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This chapter contains smut, and is explicit, so fair warning! MATURE CONTENT AHEAD! :D
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Chapter 23 - Chantalle
Baby, I'm-a want you
Baby, I'm-a need you
You the only one I care enough to hurt about
Maybe I'm-a crazy
But I just can't live without...
Your lovin' and affection
Givin' me direction
Like a guiding light to help me through a darkest hour
Lately I'm a-prayin'
That you'll always be a-stayin' beside me
Baby I'm-a want you-Bread
.
.
Fiona ended up telling Alistair that she would try to convince Chantalle to at least talk to him. His face lit up hopefully as he followed her up to her room. She pushed him back gently, nodding silently to the wall beside the door, and Alistair understood and was soon hidden from the door that was about to open.
Chantalle opened the door as soon as she heard Fiona's voice, then closed it again and locked it. Fiona turned to inspect her. She was looking as terrible as Alistair had this morning.
Her eyes were puffy and red, from all the crying and lack of sleep. She felt miserable without Alistair, yet she honestly had been taken aback by his anger and was truly worried about it all.
Fiona cleared her voice to speak.
"Listen Chantalle. You have to talk to Alistair. Not facing him is turning into something really silly. We have a mission to complete and you and him will be fighting along together. Besides, I know how you feel about him. He loves you dearly, child. I know he would never get that angry at you. You have to trust me."
Chantalle's eyes were fixed on the floor.
"I am afraid," Chantalle said. "The darkspawn who raped me, they were angry. I can't get them out of my mind right now," she sounded desperate, and Fiona put an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm sorry, my dear. I truly am. But you told me before how Alistair helped you through that. You should remember how kind and good he is to you. You should keep the good things on your mind, not the bad. Could you at least try to do this?"
She sighed and looked up at her.
"All right, Fiona. I'll try. I'll go talk to him this evening. I know he's waiting outside the door. I'm- I'm not ready to face him yet."
"I'll let him know this, my dear. Try to stop crying. I'll send someone with hot water to draw a bath for you."
"Ma serannas, Fiona. For everything. Truly," she said quietly and gave her a small smile, then returned the hug she had given her.
Fiona looked at her tenderly and smiled also. She then said she would leave to find the maids to have the hot water brought up and opened the door, shutting it behind her. Chantalle stood up and locked it, then went back to sitting on the bed.
She missed Alistair. She had a dull ache in her heart ever since she had refused to see him. She was truly afraid. Alistair's anger had triggered her past experience with the darkspawn and she was having a hard time getting a grip on herself.
She remembered Fiona's words about thinking only about the good things, and closed her eyes. She sighed and forced her mind to relive the moments when Alistair had talked to her. Their first conversations, the tenderness and kindness in his eyes, the way he laughed, and their first kiss.
A knock interrupted her thoughts and she automatically went to open it. She let the maids in with the hot water, and then closed and locked the door behind her when they left.
She started to smile, in spite of everything. Fiona's advice had been enough. She was remembering all the sweet moments and pushing away the dark ones as she undressed and bathed.
She was surprised to discover that she soon was actually looking forward to the evening when she would be meeting Alistair.
Her smile deepened and turned into a grin.
This shem had certainly claimed her heart.
She had finally come to grips with the realization that her heart was no longer hers.
...
"What did she say? Will she see me? Does she hate me? What was she doing? Is she all right?" The questions just kept coming out of his mouth and Alistair did nothing to stop them.
Fiona felt her lips twitch but kept her laughter in check. She was trying to tell him what Chantalle had said, but could not speak, as he had been talking non-stop ever since she had followed him into his room where they could finally talk in private.
"Alistair," she began, and he suddenly looked very frightened.
"Uh, oh. Is that a serious expression on your face? Is that bad? Do you have bad news? Am I going to like this?"
She sighed and shook her head.
"Alistair," she warned this time, her patience wearing thin.
He saw the glint of annoyance and shut his mouth.
"I'm going to shut up now," he said and she relaxed her face into a smile.
"She will come to your room this evening. She's agreed to see you, to talk to you," Fiona said now grinning.
"Maker bless you!" Alistair yelled out and pulled her into a hug, lifting her to twirl her around the room.
Fiona burst out laughing. He found himself laughing too, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek before putting her down.
"Oh! It's the afternoon now, isn't it?" He said.
