Midnight: First off I'd like to apologize prematurely if any characters in this story seem more than a little OFC, I'm not the greatest writer in the world. That aside I would still enjoy hearing any and all feedback, questions and just general thoughts. Anywho, please enjoy.

Mark was tired. Tired of conflict, tired of the long nights spent alone planning, tired of not knowing if it was enough. But more than anything, he was tired of how certain everyone was that he would keep them all safe. Their trust was a precious gift that he treasured every day, but the thought of doing anything to break that trust was going to lead him to an early grave.

Early grave, he mused with a cynical smile, a couple hundred years too late for that.

He had often considered revealing his true nature to his friends and allies, that he was one of the few true dragons left after the Scouring. He suspected that Ninian and Nils could sense something familiar about him, and he was ever thankful that Athos hadn't spoken about it before his passing.

Mark finished packing up his things, in a sad sense he really didn't have much; a couple of books, a bedroll, and a very well-used journal. His fingers traced a line down the old leather binding, finding little comfort in knowing what he was about to do. It wasn't the first time that he had left with no warning, every 50 or so years his crippling loneliness forced him to seek out companionship only to leave them years later before they noticed that he didn't age. The cycle had left him feeling hollow but he was certain it was for the best.

He turned to walk away from everything again, hopefully for the last time, but his legs refused to obey him prompting a frown to form on his face. His head was trying to convince him that this was just like every other time, that these attachments were temporary and that watching them grow old and die would only bring pain, but his heart knew better. He absentmindedly rubbed the scars that adorned both of his forearms, grim reminders of the cost of carelessness.

His legs still refused to take him away from the camp and the first sounds of celebration reached his ears. He didn't have long before his friends came to look for him, Hector or Lyn leading the charge. His heart stopped for a moment and his thoughts warmed at her mention. He knew that she was the reason he was having so many second thoughts. Since the day he awoke in her ger he could feel something awakening in himself, a raging fire that only continued to grow as they experienced more together. In all honesty he had no idea how he managed to leave her after they retook Castle Caelin and saved her grandfather, but the time he spent away from her had been a hell akin to The Scouring itself.

"I'm a coward…" he whispered to himself with his head down. He tried to ball his hands into fists but the damage to his tendons would never be fixed, not after they had healed damaged on their own. At the time he supposed he was lucky enough that he could still manage to hold a quill with marginal pain, but after years of struggle it had only served to further sour his mental state. "I'm useless…" a hint of rage was beginning to escape him. Rage at his inability to rein in his heart, to do what he had done countless times before, but more than that his rage surged at his own feeble body. "Someone that can't even stand, let alone walk, in my true form…what a pathetic excuse of a dragon."

He lifted his head only for his eyes to widen further than they had ever before. There, standing in the doorway of the tent with her hair down was Lyn. He didn't know how long she had been there, how much she had heard. He belongings fell from his grasp into a small pile at his feet, his journal's spine finally giving away to spread his inner thoughts along the ground along with a sketch of Lyn training he had spent the better part of a week working on. He took a step back instinctively, his feet once again obeying him but the way that she was regarding him gave him pause. There was surprise in her stare for sure, but there was something else there as well, something that he wasn't able to recognize in his current state.

"Mark…" she began, her voice was gentle, like silk to his ears. She had her arms crossed defensively but her gaze never left him. "Talk to me, please."

He knew that this wasn't what she was expecting when she came to find him, she probably came to get him to join in the celebrations or something of the like, but the pain that he now saw was written on her features filled him with a thought that he had never had before, of the pain his absence had left everyone he had ever known. He was a worse person than even he had thought. He suddenly found that he couldn't meet her gaze. "I'm leaving, Lyn." He couldn't lie to her, even now.

Lyn didn't say anything at first, to his surprise, instead she chose to get closer. "Why now?" her voice was barely a whisper as she stood in front of him. Her approach was the opposite of what he had come to expect from her, in truth it reminded him more of Florina. The silence between them grew long as he couldn't bring himself to answer her question. "Mark." She said again with her hands gently cupping his face, "Look at me."

Nothing could have prepared him for the tears that he saw running down her face, each drop shattering his heart knowing that he was their cause. He softly brushed away some of her tears with his thumb, his resolve to leave shattered by his desire to make her feel better. They brought their foreheads together in complete unison as she lowered her hands to hold onto her tactician, not willing to let go.

Time lost all meaning to him as they embraced each other, neither making a sound as they begged the moment to last forever. "How much did you hear?" Mark asked softly. He felt Lyn pull back slightly, her deep green eyes capturing his attention immediately. They told him everything that he needed to know without her even needing to speak, but the fire that he saw in them took his breath away.

