Arya's nose crinkled slightly as she frowned. "Why are you both wet?"
Eila looked to Elva, who looked back at the half-Elf. "Swimming lessons." The shorter of the two answered as she shifted her weight. Her dragon was cradled in her arms, mostly asleep, but aware of his surroundings. "Eila doesn't know how to swim and I do. We found a river after talking to Angela about…" Elva gestured between the two of them. "We have her blessing." Elva couldn't help her smile despite trying to sound sarcastic. She failed and it sounded like overemphasis.
"And what about a sword?" Arya raised an eyebrow.
"A Willow Leaf Sabre was determined to be the best fit for me. Rhunön Elda is reshaping the hilt and grip of a previously existing sword to better fit my hand. She said it should be finished by either tomorrow or the day after." Elva nodded.
"Good." Arya responded. "Now tell me how swimming lessons went." She looked between them and smirked when their cheeks simultaneously pinkened.
"I can tread water now." Eila said quietly. "I uh… have a small fear of the water. I don't know what's in there that'll bite me."
"Nothing's going to bite you." Elva looked over at her and spoke pointedly. "You flail too much."
"Hey!" Eila laughed and Arya watched the friendly exchange with interest.
"Well you're better now than you were when you started. I'm proud of you for that." Elva stressed with gentle seriousness, which caused a genuine smile to crack across Eila's features.
"Thank you for teaching me." the half-Elf said with a deepening blush.
"Of course." Elva bowed slightly.
Arya watched them for a moment and shifted in the plush couch that resided in the main gathering room. She was taking a moment to observe and appreciate her home and the silence before her students returned from their adventures.
"Did you two do anything else?"
"No. Just our tasks and swimming lessons. The water was unusually warm for this time of year, which is why we were able to stay out so late." Eila replied.
"If you were where I think you were, that river is subjected to volcanic activity. Don't worry, none of us are in danger." She smiled, but Eila looked disturbed by that fact and Elva looked fascinated.
"Like hot water springs?" The shorter of the two asked quickly.
"In a way." Arya answered. "More like an underground volcanic sewer system that happens to be a little bit closer to the surface than what is considered normal. It causes the layers of the ground we stand on to be much warmer than in other places around Alagaësia. Hot springs are produced by tears in the ground where water from down below is heated and pushed out rapidly. The volcanic ducts I'm referring to give the potential of much hotter water if there was a tear water could escape from. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I know you both must be cold by now, so go get cleaned up. Thank you for allowing yourselves to dry off a little bit before returning. It's already getting dark and Angela and Orik will be over in an hour or two for dinner this evening."
"Yes ma'am." Eila bowed.
"Of course, Ebrithil. Thank you." Elva also bowed.
"Wonderful, now off you go. See you both in a little while." Arya gestured with her hands and her two students bowed again, then left.
"Race you up the stairs." Eila smiled and bounced slightly on the balls of her feet.
"You'll win! I'm not an Elf." Her dragon startled at the sudden noise and he squirmed out of her embrace. She set him on the floor where he wandered back towards the couches. He chose a soft seat and leapt up, let out a long yawn, then curled into a spiral. Elva went to him and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before he fully drifted to sleep. Through their link, she sent images of the things she loved about him and he did the same for her.
Eila watched the transaction and patiently awaited her return. "I'm half an Elf and you're a Rider now. We're pretty equally matched." She inclined her head.
"Alright, fine. Where is the finish line?" Elva observed her features, seeing a lightness in Eila she'd never witnessed before.
"The very top step, past the bannister."
"Mhm, okay. Let's go." Elva grinned and turned her body so she was facing the stairs. She was positioned on the left, closest to the center of the spiral.
Elva readied herself and bent low. She set her right foot forwards so the left would be the first to touch the first step. Eila did the same but made it so her right foot would be first.
"Ready? Go!" Eila called and they both took off up the stairs.
"Don't hurt yourselves!" Arya called after them, hoping they heard her over the ruckus of their bare feet on the smooth wooden platforms. When they lost their boots, Arya didn't know, but she would ask them about it later.
