Judy: Can I be cheeky and ask what you thought was excellent? *Smiley face*

Moonpriestess30: Family never learn do they? I hope you like this chapter as it's a little bit of backstory which i thought was sweet :3

-So I'm about 12 chapters ahead in stock so here's an early update.


Chapter 43 - The dreams we have

He checks his reflection in the water and brushes his hair back in his nervousness. He had snuck out the camp in claims that he was going to be looking for particular herbs, the Keeper didn't believe him but didn't press the issue. Silvanus cleared his throat and patted his jacket, this would be the fourth time that he was meeting Imogen and this time it was different; they had actually arranged to be together at this place. He had simply attempted to catch her at certain places where he knew there was ripe fruit in hopes that she would appear, most times it was in vain but he had had a couple of moments. 'Fenedis,' he swore as nerves hit him. He looked around, she suggested this lake as a rendezvous point, it was certainly romantic what with it being almost sunset and mid summer.

'Silas?' Imogen asks as she steps out towards the waters edge. She had brought some food and wine for them to share together. Over the last couple of months she had become a little attached to the hunter that had unintentionally trapped her. She had even teased him with her little pet name which seemed to make him flush red every time he heard it.

'Vhenan,' he says fondly as he sees her. She smiles brightly and pulls down the scarf that she had used to cover her hair so she could sneak away from her home. Her mother was sure that she was hiding something but she was knowledgable enough to avoid such questions from her parents. He walks over to her and pauses not knowing how to greet her, she breaks the ice by hugging him tightly knocking the air out his chest. 'Aneth ara,' Silvanus smiles.

'One day you are going to have to tell me what all this elvish means,' she says prodding him in the shoulder as she moves away to pick up her basket. 'I brought a blanket to sit on and some food, if you're hungry?' She inquires as she wanders off to find a spot near the lakeside.

He takes the bag off his shoulder that he'd been carrying, 'aye, I too brough' food,' he chuckles. 'Tis pastries an' sweet things,' she looks over at him and nods as she lays out the blanket and sits down, rearranging her dress. He felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her in the sunset's golden light, he had never seen a woman so poised and utterly enrapturing. Silvanus swallows the ball of anxiety and joins her on the blanket. They talk of idle things for a while and she seems incredibly curious as to what his life was like back at the camp.

'Maybe I could visit your family and friends? I mean if the Halla are going to keep you here for a while? Father isn't happy about the clan being here but I think he was just grumpy because I was showing interest in the library about elven culture,' she babbles as she sips from the bottle of wine. She realised that he was just staring at her and she blushed. 'What? What is it? Oh don't tell me I have something on my face,' she panics thinking a flake of food had gotten stuck.

Silvanus laughs and shakes his head. 'Nae,' he assures. 'I was jus' thinkin' of how beautiful ya are,' he says slowly watching her expression change to shock. Elvish culture took relationships very seriously and generally his people were only with one person and bonded with life, he had managed to avoid such situation until now and he had made up his mind.

'Oh,' she says before taking another sip of wine and sitting up straight. 'Don't be so silly,' she mumbles looking at the bottle, 'mother says that I will have trouble finding a husband. I'm too ''outspoken'' and I don't act with ''manners'', she says these things taint my face and I will wear them on my skin,' Imogen looks over the water. 'Apparently I'm rude,' she says clearing her throat. 'I will not make a good match for a lord. I don't think I would want to marry such a man anyway if he only cares about me being obedient. I don't think I will find anyone compatible.'

Silvanus leans over and takes the bottle from her and puts it down next to them, then he takes her hands and shimmies a little closer. 'I call ya Vhenan, aye?' He says softly. Imogen nods and tilts her head. 'Means, heart, a term of endearment, I think the world of ya, I wouldnae change ya fer the sun nor sky,' Silvanus smiles.

'Oh you are silly,' she says pulling her hands from his as her eyes well up and she looks away from him. 'Silly fool-'

'Imogen,' he says taking a hand back and sitting even closer. 'Ya are beautiful, truly. A night has nae passed where I dinnae think of yer smile,' he mumbles feeling nervous. 'Yer my idea of perfection.'

