Chapter 23: Promise Me

Time can move so strangely.

Two years had already passed since their escape from Eulmore.

Only two years have gone by since the Scions first took up residence in Eorzea. So much had changed for them yet at the same time not much at all.

It was on a rather chilly night did Alphinaud find himself settled in his room at the Rising Stones Headquarters as he finished up recording the latest report on some of the more recent activities happening around Eorzea. Only did he take a break to rest his sore hand and look at the towering stack of papers next to him did he see just how much work he had had left and he was starting to wish he took up Tataru's offer to help him organize everything.

Normally, rather than dwell overly upon work he would stretch out his cramping fingers before wondering if he should wander Mor Dhona's café for his dinner. At least, he would do that on a normal night, which this very much wasn't thanks to the surprising news they got earlier.

He sighed as he ran his hands over his exhausted face as he tried to gather his thoughts into a way that could make sense. He was so mentally drained that he felt close to dozing off in his chair as he leaned his head back to rest and let his memories stray across his mind's eye. He couldn't help but long for some of the simpler days of when it was just a ragtag team trying to improve the lives here in Eorzea.

The Scions had a tough time in the first few months of being in these strange lands, since they were all but on their own save for the few allies that were already friends with the others—though House Fortemps was amazingly supportive of their efforts even to this day. They had to work long hours every day while performing difficult tasks to help those in need…? Which ranged from everything from deliveries, to escort missions, to even pest control of all manner of beasts including but not limited to voidsent, sin eaters, rampaging beasts…? He had long since lost track of them all. Claire, especially, never seemed to sit still once she was fully recovered from her imprisonment and was always up for whatever needed to be done. She would accept any kind of job from just about everyone, not fearing heading into beast-infested lands to save lives, worked to build relations with the beast tribes, or even just going through a simple tasks just to see a child smile as her only reward for her work… but it was because of that did she earn a reputation of being a strong and reliable adventurer.

To think of every single thing that happened to them since arriving would take too much time to sum up in one evening but all that matters is that she grew famous enough to be considered the single most powerful warrior in all of Aldenard. Not that they expected anything less from their own Warrior of Darkness… who no longer needed to worry hiding in the dark and has since been given another moniker…?

"Warrior of Light…" he muttered with a fond smile.

One would think that he wasn't the type to pine after his beloved, but seeing her allowed to be free to go where she wished without restrictions—without fear of being caught and punished—set his heart at pure ease.

Unfortunately, while that name commands a great deal of respect and admiration from all that they met as well as brought them many strong, dependable allies from all over… it almost was impossible to get her to take a rest save for in-between missions and assignments.

And now… they had this come to them.

*A few hours earlier*

Alphinaud joined Y'shtola and Thancred in the main hall of the Rising Stones to discuss what the latest news concerning Kholusia was all about. Thancred didn't go into too many details at first, insisting that the others join them before he would explain. Thankfully, Claire arrived with Ryne and Alisaie and Thancred welcomed them in before he sat down at the desk and gave them the news that they had all been waiting for and dreading.

"So you are sure of this?" Y'shtola asked grimly, "You believe that Vauthry is finally making his move?"

"According to the few contacts that I got out in Norvrandt, who have been keeping an eye on things, then yes," Thancred confirmed as he put down his mug of ale. "A few airships managed to escape to the Crystarium two years ago and G'raha commandeered them for our benefit. He's been having people regularly check up on the isle but until recently, even getting close to the island has been impossible."

"I've been wondering about that?" Alisaie asked with her hands on her hips, "I know that things have been very difficult to try and get to the isle since we left, but why is it that no one has been able to even get close enough to get a good look at what was going on?"

"That's because anyone who gets too close to the isle gets attacked by sin eaters," Thancred confirmed grumpily. "It seems that any poor sod who was left behind has long since turned into one of those pasty white bastards due to Vauthry's influence."

"How is that even possible?" Alphinaud frowned, "Up our escape, Vauthry has hidden himself away and allowed his servants to fight for him. But now you are telling me that he has some kind of control over sin eaters?"

"It seems to be that way," Y'shtola frowned as she stirred her tea with a considerate thoughtfulness.