She watched as they scrambled up the stairs, but tension immediately ran up her body when she watched Eila very effortlessly climb up to stand on the railing then jump to the next level, climb up, then repeat the process before deciding to throw herself over and back onto the stairs to continue running.
"Not fair!" Elva called as she passed Eila.
"Keep running!"
Elva frowned at the slight change in Eila's voice, but her legs never faltered.
They didn't have much farther to go and Elva had the advantage of running along the inside. Her path was shorter, but Eila skipped more steps than Elva did to keep up. The half-Elf was taller anyway.
With one final leap, Elva sent herself over the top step in a feat of strength she hadn't known she was capable of, effectively surprising herself. Eila was not even a second behind, but she was crouched next to Elva in an instant.
"Did you get hurt?" She said with urgent yet careful concern, slightly out of breath as she scanned Elva's body for injury.
"No… why?" Elva frowned as she sat up.
"The arrows, we need to…" Eila frowned and gestured as she turned around to look behind her. Her expression softened and she pulled away. "Oh… n-never mind. Seriously, though, are you okay?"
"Eila… what arrows? What's going on? I'm fine, I promise, but what are you talking about?" Elva said quickly as she let her hands rest on Eila's shoulders.
A long moment passed between them and Eila's posture sank. "Sometimes memories of the past merge with the present." She sounded guilty. "I can't distinguish the two when it happens. I'm so sorry if I scared you." Eila looked back up to find Elva's gentle gaze.
"You didn't scare me, Eila, I guarantee it, I'm just more worried about you now than anything." Elva pressed her hand to her partner's cheek and brushed her thumb under Eila's eye. She suddenly looked worn and completely exhausted.
"I'm okay. It's just something that happens occasionally. I honestly didn't think racing you up the stairs was going to trigger something. I'm just glad I didn't hurt you." Eila said softly and Elva brought her close into a warm embrace. Their clothes were damp and cold and uncomfortable, but neither wanted to move because of the emotional significance.
"You didn't hurt me." Elva whispered softly. "Come on, let's get cleaned up. You'll feel better after a nice warm bath, yeah? And if not, I'll be right there with you to help you feel better."
She felt Eila nod into her shoulder before she pulled away.
"Mhm. Yeah." She offered a weary smile as she watched Elva stand. She grasped her partner's forearm when the offer of help up was extended and soon they were both on their feet.
Together they walked along the hallway-like pathways that would lead them to their rooms. "This one is yours, right?" Elva asked as she gestured to the bridge that led to a house-like room that mimicked the others including her own.
"Yes." Eila nodded and squeezed Elva's hand as they began heading up in that direction.
Eila opened the door and let Elva in first, then closed it when they were inside.
Most of Eila's things were still packed in her travel bags, Elva noticed, but the room was fully furnished with a table by a large window, a couch, some decorations on the walls, and many shelves that held pots filled with dirt. No flowers or plants grew in them, though. There were a few cabinets to hold things or personal belongings. A door led to the back porch which overlooked the forest in a breathtaking view.
Eila unbuckled her sword belt and let the sword's weight fall heavily in her grasp as she wrapped the leather around the sheath. "I'm not quite familiar with this place yet." She said as Elva followed her around the bend of the tree from which this circular room was grown. A suit of black armor stood idly on a mannequin. "But my bed and bathroom are downstairs, just like in your room." She gestured to the spiral staircase that led to the lower level.
"You can stay if you want to, but I know you're cold and uncomfortable in those clothes." She hesitated. "But I'd like to show you how the taps work before you go. They've got a slightly different look about them compared to the systems in Ilirea. They're not too much different, though."
"Oh, of course." Elva smiled and nodded towards the stairs.
Eila gestured slightly and Elva followed. "This way."
They walked downstairs and to the door at the end. Elva gazed out at the open view of the forest, bringing light into a place that would be dark if there weren't any Werelights or open portals to the outside.
"My room." Eila brightened because it really was her room.
Setting her sword on the desk within, she moved to her dresser and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes.
Elva watched her partner with quiet curiosity and contemplation.
"Hey, come here." Eila gestured and Elva followed her into the bathroom.
