Chapter 12

The swishing movement of Miri's forest-green dress brought confidence to her as she managed to glide down the hallway without tripping or making a fool of herself. Of course-I'm fine when no one else is around, but as soon as I reach the party, I'm sure to do something stupid, Miri said sarcastically to herself. Miri rarely enjoyed the social side of being in the Queen's Riders; she hated being the center of attention, which invariably happened, whether it was people praising her battle tactics or court ladies inquiring about Evin.

Usually, Miri preferred to be curled in the warmth and quiet of the libraries, reading about the cultures of the surrounding countries and peoples. Since she had grown up in a small village on the coast with limited schooling, Miri tried to combat the lack of a proper education with the wide resources she found in the capital. On occasion, an overly enthusiastic Rider, or even Evin, tried to persuade Miri to relax and come live a little. More often then not, Evin's incentive for seeking Miri out was needing her help to discourage a lady who had taken a fancy to him.

Knocking lightly on her Commander's door, Miri tried to calm her nerves by thinking of all the horrible things that she could do to get back at Evin. Her favourite at the moment was putting a dead fish into his sleeping mat, but that would have to wait until they returned to the field, so he couldn't specifically blame her for the surprise. Her mouth twitched with amusement.

The door swung open suddenly, with great force, and there stood Evin in dark blue breeches and tunic with a sky blue shirt. The shirt fit his shoulders nicely and brought out the deep shade of blue in his eyes. His blonde hair was brushed away from a widow's peak, leaving his face bare for inspection.) Miri scrutinised him from head to toe, and felt her stomach go all fuzzy, as if there was a swarm of bees inside wanting a way out.

"You'll do,"commented Miri lightly, trying to hide her inner emotions.

"You think I'm handsome, Miri," stated Evin. "Admit it!"

He was nearly as bad as Numair when preparing himself for a party. In preparation for tonight's trip with Miri, he had spent over an hour getting ready. However, he had received help when Daine popped in and helped him select his outfit for the evening. It had certainly been worth it though, for he had rendered Miri speechless at his door.

Evin held Miri to the spot by reaching for her hands, which had been hiding behind her back, betraying her nervousness. He lifted her chin so that her eyes would meet his.

"You know," he whispered as his voice dropped a few octaves, "You look beautiful tonight."

He said I was beautiful! No man has ever said that to me. Miri's mind started to race at the touch of Evin's hand on her face.

"You are just saying that to be polite, Evin," she retorted quickly.

"No, I'm saying it now so that I can stare at you all night without being accused of harassment," said Evin with a straight face.

Miri chuckled. Same old Evin.

"We'd better go then,"Miri said, gaining her composure back. "We wouldn't want to miss Numair's fine speech about the infinite number of possibilities on stars, would we?"

Bowing, Evin held out an arm for Miri to grasp. He is playing gentleman tonight, then, mused Miri. Smiling shyly, she accepted it and they made their way to Balor's Needle, Evin entertaining her with funny stories of his family and news from other Riders.

It wasn't long until they came to the Needle. The cold wind instilled a harsh feeling in the mood. The steps were steep, and Miri fought with the skirts as she steadily climbed.

"I could carry you up, if you wanted," Evin said with a smile as he glanced down at Miri.

"Thank you, Commander, but I am perfectly capable," panted Miri.

"As you wish," replied a cheerful Evin, who raced up the last flight to the top.

"I really do hate you!" Miri muttered to herself. "Sometimes."

"I love you too, dear heart!" Evin's voice echoed down to her.

Miri sighed loudly, hoping the person reaching the top heard clearly. Reaching the outer door which led to the platform, Miri pushed it open slowly, wary for some reason. There is something missing. This is not right.

"Evin!" Miri called out to an empty Balor's Needle. "There is no one here."

"There is you, and there is me." Evin was standing behind Miri and saw her jump with unease as he spoke. He gently draped his arm around her small shoulders and turned her whole body around to face him.

