Stupid writer's block…
A/N: All right…so I lied about what was going to be in this chapter, they'll be in the next chapter instead. I decided that my fic is all serious and thought that it wouldn't hurt if they had a bit of fun :-)
OMG, over 100 reviews…I LOVE YOU ALL! Platonically that is.
Disclaimer: don't own War Craft…
She lay still, feeling so warm and comfortable that she did not want to get up it. Then a thought struck her and she turned ever so slightly and her fears were confirmed. Agraelith lay next to her still asleep, one arm slung over her. Instead of sliding out from under him like she knew she should do she stayed, breathing him in. She could not help but notice how wonderful he smelled and felt that she would like nothing more than to lay there all morning. Unfortunately it seemed all good things must come to an end.
"And what were you two doing last night?" Illyath had appeared in the doorway and was peering in at them with a slightly amused expression, not at all embarrassed.
Groaning Agraelith sat up rubbing his face, glancing at his surroundings. When he saw Carya blushing and Illyath grinning he cursed silently. "Illyath, will you get out?" he snapped.
"Fine fine, I can see that you two would much rather be alone," he chuckled as he turned from them.
"B-but nothing happened between us," Carya swiftly got out of bed, knowing that if Illyath had gotten any ideas he would be loathe too let them go.
"Uh huh, sure…that's just why you two were in bed together."
"Sleeping!" she exclaimed rather perturbed.
Illyath raised an eyebrow infuriating her further, "Really now."
"I'd stop now if I were you…she's beginning to look a bit murderous," Agraelith had gotten out of bed as well. "Well, I'm off to go change…I'll let you two resolve this. And for your information, nothing happened." He winked at Carya as he pushed his way between them and headed back to his own room.
She turned on Illyath, "Nothing happened," she stated firmly, reiterating what Agraelith had just said.
It looked as if he was about to make a rather smart comment but then decided against it. "Nothing happened, I get it."
"Are you sure you understand?"
"Positive."
"Good." She gave a sigh of relief, that had not been nearly as bad as she had thought it would.
Illyath leaned against the door frame, "So, any plans on what to do today?"
"Actually…yes, I do believe so," she attempted to exit but he remained barring the door.
"Does it involve Agraelith?" he asked slyly.
"No, it does not," she stepped over his outstretched legs.
"Does it involve me?" he followed her down the hall.
"Of course not," she answered slightly exasperated
"Does it involve the orc?"
"No! Will you kindly stop questioning me?" she had made it to the kitchen. "Illyath, do you have anything to eat?"
"Yes, shall I make you some breakfast my dearest elfling?" he grabbed a loaf of bread and began cutting it.
"What did you call me?"
"You didn't seem to mind the orc calling you that," he replied with a shrug. He began to butter the slices and then topped it all off with thin slices of cheese.
"That is quite different." He handed her a plate and she thanked him.
"You are most welcome my dearest," he had that cocky grin on his face again and Carya scowled.
"You know, you manage to make that look quite becoming."
"I…what!"
"Scowling all the time, it suits you." Nimbly he leapt out of the way as she attempted to hit him with a book that had been lying on the table. "Now now, violence is bad, especially when aimed at me."
She let out a frustrated cry and sat down, focusing on eating. Their decision to move in was beginning to look as if it had been a rather bad idea. At least the food tasted good. When she was finished she stood to clean the plate but Illyath took it from her, "I've got it."
"So what was it you were planning on doing today?"
Carya had already stood up and was heading back to her room to change, "Going for a swim."
Grabbing her dingy pack off the floor she unrolled the blanket and pulled out her old clothes. Slipping them on swiftly, she darted back out looking forward to the day. It would be a relief getting away from Agraelith…she loved being around him, truly she did…but it was time for her to be alone for a little while, and getting away from Illyath was always a plus. She had meant to go straight out the front door without any questioning but Agraelith called out to her while she made her dash through the kitchen. Coming to an immediate halt, she could tell that a guilty expression was forming on her face.
"Where are you off to?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Going for a swim…"
"Erm…Carya…there's no water around here," he said glancing towards Illyath.
"Yes there is, I checked the map with the most recent date…there is a lake near here…correct?" she turned to Illyath and he nodded.
"It's out by the forest bordering the town, not too far. I assume you were planning on stealing one of my horses?"
The guilty expression deepened. All right, so she had been considering taking one of his horses without asking…but she would not consider it stealing…she was going to bring it right back. Seeing her face, Illyath smiled, "I was joking."
"Don't you want us to come with you?" Agraelith stood.
How to explain it to him without hurting his feelings? It turned out that things could become more complicated than they should when it came to someone you cared about.
"Well…actually…I love spending time with you…you know that…but I just…I feel…that…maybe…"
"Carya?" he was smiling.
Timidly she looked up at him, "Yes?"
"It's fine, go on now…but do be careful," he warned her. "In fact, take this." He tossed her his dagger still in its sheath and she caught it.
"I will not be gone long," she hugged him and he kissed her cheek.
"Have fun!" he called after her as she walked out the door.
