I wanted to see if I could manage to use no names or anything.
Everything him about as worn and tired as the night around him felt. His feet heavier than lead, and his heart even heavier than that. Not even the twinkle of the stars or the idea of sleeping in his own bed for the first time in weeks could manage to raise his spirits even an inch.
The ache that had settled its hold on his soul days ago remained undisturbed as he managed to force his weary arm to push the room open. And any that could possibly help him were hundreds of miles away, or so busy he would never dare distribute them.
With a sigh he carelessly he tossed his cloak and weapons on the couch of the small sitting room and left his boots next to his door. On the way to his dark and cold bedroom, he managed to strip off most of his many layers until he was left only with the undershirt and pants at the bottom.
Rubbing one hand across his tired eyes, the other opened the door.
When his eyes opened again, he was surprised that instead of finding his dark and empty bedroom it glowed with the soft, gentle, and welcoming light of a dozen candles and a merrily crackling fire.
His feet stopped walking without him noticing and the door clicked closed behind him of its own accord, the small towel that had been used to conceal the light from under the doorway stayed where it had been pushed.
She stood looking even softer than all the candlelight in the world could ever muster collectively, and when she smiled at him, she glowed brighter too.
It was the best thing he had seen in near four months, which coincidentally, was also the last time he saw her, "You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be on the eastern border."
"I can go," She teased lightly even she slowly came towards him, gesturing lightly with her hand, "If that would make you happy. I can go pack my bags right now, and go all the way back to the eastern border tonight."
He frowned with exaggeration at her, "That isn't what I meant. That could never possibly be, in any world, what I meant."
Taking a step forward he caught her wrist that had been gesturing and pulled her closer until he could kiss the palm of her hand before he let it go, "I could never, not even in anybody's wildest dreams, possibly tell or wish you to be farther away from me than you had to be."
"Never?" She almost hummed, coming to stand so close they were almost touching.
He shooked his head, "Never."
On her tip-toes, she met him halfway for the kiss, arms coming to circle his neck in natural reflex. It was so soft. sweet. and loving that his brain didn't quite know what to do even after she was back on flat feet. His entire body hummed with the familiar warmth his soul got only when it was around hers, the one glowing feeling she must have managed to bottle from the sun itself.
When his brain stalled for a few moments too long, she pulled hesd down to rest on her shoulder just next to her neck. His arms melted around her waist and closed his eyes into the unique and absolute security found only in her arms.
"I missed you so much."
He felt more than heard her laugh, "Good, you should."
Had their height differences not had him bend at such an angle, it seemed incredibly possible he could have fallen asleep there for several days. Perhaps weeks.
His arms loosened only long enough for him to bend slightly for a different hold and then so he could lift her with ease. As she felt her feet begin to leave the ground, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck likewise tightened.
When they reached the bed she loosened her hold in preparation to get down, so without warning, he tossed her onto the far end of the bed. Laughing at her small gasp of surprise, and then dodging the pillow she threw at his head.
Picking it up he threw it back at her and then slid into the bed, right in time to get another pillow in the face. She laughed with wicked triumph and then laid down in the bed. Leaning over, he blew a raspberry on her cheek, then her jaw, and finally the spot in her neck he had buried his face earlier.
She laughed with sincere openness and then reached a hand up to his face like she was trying to be certain he was really there, "I missed you so much."
With a contented hum, he laid down so that his ear was almost directly above her heart and tangled his legs with hers, "Good, you should."
Gentle hands began undoing all the braids then set themselves to very gently work the knots out of his hair. Then for perhaps nearly an hour, they laid in silence, her hands slowly rubbing up and down his back.
Kissing his head she whispered quietly into the golden light, "You did everything you could."
Her hands kept their soothing rhythmic pattern even when he took a few quicker breathes, "It wasn't enough."
"Perhaps this time," he had yet to figure out how just the sound of her voice when it was meant for only him to hear could turn every bone in his body to honey, "But you are always enough."
He closed his eyes without noticing, as warm hands and reassuring heartbeat scraped every dot of cold for his soul.
0.0..0.
Hope you liked it!