"Why yes, it must be. I suspect the others have already had lunch. Have you eaten at all?" She eyed him sternly.
"No, not yet. Don't look at me like that!" He added, blushing under her gaze. "You make me feel like a naughty boy or something." He grinned.
She smiled back. These were moments she would treasure forever.
"What's so important about this afternoon?" She asked tilting her head up to him.
"I had a ring to give her, but I wanted some stones set in it first. Duran helped me with that. He reminded me about it this morning. I'm sure it's done by now," he said, the happiness in his face contagious.
"Ring? You are going to propose to her?" Fiona asked.
"Yes! I am! Do you think she'll say yes?" Alistair asked eagerly.
"I don't know Alistair. To be honest, she was still afraid when I left her. But I have stressed how important it is for her to remember the good and special moments between the both of you, so that she can overcome all this. "
"Afraid? Why would she be afraid?" Alistair frowned.
"She remembered how the darkspawn raped her. The anger you displayed stirred the memory of it, somehow," Fiona stopped talking for her son had such a stricken look on his face, that it struck her dumb for a few moments.
She reveled in how much he looked like Maric, not only physically but more importantly the goodness in him which stood out like a beacon. That was one of the things that had made her fall for Maric in the first place.
"Oh. How stupid of me to forget! I- I don't know what to do now. What can I say to make it better?" He said sadly.
"Just be yourself, Alistair. Be as kind and gentle as you always are. And tell her you love her. I'm sure that would be more than enough," Fiona smiled lovingly at him.
He held her close and thanked the Maker for her again.
"Fiona?" He asked. "Do you think you can come with me? To pick up the ring I mean?"
"Alistair, there is nothing else I would rather do."
...
He found himself taking a second bath to steady his nerves after he returned from picking up the ring. He was sweating too much and he wanted to smell nicely for Chantalle. Not that he smelled bad, but still.
He dressed in a simple white tunic and leather trousers. He finally sat at the table in his room, drumming his fingers impatiently on the table. Then he started to fidget with a thread hanging from one of his sleeves.
The minutes crawled by and turned to hours and he soon found himself pacing the room and then glaring at the door, as if that would make it produce a knock.
He hated waiting.
The knock came minutes after, when he was seriously considering going to look for her instead.
His heart nearly flew right out of his chest when he heard it.
He strode over to the door and opened it.
Chantalle stood there, dressed in a simple white tunic also and leather breeches. Her eyes were on the floor and they flew briefly to his face and then back to the floor again.
"Chantalle," he managed to get out. "I'm so sorry, I-"
But those were the last words he managed to get out, for Chantalle threw herself into his arms and tilted her head up to him as he brought his lips down to hers and kissed her gently, his hands burying themselves into her silky blonde locks.
...
Alistair managed to close the door, while still kissing her, a kiss that had deepened when Chantalle had opened her mouth slightly and her tongue had skimmed over his lips. He had opened his mouth immediately afterwards and now their tongues were dancing with each other as their lips melded together, sending waves of pleasure over his body. He sighed into her mouth and she pushed her body against his even more, his arousal rubbing against her.
"My love," he managed to say, in between kisses. They broke away breathing heavily and he caressed her cheek gently and smiled, the look on his face one of pure adoration.
She smiled back at him, feeling so safe in his arms, wondering why she had ever felt afraid to begin with. Darkspawn and unpleasant thoughts had vanished forever from her mind at that moment.
"Come, sit. I have something to say." Alistair smiled lovingly at her as he led her onto the bed where she sat.
"I'm sorry I was angry at you Alistair. You must understand that I'm an elf, and I wanted to protect your mother against your anger. I was afraid afterwards. What happened to me, it began to haunt me. I am truly sorry, I-"
"My darling, please," Alistair said softly, placing a finger on her lips, then tracing them gently with the same calloused finger, sending shivers up and down her spine. She half-closed her eyes, and tilted her head upwards slightly. He forgot what it was he wanted to say to her and ended up kissing her again.
And again.
...
His lips follow her jaw line and the heat of his mouth sends sparks of pleasure throughout her, her body yearning for his touch.
His hands roams over her body, and he shivers slightly, his arousal now throbbing, protesting against its confinement. He nibbles at her earlobe and bends his head down as he showers her neck with kisses. His hands now on her tunic, fumbling with the laces.