"According to the spies who were circling the island by airship, said that they spotted some change to Mt. Gulg, the largest mountain in Norvrandt," Thancred explained as Ryne looked on worriedly, "They said that they spotted a large man heading up the mountain while being surrounded by sin eaters but they weren't attacking him. From their description I can only assume they were talking about Vauthry, but as to how he was able to walk among the sin eaters without being torn apart…? Your guess is as good as mine."

"Ok, so what is he planning now then?" Ryne asked with a frown. "He's been pretty quiet for a long time now?"

"I got a bad feeling that he hasn't given up on the Mothercrystal," Alphinaud stated as he thought it all over. "Sin eaters are created with a person is exposed to vast amounts of light-aspected aether, correct? Then perhaps he's trying to find some way to reach it and… that extra light is affecting any and all who remained behind on the isle?"

"That is what I was thinking," Y'shtola answered, "I don't know how he's doing so, but I fear that he's experimenting with some kind of light-aspected aether and that is triggering vast damage around the isle as a whole. They say that the skies directly over Kholusia no longer grow dark at night and is in a perpetual stage of blinding light."

"Wait, can that much aether trigger such a thing?" Alisaie said in astonishment.

"A lot of one type of aether in a location has been known to have drastic changes on the weather," Thancred stated, "Think of the ice-aspected aether in Coerthas and the seemingly never-ending winter there? I suppose that if there is a vast amount of light aether then it could affect the skies over one location like that. But this is only going to make our job of taking him down a bit harder since such an environment isn't going too easy on just anyone."

"What do you mean?" Alphinaud asked, not liking where this was going.

"Being in such a harsh environment can be difficult by being there for too long," Claire suggested and Y'shtola nodded.

"I fear that simply being in those lands for a prolonged period could heavily influence anyone we send," Y'shtola frowned, "We must assume that those who are overly exposed to all that light are at risk of transforming into sin eaters. And the more people we send, the more likely the chances we have of that happening and our own allies turning against us."

"So, in other words, so we can forget about invading with a huge army," Thancred grunted as he slammed his mug down, now empty. "If we want to go marching against Vauthry then it will have to be with only a selected few or even a small army. Either way, this will cut down on our already limited actions."

"But it is confirmed that Vauthry is up on Mt. Gulg?" Alisaie asked as she folded her arms with a pout. "And there is no one else on the isle other than sin eaters? How many are we talking about?"

"Hard to say since the few who were spying for us had to turn back when some flying sin eaters went for them," Thancred answered, "But I would say a fair amount. Several hundred at the very least. But that is only assuming that all we have to face are the sin eaters. We still don't know what Vauthry is trying to do or what kind of powers he has now? Because if he hasn't given up on the idea of finding a way to the Mothercrystal…?"

"Where is the Mothercrystal supposed to be though?" Alphinaud asked, "Didn't you say that it's somewhere in the aetherial sea? But that only someone who can handle vast amounts of light aether can hope to reach it? In other words, only of Venat's descendants? The only two living descendants are right here. So, Vauthry shouldn't be able to achieve his goals…?"

"Unless he found a way around it?" Y'shtola offered with a shrug, "It's impossible to say. But I think it's safe to say that he hasn't given up any hopes of attaining whatever it is he thought that the Mothercrystal would give him. He's doing something to that isle and I think that it best that we find a way to stop him now before it gets any worse than it has become."

"Let him stay there then!" Alisaie said with a shrug, "It's pretty much all cut off from the rest of the world now anyway. Leave him to the sin eaters."

"The problem with that is that there is a chance that their influence could spread to Lakeland and the rest of Norvrandt if left how he is," Thancred stated darkly as he looked to Ryne, who was already fifteen at this point and gazed at him with worried blue eyes as he looked down at her.

"Meaning that if we're to stand a chance of even getting close to Vauthry, we need to come up with something to show that overgrown lard that he's screwed over."

*The Present*

Alphinaud opened his eyes as he thought of the plan that they had worked hard to come up with and the possible consequences that those came one hand, he was aware that the others made a lot of sense and that only those who had a strong resistance to light aether would be able to last for long in light-bleached lands… on the other hand, such people were few and far between with only Claire and Ryne that they know of who could pull off such a feat.

This was obviously a trap set up by Vauthry… no doubt hoping to lure one or both of them in so that he could use them for whatever his twisted plans were.