The water was clear and sparkled invitingly in the sun; a warm breeze lazily caressed her. Nimbly, she dismounted and allowed Lofn to wander, knowing that the horse would stay close. She approached the edge of the lake, hesitating for only moment before stepping into it, cool water flowing over her feet, wading until she reached the point where she could swim.
She felt the heat disappear as the surface of the lake grew farther away. Under the water there was a calmness that could be found no where else. The only sound was her rhythmic heart beat; her arms stretched out in front of her and her legs propelled her along. Reaching down she opened her hand flat, touching the bottom before swimming back towards the sun, lungs pleading for air.
Laughing she broke the surface, earning a patronizing look from Lofn.
"Well that's something I never expected to see…"
The voice came from behind her and she turned, treading the water. Slowly her hand reached towards her waist, only to find that she had left the dagger back on the shore. How could she have been so careless?
The man was standing close to the water, sweat dripping slightly from under his light brown hair. "Looks like you had the same idea I did," his voice was pleasant but Carya remembered the towns uneasiness about strangers, it was an uneasiness that she shared. He did not seem surprised in the least that she was a night elf. When she did not respond he asked, "Well…mind if I come in?"
Truthfully she did mind, but she was not rude enough to voice her reservations. "No, of course not."
He stripped off his plain brown tunic and coarse undershirt, she found herself blushing. Fingering his belt, he seemed to decide it better if he left it on and he smiled cautiously at her as he entered the water. "Been out all morning and couldn't quite stand the heat anymore."
The wise thing to do, she decided, was not respond and he would eventually leave her alone. She began to swim the other way and could not help but look back as he came up from a dive. Water dripped down his tan skin and she forced herself to look away.
"All right Agraelith, Carya's out having fun…what do you want to do?" Illyath sprung up from his seat at the lack of his friend's enthusiasm. "Oh come on, you've been together every single day for how long? You know you both need a break from each other."
"Yes, but I promised her mother that I would protect her…that involves actually being near her to watch her."
"No, we are not going to go spy on her. Not only would she kill you but she'd probably do it in the most painful way she could."
"I wasn't saying that," he sighed giving in, "I'm guessing you already have a plan."
A slow grin spread across Illyath's face, "'Course I do!"
It seemed that they had worked out an unspoken agreement; Carya swam on one side of the lake while the man swam on the other. She was lazily doing laps while he floated on his back, once in a while pausing to submerge himself. It was all going quite well until he got out and called over to her, "Care to join me for lunch?"
She had to admit that she was a bit hungry. Sharing food with a stranger however…no…she would not do it. "No, thank you but I would rather not," she called back.
He shrugged and began digging in a leather sack, pulling out what looked like bread and a chunk of dried meat. Managing to resist her urge for food, she continued to swim but it was not long before she decided that a break was needed.
The sun was warm on her face as she stretched out in the grass, the dagger now resting by her side. Closing her eyes she remained alert, still wary of the man who had joined her swim. A shadow fell over her and her eyes snapped open, automatically unsheathing the dagger.
"Whoa," the man put his hands up and backed away slowly. "Er…sorry…"
"Who are you?" she questioned, getting to her feet.
"My name's Ream," his eyes were wide as he eyed the weapon in her hand. It was then that she realized that he had barely reached manhood, and by the looks of it, had led a pretty easy life.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was hot and decided to go for a swim…"
"Where are you from?"
"Thal-Morian," his voice had a slightly pleading tone and she could almost smell his fear. She continued her questioning.
"How old are you?"
"Nineteen," he stammered.
"What is it that you do?"
"What?"
"For a living, what is it that you do?" she repeated, her voice softening a little.
"I…well…nothing…I help my dad I guess, but…" he looked embarrassed and she understood. He was the son of a wealthy merchant; there was no need for him to work.
He now looked positively scared out of his mind and she smiled reassuringly. "I suppose to be fair I should tell you a little about myself." Normally she would have done no such thing, but after scaring the poor lad she decided that it was fair.
"My name is Carya, I am a night elf…" she had never exactly properly introduced herself to someone and she found herself at a loss.
He helped her out, "How old are you?"
"One hundred and thirty."
Ream's jaw dropped, "No way is that possible."
"Night elves live for an eternity, we are the immortal." Unless of course they were killed…but she saw no need to add that.
"Illyath, this is by far the most pointless idea you have ever come up with."
They were standing in the middle of the street…standing…just standing. "Just wait a moment and watch." He seemed to be looking for something, "Ah hah," he murmured.
A woman with soft blonde hair falling loosely about her narrow shoulder was about to pass them.
"Quick, push me," he pleaded.
"You my friend have officially gone daft," Agraelith shook his head.
"Just do it will you," he watched the woman getting ready to walk by them.
Rolling his eyes, Agraeltih shoved his friend who staggered into the woman. "Sorry about that, midear," he said with the biggest apologetic face he could muster.
"Quite all right sir," she continued on without so much as a glance back and Illyath frowned.
"So that didn't work to well, let's move on to something else then, shall we?"
Ream she noticed was still eyeing her dagger, "Do you er…do you actually use that?" he asked.