"See? Not so different." Eila pointed. "This one is still the hot knob and that's the cold knob, but you pretty much just work them the same. The lettering is just different here because my father was an ass and had all of the Elvish script changed." She smiled and Elva kissed her cheek while she worked the knob for 'hot water'.
"Well, I'm sure Nasuada is going to change it all back to the way it was before, and that includes the hot-cold marks on the faucets." Elva grinned as Eila sat more fully on the tub's edge.
She knelt between Eila's legs and let her hands rest on her partner's thighs. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." Eila responded as she combed her fingers through Elva's hair.
"The marks on your body… the Elves know how to restructure tissue and sinew and bone. If you learned how to do that, would you make your skin look like mine or would you keep it as it is?"
Eila's eyes traveled along Elva's jaw as she spoke, then down to her neck. "I don't know. They've been a part of me for so long… but they also carry so many horrible memories. I chose to fix my hand because I wanted to see if I could get my skin to return to the way it was when I was born. I wanted to know what it would look like." She presented Elva with her hands just before they returned to their previous task. "What do you think I should do?"
"Eila, I can't make that decision for you. I'll think you're beautiful regardless of what you choose."
"You've never seen my skin. Not…" she gestured to her upper half. "This part of me… or the rest of me."
"It doesn't matter. Your heart is beautiful and your mind is beautiful. You are beautiful." Elva reached up and pressed a kiss to Eila's lips. "Scars or no scars. Do what makes you happy, okay?"
Eila smiled and wrapped her arms around partner. "We've not been together for longer than today and yet I already feel so close to you. Why are you so good to me?"
"Because you deserve nothing less and I really, really like you." Elva softened. "But I care for you a lot as well."
Pulling away, Eila looked at her with a mixture of joy and confliction. "You've cared for a long time, haven't you?"
Elva's eyes fell and so did her expression. "Since I met you in Ilirea… in the kitchens. When it was just me and you that first time." She admitted softly. "When I was nearly two feet shorter and looked like a child." She looked up and into Eila's blue eyes. "You were sick and your shoulder was damaged so badly. I worried you were going to die. That's why I got Nasuada to help… I didn't mean for her to hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt you." Elva's eyes watered and she swallowed thickly.
"Oh, no, Elva… I didn't understand that I was safe. I didn't understand that you were trying to help and I'll forever thank you for doing what you did because I probably would have died. If that had happened, I would've never met you or Eylörís or Arya or Nasuada or Angela. I wouldn't have discovered that Shruikan was still alive or have gotten to see the eggs, and I would never have found that part of my biological family lives with and in Arya. I wouldn't have found happiness or peace. I would've died alone and in pain without ever having seen the sun, Elva." She smiled softly as tears ran down her cheeks. "You've given me the chance to learn how to live." She closed her eyes. "I can only hope you can forgive me for the way I treated you."
Elva reached up and kissed her, allowing her hand to thread through Eila's hair, but she jerked away to turn the faucet off. "Sorry… the tub."
Eila smiled and chuckled waterily. "It's okay…" the words ghosted over her teeth before she turned back to Elva who looked like she was going to do something impulsive.
"Can I…" Elva stopped herself. "Never mind." She shook her head and smiled.
"What were you going to ask?" Eila cocked her head on the side.
Elva looked at her and sighed. "Forgive me if what I ask is too much, and please don't feel pressured to do anything-"
"Elva. It's okay. I know." Eila kissed her cheek. "Tell me."
With a shy look, Elva nodded. "I wanted to ask if you felt okay with showing me the marks on your upper half. If you agree, I intend to do the same for you… uh, show you myself also. My upper half."
Confliction immediately passed over the half-Elf's features, then curiosity, then… a soft smile with a nod. "Yeah… I'm okay with that." She whispered, then looked down and began undoing the clasps on her asymmetrical tunic. She had gotten through two before pausing. "Elva you don't have to do this too if you don't want to. My rules are the same as yours." She looked up and continued undoing her tunic.
"No, I want to. I'd never ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself." Elva's hand rubbed Eila's thigh and the Half-Elf smiled.
"Me too." Her hands stilled when she undid the last clasp. "Okay…" she took a deep breath, then let it out and reached up to shrug out of her damp tunic.