While Alphinaud agreed with Thancred in that sending an army would be a bad idea… he also believed that either an army or the equivalent of an army would be strong enough to stop Vauthry.

Meaning…?

He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair—unclipping his ornamental silver hair piece and letting his hair fall in soft waves down his back before he rested his head against the back of armchair, wanting to just doze off for a time.

Claire's name had reached far and wide at this point, her many good deeds and countless victories inspiring hope and bravery wherever she went. It would only make sense that she would be part of this battle for not only her strength but her strong resistance to forms of corruption of light—another trait that those descended from Venat also have.

They had talked in circle for what felt like hours until they finally came to something that resembled a plan that may just work depending on how well they handle it. They have made allies of several nations, not just those within Norvrandt, and have decided that they could have them stationed just outside the island and try to draw sin eaters out to fight them there—slowly dwindle their numbers from a distance before sending in a small group of warriors to find Vauthry.

It wasn't going to be easy to fight on board those ships at sea, but he figured that those who fought from a distance such as archers and bards or even with powerful mages… they would best stand a chance of taking care of the airborne sin eaters. Once they eliminate enough of them, then they would have to mostly contend with the sin eaters on the mainland before thinking of climbing the mountain.

His mind went over the landscape in his mind's eye as they decided upon the best course of action on that front. They could send in waves of fighters on the ground for short periods of time and just continuously switch them out with other groups so that no one would be exposed to the light for long periods…? That would take a few days, if not weeks, though but he couldn't think of another possibility.

A good old-fashioned siege, as his sister called it, would be their best course of action.

After that, Vauthry would surely take notice and hold himself up on Mt. Gulg with the strongest eaters as his guards—assuming that he could control the sin eaters like they feared. If that were to be the case, then they could send in another group of their best warriors to the heart of that mountain with their airships helping out however they could from the air…?

He frowned as he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling knowing that they would have to gain a better understanding of the land at the very least before they could go ahead that part of the plan.

Thancred had put his foot down upon the suggestion of Ryne scouting the land for them, which left only Claire to take her place. Now Claire could easily handle some stray sin eaters, but the concept of letting her go in alone was not something that Alphinaud was going to allow. He insisted that he be allowed to accompany her but…?

He then heard a knock at the door and he raised his head and called a tired, "Come in."

Like he thought, Claire entered the room, looking pale and sad as she looked over at him. She was carrying two mugs of something hot and steaming, something that he recognized at once as hot chocolate. It was her personal favorite and he knew that it was something that she enjoyed especially on dark and cold nights… which he supposed that this counted.

"I thought that you could use something to drink," she said softly as she set the mug down in front of him.

"Thank you," he muttered absent-mindedly as she took the seat down opposite him, setting the familiar notepad and pen down next to her.

His eyes glanced over at it, recognizing that this meant that her throat was bothering her with how much they argued earlier and he instantly felt guilt at the thought. He cast his mind about for something to say to lighten the situation, but she had already written something down for him.

He looked over and it read: 'Everyone has set off to contact any and all allies who can help us with this plan. It's just you and I here tonight.'

Ah, that was good, they were getting off to a head start. His mind was already going over in his head over the possible numbers… if they got even just a handful of skilled warriors from some of the nations in Eorzea…? Some arcanists from Limsa… healers and archers from Gridania… some mages from Ul'dah…? He wasn't entirely sure about Ala Mhigo yet and most of the warriors from Ishgard were knights and dragoons…? But they did have more than a few cannons that they could borrow…? Not to mention their friends from Norvrandt…?

But he would go over that tomorrow once he had a better idea of the situation.

"You feeling better?" he asked as she nodded back, brushing her hand against his as she handed over a detailed report from her journal of everything that happened since she last graced them with her presence.

Eagerly he took it and looked over the first few pages to see what she had been up to in the last couple days since she left without warning. Once he read over her report, he felt his eyebrows continuing to raise higher and higher until they disappeared past his bangs and he slowly looked at her, who had a mischievous expression like she expected this reaction.

"So… a man named Clive apparently came from another world and you helped him to regain his memories by battling within some kind of illusion from a wandering minstrel?" he summed up. "If I didn't know you so well, I'd swear that this was one of Thancred's drunken rambles."