Imogen shakes her head and refuses to look at him. 'We shouldn't be doing this,' she whispers. 'Silas when you talk like that it makes me think that you want more than to just be friends...'

He strokes her cheek lightly as he brushes her hair aside, 'what if I do?' He asks gently taking her hand.

'I can't... I can't just have some... some dalliance with a man that's going to leave in a couple months-'

'Come with me,' Silvanus says firmly. Imogen jumped and looked at him in surprise, her mouth open just a little in wonder.

'I'm sorry? You want me to just come with you?'

'Aye.'

'And what? We'll fall in love and get married?'

He chuckles, 'aye.'

'Be happy and have children?'

'Aye, that's right,' he smiles.

'Fool! You are an utter, utter, idiotic, unrealistic total fool!' Imogen snaps in annoyance at his blunt, confident answers snatching her hand from his as she shifts in her seat away from him. 'Life doesn't work that way! It won't work like that-'

'It will,' Silvanus says simply as he looks at her.

'W-What?' She stutters, then her insecurities and worries start to emerge, she started to get angry. 'You barely know me. You... you just think that I am pretty and having a human around would probably be some sort of symbol, plus I am a lady-'

'Vhenan,' Silvanus shushes as he shakes his head. 'Imogen, please. My clan they dinnae like humans, they dinnae wan' them near. I am breakin' so many rules jus' to be here with you. Ya are beautiful tis no lie, ya are human, I dinnae care. A lady? In yer society meybe,' he teases. 'I jus' ken tha' ya have a hold over me, I cannae stop thinkin' about ya an' I dinnae want to leave ya here to be some unhappy, pretty flower onna lord's arm. Nae, not when I can give ya more.' He gently reaches across and takes her hand once more and squeezes her fingers in assurance.

Imogen bites her lip and closes her eyes as she takes this in, even slumps a little tired of trying to keep up some facade. 'Your clan wouldn't like me to join you,' she mumbles.

'I dinnae care. They'll accept ya or we leave, together,' he says firmly.

'You don't know me,' she repeats still refusing to look at him.

'I wan' spend the rest of m'life to do so,' he promises. His heart was pounding in his chest he knew it was a long shot but he thought about her every moment of every day, hoping and wondering if he would get to see her again, touch her, feel her breath on his skin. 'When ya know, ya know,' Silvanus says quietly making her open her eyes and look at him. 'Do ya care about me?' He asks.

Imogen inhales quickly and pulls her hand sharply out his grip as she stands up and wraps her arms around herself, Silvanus stands reaching out for her when she steps away. 'I do,' she admits making his heart skip but her words were tinged with sadness and he realised that she was crying. 'I do and it makes this that much harder. I'm scared Silas... Scared that if I leave with you... love you... and I'm not what you imagine, you'll hurt me and leave me. Then what will I have? A broken heart, a destroyed reputation-' her words dwindle into tears as she faces away from him.

He walks around her so that she's facing him and gently puts his hands on her shoulders. 'Imogen,' he wipes her cheeks with his hand, 'please, nae tears,' he asks as she glares at him making him chuckle. She was a firebrand that sparked in defiance, just when he thought he had her figured out she threw him a curveball. 'I may 'ave trapped ya that day but yer the one who took somethin', ya make me insensible an' I cannae function as I'm thinkin' about ya all the time,' he chuckles making her smile weakly. 'Please, give me the chance to prove to ya that I can be the man ya deserve. Come wit' me, be mine.'

She looks at his eyes, the very sight of his sincerity and passion blazed within. Imogen could find no hint of lie or deceit and she had become very adept at sensing these things over the years of being dragged in and out of courts. Was this her chance to leave the high society behind and live her life like she wanted? Like she had always dreamed? The man in front of her promised things she never thought possible and she loathed to admit to herself that she cared about him in ways she didn't think she would ever feel towards someone else. He had a kindness she had never experienced before, he treated her with respect and cared for her well being. Being scared of being hurt was only natural but the sudden anger that coursed through her was palatable. How dare she allow herself to fear what she wanted? Who cares if this all went wrong? She'd damn well pick herself up and prove to everyone that she was strong and independent. There was nobody she needed more than him right now. Imogen had made up her mind, she would take control of her life and experience the things that she wanted. Clearing her throat she nodded. 'Yes,' she says softly.