The wind was picking up slightly and Miri's shivered, as her dress did not protect her from the cold. This is why ball dresses are worn in ballrooms! Evin, feeling concerned for her welfare, wrapped his arms around her body, blocking her from most of the breeze and leaving Miri's body to be warmed by his.

"You do have the right place, don't you Evin?" voiced Miri. "The star-gazing is not in the Royal gardens or somewhere else?" She stared into Evin's eyes for an answer, but tonight he was taking a little longer than usual to respond. In fact, the thought hit Miri that he was quite content at standing here with her pressed closely into his chest and staring at her for some strange reason. Daine never mentioned the star-gazing trip, which she would do normally, but Miri had been too busy with Evin to notice earlier. Again her thoughts returned to the Commander.

"There was no star-gazing party," she stated calmly, as if Evin was a scared horse.

Evin's face looked guilty at lying to his best friend. "No," he admitted.

"So why in Mithros' name are we up here!"

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, then it won't be a surprise," said Evin, "And then all my planning would be for nothing."

The pathetically sad look Evin gave her won over Miri's heart, and therefore she obeyed him, though she grabbed his hand for reassurance.

"Now follow me, my beautiful lady," Evin breathed in Miri's ear, which left her knees weak and produced a smile on her lips at his courtly behaviour. From her judgement, they walked around the block where the door was. She was sheltered from the wind, but it felt nicer with Evin's arms entwined around her. As Evin gave no warning to stop, a blind Miri walked straight into his back.

Her rebuke died on her lips as the sight before her left her mute. The most romantic dinner lay before her: a small, low table was set with several dishes covered with steaming food, and the smell rose from the plates reminded Miri of her favourite fish dish that her mother used to make. Surrounding the table were large, silk cushions in various shades of pink and silver for them to sit on, and the area was lit by candle in varying sizes, making the atmosphere cosy and intimate.

Evin led a dumbfounded Miri to her side of the table as her eyes still wandered around the setting. This surprise had taken a couple of weeks to scheme, the most difficult part being asking Miri's mother to write down her recipe so that Evin could amaze Miri with it for dinner. He seriously owed Daine for flying down to Miri's hometown and learning the cooking technique. He hoped it would make Miri feel as if she were at home. Evin pushed Miri down to her cushion and waited for her to come out of her trance. It was amusing to see the delight on Miri's face, like a child receiving a birthday present, so he helped out by uncovering the dishes and pouring some juice into her glass. He was planning on having Miri's favourite sweet wine, but due to their departure early the next morning, he didn't think it appropriate to drag a hung-over Miri on the ride. There would be too many questions to answer, for one thing.

As Evin began serving the meal, the aromas hit Miri's nose, bringing her back to the realms of reality.

"Is that Fisher's Fry?" exclaimed Miri.

Evin nodded and grinned widely at Miri's gaping mouth.

"Merciful Mother, you did you manage to get the recipe from Ma's clutches?" asked an astounded Miri.

"I played the helpless lover card," said Evin with a grin."Which I truly am."

Miri grinned back. This was the best social event that she had ever been to, especially with a very good-looking Commander at her side.

"But this," Miri indicated with her hands. "This must have taken some planning ...and I know you. You would want to watch everything being done...but why didn't I see it happening...YOU forced me to have that duel and somehow you won! You little imp! You must have been spending more time with George than is healthy."

"And well worth it, from the expression on your face," Evin said solemnly. "I never knew you could look like a fish." Miri threw a small pillow at him, hitting him squarely in the face.

"Let's eat," announced Miri before Evin had the chance to retaliate.

"Sure," Evin murmured "A simple 'Thank you, Evin' would have been nice, though." Another pillow hit him within seconds of the words being issued.

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Miri believed that this glow inside her could not be extinguished. After spending such a romantic evening with Evin, who tried to cater to her every need, she knew that it was coming to an end. With hands clasped, they made their way to her door in a loving silence. Miri felt her cheeks blushing as she remembered sharing more than a couple of passionate kisses with Evin, but it just felt right. It was like she was drunk on happiness, and Miri did not want it to end.