Elva watched her with a tender expression as the white cloth was removed slowly, inch by inch until it was a pile on the floor beside them. She was left in nothing except for her breast wrappings and her trousers.
Eila's arms went to cover her waist, but Elva pressed a tender hand to the scarred flesh of her forearm. "You have nothing to be ashamed of; nothing to hide. I told you that you were beautiful and you still are. I mean that." She smiled warmly and pressed her left hand to the half-Elf's cheek, causing Eila to smile softly as well. "Your heart rate is rather fast." Elva commented with a playful smirk as she watched Eila's heartbeat pulse through the shining glow of her more than mutated Gedwëy Ignasia.
"I'm nervous. The… marks on me are not attractive in my mind and they came from a bad place. Not many people know about them."
Elva let her fingers brush across Eila's shoulder and over the raised scars that were so akin to possibly thousands of marks on the rest of her body. "I think they're attractive." The human smiled softly with a warm look in her eyes. "They show me how strong you are."
Elva raised up on her knees as the hand that was on Eila's arm moved upwards. "They show me a fragment of how much you've been through." She leaned in close and pressed her lips to Eila's shoulder. "How much you've endured. How you chose to survive." She whispered as she let her hands carefully explore the uncovered skin. "Here… my turn." The shorter of the two sat back on her heels and slid the dark tunic over her head, dropping it next to Eila's discarded garment. It landed with a heavy, wet sound.
"There… now we're even." Elva didn't want to process the insecurities she had about herself. She knew she was unhealthily thin from having to age so quickly and not being able to keep up nutritionally, and her skin held silvery stretch marks that continued to appear as she had furthered her developments into womanhood.
She couldn't ignore the look of absolute amazement on Eila's features. "Your skin… is so… smooth." She reached out and laid a hand across Elva's torso when she rose to her knees again. "You're warm…" she cracked a smile.
"I am living and my normal body temperature does run hotter than a regular human." She answered with that same playful look.
"No, I mean… you're warm. Everywhere." Eila leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around Elva and reveled in the feeling of getting to experience this sort of skin-to-skin contact for the first time in her life. "Durza was cold." She admitted softly. "And you're warm… your skin… all over."
Eila's simple amazement was heartbreaking to Elva, and she was happy to let her partner hold her and be close. Eila's never had that before, she realized. Nothing in this category of intimacy.
"You hold so much tension in your back." Elva murmured while she shifted with Eila as she slid off the tub's edge to kneel on the floor as well. "Let me help you with that later."
Eila pulled away reluctantly to look Elva in the eye. "What do you mean?"
"Have you heard of a massage? Like, how you massage your temples when your head hurts and it feels good?"
Eila nodded.
"It's like that, except much better and on your back. Angela taught me as she worked with me while I was growing so quickly. Everything hurt so badly all the time and massaging the areas around the muscles and joints helped significantly. You're retaining so much tension in your back." Elva brought her close. "Like here." She made her hands into a fist and worked them in circles with even pressure around Eila's lower back. "There's a knot where your muscles become cramped due to constant stress or strain. You might be able to feel it." Elva said as she continued to rock her fists around.
Slowly, she could feel Eila's weight in her arms increase as the half-Elf seemed to begin melting at the feeling. Elva slowly released the pressure she was applying and let her hands lay flat against the branded braid along her partner's spine. She felt along the lengthy scar, using her fingertips to work out any of the smaller knots in between. With a deep inhale, Elva straightened as she worked to get a better angle on Eila's upper back, as that was the worst place so far. "Your shoulder is paining you." She whispered. "I can't do much to help with that, but I can try. Would you be willing to visit with some of the healers here? They might be able to reconstruct the scarred bone." her lips touched Eila's shoulder. "Humans are squishy compared to Elves. You're a little bit of both. Maybe they'll have an easier time mending the bone."