She just smiled sweetly back at him as he admired the new armor she was in and couldn't help but wonder, for the millionth time, where she found the time to get all this done?

"You know, you scare me when you are left to wander on your own for too long," he stated as she gave him another innocent look that didn't fool him one bit.

"You afraid someone will catch my eye when you're not around?" she asked and he snorted with laughter.

"Not at all, I trust you," he reassured her as he took mental notes of how quickly the hoarseness was returning to her tone. Claire never did fully recover from the damage she received but she was able to have short conversations with him. He did most of the talking when they were together, but sometimes she made a lot more effort to talk like they used to back in Eulmore.

But even that has grown rare in recent days.

Though the two of them were still married, their missions often sent them to different places so she could be gone for days, even weeks before being able to return to him. He had done his best to make up for lost time but that was becoming increasingly more difficult. He knew that he was thinking selfishly about this but was it truly such a terrible thing to want to spend some time with his wife like a proper married couple?

Claire tapped her pen on the table to get his attention as he smirked at that before saying, "Sorry, I tend to get carried away on my thoughts whenever a plan is involved. I know that you wish to go after Vauthry for what he had done and are eager to set off as soon as you can…? But this is going to take some preparation to ensure that it goes well."

She smiled tiredly back before casting her gaze to the tiny window in the room, her own thoughts looking like they were carrying her a million miles away from here.

"Need I send out a search party for your thoughts now?" he asked gently as she turned her piercing gaze back to him.

She thought it over for a moment before she took the notepad and took an unusually long time to find an answer to give.

'On one hand, I want to see the look on Vauthry's face when he next sees me… but on the other, I fear how he will react. I think that his time cut off from people may have done a number on his broken sanity.'

Alphinaud hadn't thought about that before he looked at her with concern. That was something to be concerned with as well now. Vauthry was pretty unstable enough when he had guards and servants—especially Ran'jit—all working under him. Two years on his own with nothing but sin eaters was not bound to do him any favors. Then again, Vauthry didn't seem like the most rational person to begin with so maybe there wouldn't be much of a difference…?

"We will face it when the time comes," he muttered with a rather sly smirk at the fear that was sure to be on Vauthry's face when his worst enemy… the feared Warrior of Darkness—was to return and put a stop to him once and for all. "I only wish I could be there to see the look on his face as well."

The words were out of his mouth before he realized that he spoke and he looked up in horror to see that Claire was looking away from him as she sipped her drink.

"I…I didn't mean…?" he muttered, remembering how upset she had been earlier when he said that he had wanted to come with them.

"I'm sorry for telling you off for that," she said quietly as he swirled his drink about absent-mindedly.

"No, I know that you were just concerned for me," he said, remembering how fiercely she rejected the idea of him coming along. "But… I do want to insist on being allowed to participate in the upcoming battle. Even if I'm not allowed to join you on the mainland, I can serve as a healer and accompany the ships out at sea. Surely you can allow me this much?"

She gave a silent sigh but it seemed that she couldn't think of anything that she could say to disagree with that and only reluctantly nodded. All but feeling her concern radiating off her like heat, he added, "My dear, after meeting your family, I don't think anything can scare me anymore."

She actually chuckled at that as he smiled at the memory.

Not long after setting up their base here in the Rising Stones, with Claire having made a full recovery, she insisted on taking him up north to Ishgard to reunite with the adopted family who took her in so long ago.

He had not realized how nervous he had been until they had stepped foot in Ishgard and the whispers of House Fortemps daughter had already been talked about the city. Claire led him up to the Last Vigil where they were given a rather large welcome when they appeared at the door.

It was a happy reunion between her adopted father and brothers, all of whom hugged her tightly—even the members of their staff were overjoyed that she had returned after five long years.

They were outraged though when they learned that hardly any of their letters made it to her and of her treatment at Vauthry's hands. But upon learning of her persona as the 'Warrior of Darkness' the middle brother Haurchefant, just burst out laughing as he drew her into a hug and ran his knuckles through her hair as he commented, "I always knew that you'd make something impressive for yourself!"

"You must tell us all about your time there," Count Edmont said eagerly as he pulled her into another hug.

"Yes, but before you do that, who is this?" Artoirel asked, looking to Alphinaud who suddenly felt himself break out in a cold sweat.

