with deadly, rough sides. However, she lost her balance and slipped, her feet failing beneath her. She managed to cling to a bare root and a clod of solid dirt just in time to prevent a terrible accident. Zevran arrived, shouting for her, screaming her name. His hands were on her, under her shoulders, hauling her up with every ounce of strength and courage he had. His muscles bunched and he gritted his teeth as he pulled her into his arms. They tumbled to the ground in a sobbing heap, clinging to one another.
He took her face in his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks and his blond hair clinging to his face. "Don't you ever do that again! Do you understand, you crazy beautiful woman? I love…I like you very much and you are very important to me. I'll be here for you, for the baby, whatever you decide to do. We don't have to return to Alistair but if you ever do, I will go with you."
She looked up into his eyes and wiped away his terrible tears. His expression was unlike any she'd ever seen him wear. He was not usually so emotional but now, he looked like he just saw his life flash before his eyes. She closed her eyes and kissed his mouth softly as she murmured, "I 'love…I like' you too, Zevran." She giggled against his lips and he laughed, blushing. Was it possible for Zevran Arainai to blush? She wouldn't have thought so but here he was, blushing. She rather liked it.
He picked her up and carried her back to their meager camp. There, he laid her down on her back and gathered her into his arms. He pulled a blanket up over their bodies and held her until long after she fell asleep. They would go wherever the wind took them, he decided and right now, the wind was suggesting Val Royeax as a likely destination. For now, anyway. There were fabled delights and music and unheard –of pleasures to be found there. Leliana had often gushed about its beauty so why not explore a little?
They had been traveling along the Imperial Highway, a vast expanse of ancient well-maintained road by the finicky Orleasians when Zevran decided he wanted to see the Waking Sea to the north. It wasn't far so they turned off the road and continued west but at a northward angle. It took a couple days, no more and then they stood on a vast expanse of pale beach. The warming air of spring had given way to a day of unusual heat normally found in summer. The day was perfect for a swim and the water was calm.
Wearing a smile, Zevran tugged Tami out of her clothes and then playfully ditched his own. Naked, the tattooed elf ran into the water until it covered his calves. "This is the life, is it not?" he laughed. "Ahh! To go where I wish with a beautiful woman is all any man, let alone a former slave-child, could ask. And the water, though chilly, is perfect."
Tami entered the cool water, feeling a bit nervous for being out in the open and so unclothed. At least in the forest, they had had some coverage from the trees. Now, they were completely exposed. But Zevran had her hand in his and pulled her against him. They went deeper into water and began a lazy swim that lasted for hours. Zevran was happier than he could remember and Tami was there by his side, making things more complete. No, if Alistair wanted her back, there would be a fight, he decided.
Eventually, they decided to swim to shore and gather their things but for one problem. During the course of their swim, the tide had risen considerably and their clothes were now long-gone. The pack was floating, dragging Zevran's swords along with it but it was sinking rapidly as their weight bore down on it. Tami leapt, trying to grab it and Zevran managed to snag his fingers through the shoulder-strap. They tugged the water-logged bag and its ruined contents to shore with a sigh of mutual irritation. Their clothes were gone and the pack held little, not even a change of underwear. They had Zevran's swords but Tami's blade and pouches were irretrievable.
They sorted through the pack, picking through the items that could be salvaged or had to be disposed and Zevran wasn't happy with the results. "There's four healing salves, a ruined flint and tinder box, a handful of ruined bandages, a pouch containing a mercifully heavy number of gold coins, this blanket and one sleeping roll. Like we need more than that but still. When we reach Lydes, one of us will enter the city wearing the blanket and a smile so that he or she can buy clothes for the other."
Tami looked at him and battered her eyes. "OH-ho!" he laughed, looking down at her pretty doe-eyed smile. "You expect me to wear the unflattering attire, do you? You would look better in a dress than I, I am afraid. You could wear it as a skirt and leave your beautiful breasts out in the open… I would like that."
She smacked him playfully and settled in against him. He rubbed her back with his hands and kissed her smooth skin. "You know, I could replicate the tattoos on my back for you. They would look amazing on your skin. We could match, in a way…" he murmured as he caressed her skin with his lips. His hands slid up around the front of her and gently squeezed her nipples and her breasts.
Tami tilted back her head under Zevran's artful manipulation her body. "Are you saying you want to brand me as yours? That would require some commitment that I was unaware you were capable of. It would be akin to an engagement."
He laughed nervously and rested his chin on her shoulder. While one hand toyed with her left breast and its nipple-ring, the other produced a circle of gold. "You mean like this?" he asked softly, voice hoarse. She took it from him and without hesitation, she slipped it into her earlobe. "I never believed I was able to fall for just one woman but here you are… I need you with every fiber of my being. There is nothing I can't do with you by my side. Tami, I…"
She turned around in his arms and without a breath for him to finish, he fell to kissing her instead. She reached down and took his tattooed cock in her hands and stroked him as she kissed his mouth. He gasped. A moment later, he was on his back, her hips pressing into his and all of him reaching up inside of her. The warm air brought with it a teasing breeze that hardened her nipples to dark points. He reached up and cupped her breasts, playing with them as she rode him. He came in an unexpected rush of intense pleasure, moaning as he pulled her against his sweaty body. She laughed and kissed him.
With the moon high over head and the air still warm, they walked to the shore of the Waking Sea and entered it once again. He marveled at how incredible her body looked wet and reflecting the pale moonlight. He swept her up into his arms and lifted her so that he could taste her breasts and lick her nipples with his tongue. She leaned back, enjoying his touch. Zevran was an expert in the ways of women and she loved to joke that he could charm the pants off a Darkspawn if he wanted to. She encircled his waist with her legs and he held her against him, their bodies merging under the watchful gaze of the moon and the embrace of the cool water. It was an experience like nothing either had ever had in their lives.
And as Zevran carried her back to what little was left of their camp, he told her he loved her and that she would never be alone or lonely ever again. His reward was marvelous. Her touch was divine. The way she used her tongue to please him was the thing of fantasy. He fell before her, her willing slave as she expertly sucked him to a happy, quivering ball of eternal servitude. Tomorrow, they would have to deal with the problem of their clothes but for now, trading pleasures was all that mattered.
And expressing how they felt.
To be continued.