Eila tensed and buried her face in Elva's neck. "I'm worried they'll find out about my father. I understand I can't do anything about my heritage, but I know they'll be suspicious of me and that there might be an open discussion on whether or not to train me as a Rider." She sighed as relief spread through her body at Elva's ministrations. "I was raised in Urû'baen and I lived there for thirty-four years. I can't see how they wouldn't be suspicious of me, especially when it comes to my knowledge and my abilities." she sighed, her eyes drifting open. "Elva, my mind holds possibly the largest living index of dark magic, dug up by both my father and Durza. The Elves are bound to find out about that. That might be a punishable offence with a penalty of death."
"You're a Rider, Eila. Eylörís chose to hatch for you with those things in mind. She regarded your heart, which is filled with so much good despite the evils that were inflicted and forced upon you. You shouldn't be punished for the things you couldn't control. Arya will definitely have a say in any sort of verdict to harm you. I will too and I'm sure all three dragons here will raise the dead before so much as a finger is laid on you. A healthy mind can still be a twisted mind and if you consider yourself twisted in an evil way, that's not true. You're too light to be truly dark, but you hold a balance that is admirable." Elva pulled away and looked directly into her eyes. "Dark thoughts don't make you an evil person so long as they don't cause you to inflict harm on anyone." She pressed her lips to Eila's, feeling the warmth that had emanated from the hot water behind them, warming their skin. "I have terrible thoughts sometimes. Evil fantasies I have no control over, but do I act on them? No. Never." Elva smiled. "And if you feel like you need to do something that isn't good, come find me or Arya or Angela. I've had to do that a few times when it was just me and Angela."
"You did?" Eila asked with a softly worried frown, more out of sympathy than true worry.
"Yes. I've had the desire to murder those who insult me or get on my nerves. To wordlessly crush a windpipe or cause a heart to explode because I can and nobody else needs to be subjected to such incessant, immature behavior." She smiled. "Those are dark thoughts, and I know how much I'd regret it if I acted on any of them. It wouldn't be worth it. Wordless magic is also dangerous, but I've found anger helps me concentrate. It's a form of passion that drives people to get things done, though it's not very healthy." she chuckled quietly.
"I know what you mean." the half-Elf replied as her fingers drew patterns on Elva's bare skin. She sighed and pressed her lips into a thin line. "I'm worried about sparring with you, whenever that happens."
"Why?" Elva asked, trying to search her partner's eyes for answers.
"Because I have Repeating Past and more than twenty-five years of experience in a fighting style only Durza knew." She clenched her jaw and Elva reached up to press her thumb to the bulge in the contracted masseter muscle. At the touch, Eila relaxed her jaw and sighed in defeat. "I don't want to see you as the enemy and actually try to kill you. The Elves here will most likely know the forms which I use. Sparring with me will only end in injury or death to you if you are my fighting partner." panic formed behind Eila's eyes. They looked slightly grey in the light of the bathroom. "I'm afraid of hurting you."
"Then we'll have a safe-word." Elva said gently.
"What's a safe-word?" Eila's slanted eyebrow raised in confusion.
"It's a word you say that essentially means 'stop' with the indication of a specific issue. Like… if I felt like my curse was getting too overwhelming, I would say 'Toadstool' to Angela and she knew to help me by causing me to lose consciousness." Elva smiled. "And it irritates her because she believes there is no such thing as toads."
Eila's features crinkled. "She doesn't believe in toads?"
"No, and there's nothing you can do to convince her otherwise, but if you'd like to pointlessly argue, just bring the topic up to her." Elva grinned. "But what I mean is if we were to spar and you felt your mind begin to act up, you'd say a word that meant to indicate the problem and that you'd need to remove yourself from the situation. It's a faster, simpler way of communicating with your peers and teachers." she bit her lip and kissed Eila again. "And me, because I'm special." she laughed playfully and it caused a smile to crack across the half-Elf's previously sullen features.
"Yes you are." Eila's smile became a grin as she kissed Elva's nose. "Then let's make a safe-word."
"Alright. It needs to be something that isn't long or complicated. Probably not anything in the Ancient Language, considering… magic." Elva looked up at her with wide violet eyes. "Something you're okay saying in public. You'll need to share this with Arya and any other instructor we end up working with when it comes to possible triggers. I know that might give you away, but they need to be sympathetic. They'll see that you're trying and that you're putting others' safety as well as your own, first."