"Your brothers scare me more than anything," he informed her as she smiled fondly. "I honestly thought that they were going to kill me when we had to tell them that we were wed."

Truly, the three older Elezens looked rather murderous upon realizing just how much their little sister had suffered while in Eulmore and the idea that she had not only been tortured but forced to marry was almost too much for them to bear.

"Haurchefant, in particular, seemed ready to hang me outside their house like some kind of warning to all potential suitors after that," he laughed and Claire smiled.

"He was always the most protective when it came to me," she confessed, "Thankfully, they understood the situation."

"Just barely," he grumbled as he remembered how he was continuously given the stink eye from all three brothers. It took a long time for him to be able to convince them that he meant no harm to their precious sister and be accepted into the family—albeit reluctantly.

Honestly, compared to all that, going to battle against Vauthry seemed like almost nothing. They fell into a comfortable silence as they finished their hot chocolate—something that his brother-in-law Haurchefant insisted that he knew how to make since this was the only thing that could cheer Claire up on even the gloomiest of days.

"You doing alright?" she asked him softly, her voice only containing the slightest trace of a hoarseness there now.

He moved his long hair over his shoulder before setting his mu down, a range of emotions rolling about inside him. He never forgot about Vauthry and the wrongs that he had committed against them—nor could he ever forget that he was the one responsible for robbing Claire of her voice. He had been preparing for the day that they would be able to return and bring about justice for what he had done. In time, he came to decide that his skills as an arcanist aren't enough and began looking into other means to improve his fighting skills.

He had recently taken up the nourliths, the chosen weapons of Sages, and he was truly astonished by the difference such a change as weapons could bring. He had spent the last few weeks practicing and learning the spells needed to be able to master such a complicated form of magicks… but he was nothing if not ambitious.

Claire was often there to help him as he studied and never minded as he found himself practicing healing on her, trying to find some way to heal some of the scars that covered her body.

"Do you truly wish to come with me?" she asked as he turned back to her and saw her stoic expression. He hated when she gave him that look for it was nearly impossible to tell what she was thinking like that. Out of habit, he got up from the table and went to close the door to ensure that no one could interrupt them nor hear their conversation; despite knowing that it was just the two of them here tonight.

She patiently waited as he took her hand and pulled her up and drew her in close, his eyes glancing over her face.

Alphinaud hesitated, blush stretching to his ears once again as familiar feelings took control. Desire. Affection. Awe. Protectiveness…? He didn't think that she could become even more beautiful than what he knew her as, but in the last two years he had seen her finally free to do what she wanted—which he couldn't turn his eyes away.

She looked back, her own expression gentle as she said, "I know that you said you had very unusual tastes…?"

He laughed as he continued to admire her. She truly was beautiful. Did he truly deserve the right to lay claim to someone like her?

"I guess I like thrills," he confessed as she smiled back, "And you don't get more thrilling than a Warrior of Light/Darkness."

"Then tell me," she persisted, interrupting his storm of thoughts and pressed closer, "I need to hear it."

He lowered his head, his lips near her ear, as he whispered, "I'll give myself to you, if you'll give yourself to me."

He felt a shiver down his spine before she pulled him forward with strong force and crushed their lips together in a bruising kiss. He sighs in relief as he wraps his arms protectively around her before his gasp turned into a pleased moan when she slipped her tongue past his lips and he instantly felt like he's being wrapped in warmth akin to the sun's rays upon a winter's morning. She pulled away, looking pleased with herself as he reached out and grabbed hold of her arm, seeking some kind of stability from his breath being stolen away.

"Vixen," he whispered, still put out that she wasn't even winded as he struggled to get his breathing back under control, "T-Temptress…"

She snickered, but seemed satisfied before he pulled her to the bed and he sat at the edge with her in his lap as he captured her lips with his own, content to taking his time with her as he moved his hands across her form as she traced his face with her own calloused fingers. He was a bit embarrassed to admit this, even to himself, but the fact that her hands were strong enough to crush him but were now so gentle that he doubted that they would harm a butterfly's wing was enough to nearly send him over the edge.

Damn, he really was into some strange things.

But such thoughts were driven out of his mind when his hands slipped under her clothes and he could feel both rough and smooth skin, which caused him to pause when she hissed in pain. She pulled back in surprise as he pulled up her tunic to get a look at a nearly healed burn on her side, just under her arm.