'-?' He looked at her in astonishment. 'Come 'gain?'

She laughs and wipes her eyes as she sniffs. 'I said yes, you fool! I will come with you and whatever that entails,' she rolls her eyes. 'My goodness, you do this long speech about how wonderful I am and you weren't even listening to what I said in return,' she teases as his face lit up in pure joy. She squealed in delight as he picked up around the waist and spun her around, her chest filling with elation.

'Ma Vhenan!' He says happily as he holds her up in the air praying that he could remember this moment in perfect clarity in his later years. 'Oh, ya have made me the happiest man alive,' he says as he puts her down. She giggles and brushes her hair back from her face with the sudden landing. 'Can I...?' He asks as he feels himself blush.

'Can you what?' She asks raising a brow and smiling at him.

'Kiss you?' He requests as the blush got darker and her obvious delight in teasing him grew larger.

'Oh maker you really are a fool,' she laughs but a pink tinge had appeared on her cheeks as she nodded. 'Yes, you may k-' He interrupted her unable to hold back from what he desired. He pulled her to his chest and wrapped an arm around her waist as the other he wound into her hair cradling her head. He could taste the dry red that she had been drinking as he claimed her lips with his, Imogen revelled in how soft his touch was, melting into his embrace as they clung to each other. It was like nothing she expected, she had always been told that a first kiss would be awkward and gentle, almost sweet. Theirs was unrivalled in desperate yearning to be close, as if he was trying to pour everything he felt towards her into this one point in time so she knew exactly how he felt. When their lips finally parted she could feel his chest rising and falling as deeply as hers, she placed her arms around his shoulders and smiled. 'Again,' she murmured. 'Every day till our last,' Imogen whispered.

Silvanus could feel his heart racing with her words and he picked her up taking her to the blanket where he placed her gently down and laid down beside her, he pulled her close once more and kissed her forehead before looking into her eyes. 'Every day,' he promises as he leans forward to indulge in what she'd given him.

-x-

Makatza gasps and wraps the blanket tighter around herself. 'Oh. My. God, did you two...?' She implied heavily with a grin.

Silvanus laughs and sips from his drink as he shook his head lightly, 'nae, not that night,' he chuckles. 'I was infatuated by yer mother an' am jus' a man but even I have control,' he smiled. 'I gave her that necklace before she wen' home that night an' she wore it everyday withou' fail. We met again the next day an' she 'ad brought only a bag o'clothes an' some jewellery to run away with.' He shifts in his seat and looks at the stars, 'yer mother gave me the greatest gift tha' night an' she dinnae even know. She trusted me, believed a fool of a man who claimed he loved her. Put 'er heart in ma hands an' made me promise to protect it.'

'And when you know, you know?' Makatza asked as she looked at her father with a gentle smile. Her mother sounded like she was quite something, she really didn't hesitate to voice her opinion and Makatza had definitely inherited her impulsiveness. 'Was that bit really true?'

'Ach yer mother an' I butted heads, sure, with her temper an' my stubbornness,' he chuckles. 'Aye though, tha' feelin' never left. I ken from the moment I laid eyes on her tha' she be the one for me. I felt it deep down inside ma heart. She was ma Vhenan an' that'll never change. Lethallan, when ya know... ya'll know. I spen' all ma life tryin' to keep my promise to her an' I will do so forever more.'

Makatza felt a little sad, 'father, if you wanted to feel happy again with another woman-'

'Ach, lass, I'm past that time o'ma life. I had yer mother an' twas the greatest gift. I need nothin' more than knowin' yer safe,' he assures. 'We 'ave a lot of time to make up for,' he says as he gets up. 'Tonight though, tis more than enough,' Silvanus walks over and kisses her forehead, 'g'night my Lethallan, ma Vhenan,' he says softly as he shoos her into her tent. Makatza hugs him tightly before going to her bed roll. Finding out about how her parents fell in love made her happy in a way she never knew existed, she moved under her blankets and felt her pups cuddle up to her in the darkness.