"You're not useless or a coward." She proclaimed. "The long nights that you spend making sure we all get through every battle is what gives us the courage to face every battle and…" she started to trail off, a light blush starting to show on her face, "having you close makes me feel like nothing can stop us…"

He could feel heat rising in his cheeks, something that caught him by surprise but then again, she always had a way past his defenses. His eyes glanced down at her lips for a moment before returning to her eyes. Being close like this wasn't a new thing, in most days they were already nearly inseparable, especially on the battlefield, but the situation was so radically different from their everyday. His heart ached knowing that they were so close and alone. The tension in the air threatened to crush him as the understanding that she knew what he was dawned on him, but he found he couldn't turn away from it. Not this time.

"Lyn, I'm not-" she cut him off with a kiss, fast and passionate, making his mind blank and his heart soar. She pulled away a moment later, both of them left breathless with a bright red flush adorning their features.

"You are Mark." She said adamantly, "Nothing will ever change that."

They stood there in silence for either a moment or an eternity, his attention was too focused on the determined eyes of the beautiful woman before him. As if there was some unspoken signal they both kissed each other frantically, repressed desires and emotions finally taking control of both of them.

Mark's trademark cloak fell to the ground in an instant, followed shortly by the sash around Lyn's waist. Mark broke from her lips to trail kisses down her neck, eliciting soft gasps as he made his way down. Both of their hands wantonly explored the others body, growing equally frustrated at the fabric that got in their way. The pile of clothing at their feet grew until the only garments remaining were Lyn's black undershirt, and Mark's pants.

Lyn had her fingers running through his hair as their tongues danced together, soft moans escaping from both of them. Mark's hands were moving down her hips and gently pulling on the back of her thighs to get her attention. His message was read loud and clear because not a moment later did Lyn jump and wrap her legs around his waist tightly, making him have to look up at her if he wanted to kiss her heavenly lips more. He was about to as well, but she put a finger against his lips first, shaking her head with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

She started to take off her shirt but pulled it back down over his head, trapping him in paradise. He could feel her pushing his head against her chest and he was all too happy to oblige her, even if his hands were fully occupied holding her against him. He used her moans to guide him through the darkness as he kissed her breasts, sure that he was leaving marks everywhere he went and knowing that only made him want her more. He heard her gasp when his nose brushed against a nipple, the sound was intoxicating to him and he needed to hear it again. He teased her relentlessly to hear her sultry voice, until she practically tore her shit off. She was biting her lower lip hard enough to nearly draw blood.

"Mark, please." she moaned, her eyes almost dripping with desire and need. He slipped on some idle cloth before he could do anything and landed hard on his back with her now on top. Instead of pain though he felt Lyn's womanhood rubbing against his crotch, the low purr escaping from her lips let him know that she felt him just as much. She kissed him hungrily again only to break from his lips and start to kiss her way down his body, marking every scar he had attained through countless battles with her lips. His breath caught in his throat as she passed his navel and their eyes met again for a moment. He thought he saw a hint of hesitation but a tug at his pants made him doubt it.

Lyn eyed his manhood with a curious desire that sent a shiver of raw desire through his body. She brought herself closer to him, her hot breath making him harder than he thought possible. She started to stroke him, drawing husky groans from him as he threw his head back in pleasure. "Lyn...I.." he struggled to say between groans. He was practically melting in her hands when she started to reposition herself, lining him up to truly be with her.

She put her hands on his chest and he on her hips to support her as she slowly lowered herself onto him, a moan and a light gasp of pain escaping her lips as she surrendered her purity to the man that had claimed her heart. They both moaned out the other's name as their hips met the two of them savouring the feeling of being together for a moment before she started to ride him. She started slowly, moaning and cooing as Mark bucked his hips in rhythm with hers.

He sat up to capture her lips in a passionate kiss, and pushed her back to the ground slowly and carefully and stopped as he looked down at the beauty below him. Her long green hair was fanned out beneath her

He gently caressed her cheek with his thumb and kissed her tenderly, almost sure that he was in a dream that he never wanted to wake up from. She moaned his name desperately as their embrace grew more urgent. Her nails carved thin lines against his back as he filled her for the final time. They came together, Lyn nearly screaming out his name as they rode out their orgasms.

Both of them were panting heavily as the passionate high slowly fading away to the love and trust that had been growing between them for the last few years. He caressed her cheek with his palm and kissed her softly. "Thank you for stopping me." He whispered.

A warm smile graced her lips and she wrapped him in a fierce hug. He rolled them onto his back as not to crush her and hugged her back. His heart ached knowing that he was moments away from walking away from this, from her. "Why didn't you say anything to me?" She asked him quietly.

"I didn't know how to." He told her honestly. "How do you tell the people you love something that you've been hiding for as long as you can remember?"

She closed her eyes and pressed their foreheads together. "I love you, Mark, there's nothing you can say that will change that."

"That's easy to say but,"

"Mark…"

"You're right, sorry." He looked deep into her emerald eyes and found the unbreakable trust and soothing love for him staring back. It was now or never. He took a deep breath, and told her the story of The Fire Drake of Arcadia.