He didn't remember seeing that there before and he found himself reaching out to it without thinking. She was surprised by this but didn't stop as his finger traced outside the wounded area as to not cause her any discomfort but was unable to hide the frown as he gently healed it. He suspected that whatever it was, it must have caught her off-guard and had been a violent clash—whatever happened. He didn't ask though, he didn't need to know if she didn't feel the need to tell him.

She dipped in for a quick kiss before sliding her arms around his neck for support as he searched her face.

"Are you sure that you're ready to face him?" he asked. "I fear that he must have grown stronger in the last two years."

"So have I," she reminded him softly.

"Don't fight me on this," he insisted firmly, laying his head against her chest as he could almost feel her heart beating there, "Don't try to stay strong for my sake. It's… tough enough when I'm sending you out on dangerous missions without me. But now there is a chance that I will be forced to stay behind while you confront Vauthry? I… I'm not sure if I can bear it."

"Alphinaud," she sighed as she wrapped her arms around his head, her fingers stroking his hair and he closed his eyes at her gentle touch.

"No… please…" he whimpered, not wanting to hear any more on the subject. "I want… I need to go with you. Maybe you don't appreciate yourself, so I'll tell you what I think. It's been some time, has it not? I think I know you well enough by now."

Her breath hitched at that as he stroked up her side and up to her face to cup her cheek.

"I love your kind heart… I honestly think you are far too kind hearted to be a warrior," he confessed, "I love your hair and how it reminds me of cherry blossoms in bloom… I love how your eyes are always so sharp and bright—so focused that they're like swords at times where your gaze cuts right through me and you can see everything. But then they melt into something so warm and gentle that it's like you can see only the good in me."

His eyes closed as he brought her in for another kiss, leaving him only able to speak when she pulled away for air.

"I especially love to see you smile… and I mean, with a real smile," he whispered between heated breaths, "It never fails to bring me happiness and I wish to see it every day. I know that you are self-conscious of your scars but I'm proud of them because I know what they mean and what you went through to earn them."

He paused that as his other hand was tracing the scar around her throat with complete reverence as his heart filled with admiration.

"You survived through all that and still continue on forward," he whispered, feeling himself becoming more desperate with need before finally whispering, "I like who I become when I'm with you. And it's becoming harder that we barely see each other anymore."

"I do miss it when we didn't have a lot of excuses to be away from each other," she choked, running her fingers across his face and over his ears, grinning as she saw how excited shivers took over his body.

"At first, it wasn't so bad," he reminded her with a kind look as her own eyes filled with warmth and affection as she knew exactly what he was talking about. In the Scion's early days, the two of them were often assigned to work together, especially since she was all but still a mute at the time. He would be able to accompany her to distant lands and be able to speak on her behalf as the diplomat he was. Sometimes Ryne or Alisaie would join them and they would enjoy the freedom that came from being free to explore the world without a care in the world… but it wasn't uncommon for it to become just the two of them to camp out under the stars on nights.

He felt a blush rushing across his face as he remembered some of those nights where it was just the two of them alone together…? Needless to say, they got to know each other exceedingly well during those nights alone.

"You know…?" he said, "It wouldn't be the end of the world if we gave up fighting after this final fight with Vauthry…?"

He wasn't sure why he was even offering this for he knew better than anyone how much she hated to be confined to one place… to be trapped with not being able to go anywhere…? It was like hell to her and he would be no better than Vauthry if he tried to force something like that. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they laid back in bed together, with her laying across him.

"Alphinaud," she whispered as he pulled her closer and his eyes flicked to her lips, finding pleasure going through him whenever she said his name.

"It's just a suggestion," he reassured her. "But it doesn't mean that we don't have to travel…? It could just be you and me as we travel the world together? No more fighting or pain…? Just you and me."

His hands began to act with a mind of their own as they trailed up her body, passed her ribcage before gliding over her stomach to the underside of her breasts.

"It would be a simple life…? Maybe until we are able to find a small cottage or house that would act like a safe haven for us to shut the rest of the world away…? And then…?" but before he could continue, she placed a finger over his lips to silence him.

"You make it sound like you fear I'd be worried over not living the life of a princess," she scolded lightly. "Have you ever heard me complain about that?"