Eila nodded. "Ivy." She answered immediately.
"Ivy?"
"Yes. Ivy. Ivy was the first living plant I had ever seen."
Elva smiled. "So be it. 'Ivy' is your safe-word." She pulled away. "Now I don't want your water to get cold. It's still fairly hot, but still. I also need to bathe as well. Are you alright in here by yourself? I can stay if you want me to."
Eila let her hands rise to lay on Elva's shoulders. "I'm okay, thank you, Button."
"Button?"
"Your affectionate nickname." Eila clarified as she rose, bringing Elva with her. "For now." She bent and picked up her white shirt. "And I'm also not sending you back to your room without a shirt. Mine has clasps so it'll be easier to put on and take off. Yours doesn't, so leave it here." She smirked with a newfound confidence. "And it means you have to come back to get it." she frowned slightly. "But I'm not trying to… lure you or anything. That's just creepy."
Elva chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I know you mean well."
Eila smiled with satisfaction and held her tunic open so Elva could slide her arms through and shrug into it. Despite being wet and having been exposed to the contents of clear river water, it looked completely clean. She turned and the half-Elf smiled. The tunic was slightly too big in the arms and shoulders, but she worked the clasps and closed the longer flap over the shorter one, concealing Elva's body from view.
"There you go." Eila smiled as she brushed her fingers across the shoulders of the tunic. "Now go on home. I'll see you at dinner in a little while."
"Okay, fine." Elva said along a sigh for drama's sake, but she sobered and reached up to let her fingers drift across the twenty vertical marks on Eila's upper chest. Her eyes drifted to the other shoulder and she frowned. "Is it okay if I ask what this one is from?" it was a crooked, spider-like scar that was twisted and still slightly pink.
"I was target practice." her eyes became distant. "Well… Father was angry at me for…" she frowned slightly as if trying to hold back. "For miscarrying. He threw a spear at me, and it struck me here." She tapped it four times before lowering her hand. "Elva… I have a lot that I haven't told you…" She finally made eye contact. "It's okay if you don't want to do this because the vast majority of it is… heavy and sometimes disturbing."
"No… no, Eila…" Elva stammered and brought her close. "Of course I want to be with you. You're my best friend, except better because I care for you in a romantic way. I'm also hardwired to help. It makes me feel good to make you feel good and I'm genuine about that. I know that also sounds like I'm obligated, and in a way, I am, but I also really do want to help you through all of it. I've made my mind up about that, and if we don't work out as a couple, I'm still going to be there for you if you need me. I really like you, Eila and I do want to be with you. Please don't question that." she felt Eila relax against her a moment before pulling away with a nod.
"I won't. I promise." A soft smile appeared on her lips.
"Good." Elva kissed her one last time before letting go. "I'll see you later. I'm going to come by to walk you downstairs, okay? Angela knows, Arya knows…" She frowned, then shrugged. "I don't know if Orik knows, but oh well."
"We could get in trouble." Eila said pointedly.
"Then we're friends for the evening who are sometimes intimate with each other." Elva smiled, then hugged her one last time. "Stay here. I'll find my way home. Relax some."
Eila nodded. "You too."
Elva smiled then bowed. "I promise, Rider." She whispered, then left, closing the door softly behind her and giving Eila the privacy she deserved and needed.
A/N: Hi. I've realized I'm not good at writing intimacy, so sorry for that, but I hoped you enjoyed this next installment anyway. I had to patient with this chapter because it wasn't easy to write and I knew it was going to be lengthy to start off with. I wanted to give you guys a nice long chapter, and trust me, it could have been a lot longer, but it was jumbled that way, and I didn't like it. Now I have material for another chapter!
Anyway, I love you all, I really do. I'm mostly writing this story for my own enjoyment, but it makes me feel so much better knowing you have stuck with me and read this far along. I never had expected to find people who would enjoy this and also that this story would make it this far. You guys are my motivators to stick with this, and I've become a better writer because of it. I'm trying so many new things, and even if I don't pull them off very well, I can say I tried and that I'm going to keep trying until I get better.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the tip of my crown (top of head)!
-Lady Arlo