Her hands roaming over his chest, at his neck, as she unties the laces holding his tunic together, her soft fingers gently tracing his muscles, roaming restlessly over his skin, setting it on fire everywhere she touches.
He is kneeling in front of her, the ties on the tunic she was wearing finally loosen, and she holds up her hands, while Alistair takes it off. He gasps out loud at the beauty of her breasts, she was not wearing a breast band underneath, and this fuels his desire for her even more.
His touch now on her breasts, gently, his fingers tracing her nipples. She lays back on her elbows, and he takes off his tunic and bends over her, placing a shower of kisses from her collarbone to her breasts. He stops at her breasts, and his tongue slowly begins tracing the outline of her nipple, eliciting the most delicious sounds from her mouth. He turns his attention to the other breast and she runs her hands over the muscles in his arms lightly, sending shivers up and down his spine.
He pauses and looks up into her eyes, which are dark with desire. He feels his breath hitch and murmurs that he loves her, and she smiles at him sweetly. And it is all he can do but kiss her over and over again, feeling the love in his heart threaten to make it burst.
They work together on getting the rest of their clothes off, taking their time, their hands caressing the flesh underneath, the fire in them leaving a trail that makes them shudder with desire. Free from all the clothes, they lay in each other's arms, skin against skin and relish the feel of each other, their sighs and moans the only sounds heard in the room.
His mouth is worshipping her, tasting her, and she feels like she is riding with the sun. Her eyes fixed on his chest, his face, his eyes, and back to his body, which she fervently wishes to keep beside her forever.
He concentrates on her waist and trails kisses past her belly button, stopping when he reaches the dark blonde curls that guard the entrance to her core, controlling the urge building up in him to take her then and there. He gently parts the folds with great care, and lowers his head, his tongue caressing and flicking against her nub, finally taking it in her mouth while she mewls with pleasure and bucks into him, sending him into a frenzy of delight.
She half-sits on the bed, taking his arousal in her hands, interrupting his ministrations. He bites into his lower lip, her wetness still on it, the taste of her in his mouth and groans, as her hand now slowly travels up and down his length. His eyes shut with pure ecstasy, he feels his release coming dangerously close, threatening to ruin the moment and he stays her hand.
He focuses on her nub again, pushing a finger into her entrance feeling her thrash wildly, the noises coming from her throat urging him to quicken his pace, he feels her release building up. This is what he wants, to build her pleasure, to make her climax, to make her feel she is flying without wings.
When she comes, he starts licking her there, his tongue probing at her entrance, gently and tenderly caressing her, till she shivers with delight, moaning his name. Her essence is all over his lips, the taste of her sweet in his mouth.
When he hears his name, he feels he cannot hold on any longer, and he positions her on the edge of the bed, gently placing her legs around his waist, but she lifts herself up, and he takes one of them, caressing it, and places it on his shoulder. Slowly, so very slowly, he pushes his erection inside her.
This new position is right, he feels completely elated, feels her walls throbbing and convulsing against his member, and he starts to ride her, enjoying the slow pace and her reactions, keeping his eyes on her, feeling her, adoring her, loving her.
They start to quicken the pace without planning it, they climb together, the sound of their flesh slapping against each other, their moans and heavy breathing as the world starts spinning when they reach the edge.
They come to their climax together, and cling to the moment, their world explodes in a series of flashes of light, color and feeling, they moan and groan and his lips crushes on hers, devouring her.
They are drenched in their sweat, they feel complete and their spirits soar.
...
Moments after they had finished their love-making Alistair wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her gently, this time placing her on the bed. He went to get a piece of cloth and cleaned her gently, while doing the same to himself.
He ignored the desire he had to continue to make love to her and focused on making her feel comfortable.
"Alistair?" Her voice sounded so enticing to him that his erection throbbed. He was still sporting one, but there was time for more love-making later.
"Yes, my love?" He crooned.
"I just wanted to say I love you," she said while moving closer to him.
He spooned her and kissed the nape of her neck softly, causing her to breathe in and out in a deep sigh.
"And I love you, my dear. Always."
And she turned to face him, wordlessly seeking him out again with frenzy this time.
As they succumbed to their desire once again, Alistair was forced to bite down a giggle as he remembered briefly what Anders had said about make-up sex.
All further thoughts were pushed away as he focused on his love for the rest of the night.
...