He paused, turning a little red at that before confessing, "I just want you to have everything you could ever want…?"

She pressed herself to him once more as her lips traced his own and he melted against hers before she pulled back and whispered, "What more do I need than this?"

He grinned back at her and said, "Of course, if we do that, I can't promise to behave myself all the time."

She arched an eyebrow at him as he looked back unashamed before pointed out, "You are far too beautiful for me to have the will to keep my hands to myself all the time."

He raises his head as he is overcome with a strong desire that can only come from being with her. It seemed that she was waiting for that as well for he could see her own eyes were filled with a desperation that mirrored his own. She moved first, pressing him down as they clung to each other, sharing their heat and touch—with their own desperation to hold onto the other. She wrapped herself around him as he clung back desperately; not having to worry about sneaking around without the others was such a wonderful change—the number of times that they were almost caught was simply too embarrassing to even count. It was one such reason that he wished for a place for just the two of them.

His arms immediately wrapped around her, one hand settling on the small of her back and the other cradling her head against him. Her smile was enough to relax him before she leaned in and pressed her lips to his own neck in kisses as his heart raced. The unexpected sensation sent a jolt of pleasure through him while the subtle touch of her tongue only intensified the shiver that raced down his spine, leaving him momentarily breathless with want.

That was when another image appeared in his mind that he had given no small amount of thought to in recent days. Perhaps she sensed this and pulled back, tapping the notepad next to her and he looked over to see what she had written.

'I can't read your mind. What are you thinking of?'

He paused there for a moment as he tried to find the right words that he so desperately wanted to voice what it was that he truly desired.

"Will you marry me?" he asked as her eyes widened in surprise and he leaned back against the pillows as his fingers combed through her hair as she laid above him. "I want a wedding. A true ceremony of Eternal Bonding. Not like the one we had before… that was not something that either of us wanted… nor were we surrounded by those we love and would want to celebrate with us. I want another wedding… a proper one. It doesn't have to be big or elaborate. But I want to have a redo of it just for us and how we want it… with all our friends and family there. I know that we haven't talked about something like that with how much work that we've been doing… but I want us to start everything off on the right foot."

"Over two years isn't enough of being married?" she asked quietly, but he could tell she was interested.

"I don't really consider that wedding to be valid," he confessed, "Neither of us were even smiling throughout that whole ceremony. Even to this day it doesn't really feel like we are properly married. I want to change that…"

Plus, he wanted to make sure that any possible suitors out there would know that she was taken—as petty as that sounded.

"So… I will agree not to come with you on land when we leave for Kholusia… but in exchange I want us to properly be together after that," he told her. "I will still lend my aid wheresoever I can during the battle, but I need something to look forward to afterwards. I want you to marry me, surrounded by all those who love us as we make another vow to the gods that I will be by your side. Just… promise me… you will return to me and become my wife. I will give you all that I have and more if you can just promise me that."

Despite his pleasure-muddle thoughts, he vowed to himself that he wasn't ever going to let her go. He wasn't sure why, but something definitely brought them together for a reason, and it was hard to not acknowledge that the two were similar in more ways than they probably realized.

And there were no more words of hesitation between them as he kissed her once more, causing the notepad to slid off the bed and fell open with a dull thud on the floor. Neither noticed though as he was pressed back onto the bed as she had one hand tangled in his hair and the other now stroking his ear once more which was not helping him to control himself.

He was panting as he pulled back, his head pressing into the pillow so that he could gather a lungful of air before looking up, muttering the less romantic thing he could have picked for the moment, "Normally, I'd tell you that we'd need to be quiet… but if no one else is here tonight…?"

She just smiled at him through the darkening room that was now lit by only the small lantern on the table behind them and he smirked back.

Gods, she was really going to be the death of him.

(Yay! Plans are already in motion to head back to Eulmore, or what's left of it, and take care of Vauthry once and for all! And yes, in this universe, we have all three Fortemps sons alive and well! As well as portrayed as overprotective big brothers to our Warrior of Darkness. A lot has happened in the two years and there are just way too much to do more than gloss over them to get to the fun stuff. But this story is slowly reaching the end… next chapter is the battle and final confrontation! How does it all end? That's for me to know ;)