Carya laughed but managed to stop when she saw his hurt expression, "Why else would I have it?"
"I dunno…but women don't normally carry them…"
"Night elves are warriors," she flicked it into the air and caught it easily, amused by his obvious surprise.
"Father wouldn't let me learn, said there was no need for it," he looked sheepish. "Could you erm…could you teach me?" his eyes met hers and she felt an unfamiliar tug at her heart. He seemed so…innocent…something that she had observed to be rare among the youth here. There was something she had to be sure of first, in a completely normal seeming movement she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, then smiled.
"Of course, although…I have only my dagger…I could teach you to throw, but if you want to learn swordplay or archery I shall have to show you later."
"You would do that?" he seemed eager and excited. "Father would be furious." For some reason this particular thought seemed to encourage him but she decided not to press the matter.
"Watch," she turned scanning the grounds by the lake. With one swift fluid movement the dagger was embedded in a near by tree, hilt gleaming in the sun. His eyes were wide and a grin spread across his face.
"Can I?" he pointed at it and as soon as she nodded he was racing across the grass and pulled it from the trees hold.
After careful instruction and another demonstration she handed it over to him. Eyebrows scrunched together in careful concentration he mimicked her movements, sadly the results were not nearly as impressive. The dagger dropped feet before the intended target and he let out a sigh of frustration.
"Maybe I'm just not meant for it," he said and she was irked by how swift he was in giving up.
"Nonsense, go retrieve it and try again. Things like these take patience, if I had given up every time I had failed on the first try, I would not be here now."
"But…you're different then me…I'm…I'm useless, not good at anything…" he mumbled.
This was proving to be much more than she had bargained for; his looks had suggested he would be a quick pupil but was now proving quite the opposite. Then a thrill went up her spine, a challenge that is what this was. She herself had been considered something of a prodigy, excelling at everything, quick to learn, but she had had her faults. Being hopelessly naïve and idealistic, she supposed that was how she had ended up here in the first place. Now however, now she had the chance to help someone who was not as quick as herself, and she would do it. There was fire in him, she could sense it and once she blew on it, irritated it, she had a feeling that he would make a leap forward. Prove to be what she had first seen in him. Carya had a feeling what it was that would excite the slowly burning embers.
"Is that what your father says?" she asked him in an airy tone.
"Well…not exactly…but I know that's what he thinks…"
"Perhaps he is right," she snapped. "Giving up after one try," snorting she turned from him and it seemed she had come to the correct conclusion.
"No! Let me see it," he reached out and she smiled as she handed it to him.
"Find your target, do you have it?"
He nodded.
"Concentrate…find the spot and concentrate…"
There was a resounding thud and Agraelith grinned, "This is more like it."
"Thought you'd enjoy it," Illyath stepped up next to him and tossed his on dagger, it hit right beneath Agraelith's.
"Think I can best you both," a large burly man elbowed between them and took his own shot; it embedded itself so hard in the wood that it took the three of them to pull it out.
"Don't you think it's a bit early to begin drinking?" Agraelith asked as Illyath downed a pint.
"Of course not, and no, you are definitely not having any…any at all…I'd rather not be thrown to the floor and punched in the face by my so called best friend."
Agraelith stared guiltily at a spot on the table. "Ah come on, it was an accident…besides you love me anyways."
"Lucky that I do, I don't know why I stick with you. You've tried to kill me, you've…" He ranted on and eventually Agraelith tuned him out, looking around the room. He had to admit that he was somewhat relieved Carya was not with them, this was not the type of place the night elf would appreciate. Everything seemed dingy and even though it was still early in the day there were a number of ragged men and scantily clad bar maids. One of whom sidled up to their table.
" 'ello there dears," she flicked a dark curl away from her pale face and smiled sweetly at them. "Need anything?" she leaned down and rested her elbows gently on the table, causing Illyath to choke on a mouthful of ale.
"YES!" Ream leaped into the air as the dagger hit close to the spot he had been aiming for. "I DID IT!"
Carya was grinning, "See, and you were willing to give up."
"Never again," he assured her. "Thank you…"
"You are welcome," she replied as she plucked the dagger out of the tree, sheathing it. They had had enough for one day.
"Not just for that…but for…you know…not letting me give up," his face was sincere and she felt a twinge in her stomach. She, a hardened warrior, was feeling pity for this wealthy youth with his easy life. Something in his eyes however, told her that while his life had been easy, there had been certain…conflicts…she had an idea of who they had been with. A realization came over her, she was a night elf…he was a human…yet they had spent hours together, her teaching and he learning. No conflicts, no fights, only encouragement and happiness.
Her elders had been wrong…so very very wrong.
Another chapter, whee! Anyways, you know the drill, pweeze update : D they make me happy.
Next chapter: well, some changes from what I was planning but still some of the same things. Illyath's wealth, Agraelith being…unexpected…maybe not in a good way, and a bit of insight into Ream.
Hmm…what do you all think of Ream? Should he join their little group or should he go?
Oh yeah, there will continue to be a little bit of fluff and romance but things should start getting a bit darker as the war approaches…and yes it is approaching…it's just taking a while to get there :-)