Miri's sigh was audible down the empty Riders hall. Every other Rider would be sleeping to prepare themselves for the ride tomorrow, or actually today, since Evin and Miri did not come down until after midnight, due to their long conversation ranging over so many things.

"Here we are," mumbled Evin against Miri's soft dark hair. He kissed her forehead as she drew out her key and unlocked the door. She eased it open to let the moonbeams from her window light the dim hall.

Miri looked at Evin and noticed that the wind had ruffled his hair so that it stood up at odd angles. She giggled quietly, afraid of waking anybody up.

"What's so funny now?" mocked Evin.

"Your hair," gasped Miri. "It's all over the place. And it was so neat at the beginning of the night."

"Well, I was otherwise occupied during our evening. My hair was not the most important thing on my mind." Evin grinned.

Miri reached out her hand to calm the wild strands of blonde hair and patted them into place.

"There you go, Commander."

"Thank you for your kind service," Evin said with a bow. "How may I repay you?"

Evin's eyes twinkled with anticipation as Miri's face became suspicious. "What are you thinking, Evin?"

"Only this." Evin cupped Miri's face into his hand and gently placed his lips on hers in a soft kiss. Unconsciously, Miri found her arms circling Evin's neck and her hands disappearing into his hair. This is becoming familiar,Miri noted, and I like it!

They broke apart, and Evin positioned his head in the crook of Miri's neck. His favourite spot. Here he could tease Miri senseless and smell her fragrance, which brought a burning desire to kiss her again and again, but he would let Miri pick the time for any further exploration. He could wait for eternity and he truly believed that statement.

With Evin's head on her shoulder and his arms around her waist, Miri felt home. It was a strange feeling to have, and one that scared her a little. Only horses had terrified her in the past, yet she had come over that fear, and she would conquer this one too. With no evidence suggesting Evin was going to break away first, Miri pushed her door further open and came to a decision.

"Evin?" Miri experienced a flutter in her stomach. "Would you like to come in?"

Evin's lifted his head and stared into Miri's emerald eyes. He noted that she was nervous, and he was feeling guilty that his thoughts were along the same lines as what she had said, but he did not want to rush her.

"No...I shouldn't...now...really," He hated his brain. Why couldn't he think of a good excuse for once in his miserable life? "We should go to sleep now...we have an early start and..."

"Evin," interrupted Miri. "I understand...honestly...we'll go to bed then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Miri." Relieved that he had done the right thing, Evin kissed Miri. However, he wasn't prepared for Miri's passionate response, which completely banished all other thoughts from Evin's mind. Their bodies were crushed against one another, and Miri seemed to forget that they needed to breathe. She wasn't letting up as she deepened the kiss, and it clicked in Evin's mind that she was doing it on purpose. Not fair! I am only a man, not a god!

Evin tore his mouth away reluctantly. "I don't want to pressure you...maybe we should..."

"Evin," Miri said sharply. "I'm a grown girl."

"I have noticed," Evin said with his usual charm. "And believe me, I like what I see."

Miri playfully cuffed him on the ear for the blunt comment. "Stop being a prat."

Evin grinned lopsided and kissed her on the nose. He couldn't help himself; she was so adorable when she scowled.

"Look, I'm taking a chance because I don't know when we'll get another opportunity to be alone like this." Miri waved her arms around the deserted halls. "Anyway, I thought you loved me."

She was blackmailing him and he knew it, but nonetheless it worked. "Of course I love you. That's what I have been trying to tell you since we've returned to the palace."

"Good," Miri stated, happy with Evin's answer. "Now you can show me!"

With that Miri reclaimed Evin's lips and pushed him unceremoniously inside her quarters, slamming the door behind them by kicking it.

And this is the ending Dom's Lover thought of.......(too good to cut)

...But they didn't do ANYTHING naughty, NOTHING AT ALL, Evin just wanted to see Miri's... doll... collection!!! After he saw her dolls, he went RIGHT BACK TO HIS ROOM! ALONE!!! AND STILL A VIRGIN!!!

HE'S MINE!!!!!!!!!!!

cough