Hurricane
Chapter 13: Ardor
When he first met Maleficent, she was cold and embittered. She was powerful and formidable, but frightening as well. He's heard stories from the other creatures of the Moor about his mistress, how she used to be warm, friendly and kindhearted. He found that image hard to visualize back then. The years, however, equipped him with the ability to read his mistress like an open book, and he understood that she was still the same girl that the other fae had described. She still possessed the capability to love, and when she does, she was fierce and passionate. You just have to know where to look for signs.
It is there in her eyes, in the way she looks at you so intensely that you can't help but fidget due to self-consciousness. Diaval has experienced this firsthand, many times. Whenever he called her out on her "staring", she'd use "sharpening her observational skills" as an excuse. She still does, but she uses it now more as a joke (because that's what is has been from the start).
But he likes it best when she stares and he can stare back. They'd end many a conversation this way, just content in looking in each other's eyes. Her eyes are the type you could easily get lost in because they're absolutely breathtaking in their beauty. Her eyes are expressive too, and he had learned the art of reading her mainly through examining the emotions going through her eyes. The first time he found a vestige of affection there- affection for him- he was astounded. Nowadays, he didn't have to search to find the affection those eyes hold for him. He just has to return her gaze. He likes that.
It is there in the touch of her hand. Even in the early days, when she only touched him in order to heal him, her concern was evident in the way her hands trembled. It is also clear in the way she strokes him when he's a bird, like she's saying that this bird is mine- he is mine. It is there in the way she holds his hand; back then, accidentally, but now more deliberately. The way her fingers intertwine with his, as if their hands were made for each other, says it all. He finds the signs of her affection in the way she touches his cheek, lightly, as if he's a fragile thing she must not break. It's in the way her hands run through his hair unconsciously. It's in feeling her dainty fingers trace circles and patterns on his chest when they're lying on the grass and her head is lain gently on his body, his arms around her. He remembers the time when he still had to initiate all the intimate touches, when he was still the one who reaches out to take her hand in his. Now, the feel of her hands are nothing new, but still not often enough to get used to. It could never be often enough to get used to.
It is in her voice, in the affectations she makes when she strings her words into phrases and phrases into sentences. Over the years, he's heard her be angry, frustrated, worried, regretful, upset, happy, amused and embarrassed. He'd been the sole audience to the myriad of emotions she's conveyed through her voice. Still, it could not have prepared him for the warmth and exultation her voice would contain when talking to him or about him. No one could have braced him for the amount of trust she has for him as evinced by the strength of her words. He still likes hearing her frustration, worry, annoyance and indignation from time to time, but he likes it best when he only had to listen to know that she wants him by her side, all the days of her life.
Most obvious of all, it is in her lips. First off, it is in the way she smiles, the way her lips stretch due to various reasons. Sometimes it's amusement, sometimes it's mirth, and sometimes (but very rarely) it's because she's embarrassed. Sometimes, it's due to appreciation of something unwittingly sweet that he said. Most of the time, and best of all, it's because he's there and surprisingly, he makes her happy.
The most enjoyable sign, though, will be found in the way she kisses him. It is in the way her lips fit his. It is in the soft kisses, in which every kiss seems like a blissful sigh. It is in the eager kisses, whenever she really wanted to kiss him so she just does. It is in the dominating kisses, during the times she tries to outdo him as if to lay claim on not only his heart but also his body. It is in the light kisses, done not on the lips but on the palm of his hand, on his neck, on his chest, on his shoulders; the kisses that tell him he'll get what he wants- her heart, for all time.
END
A/N: If you're wondering why this is so short, it's because this was written even before Chapter 4! The chapter lengths grew substantially as this story progressed, which I didn't expect. I've always wanted to make this the penultimate chapter, but in the planning stages this was supposed to end in 10 chapters and I planned this chapter to be the culmination of the other chapters. Now it's just awkwardly placed fluff. I reckon I should have put this before the previous chapter. Sorry about that.
Anyway, we've only got two chapters left, and they're both endings! I made original and alternate endings. Tell me in a review what your guesses are regarding a) why I've made two endings, and b) what emotions I'm going to use!
Cheers!