Chapter 1 - Storms & Stories
There was a storm raging outside. Cold Spring rains ripping through the lands with raging thunder. Tamlin, was a shadow of his former self. The once powerful High Lord of the Spring Court was a broken mess. Guilt and shame warred within him, he'd blamed Feyre, but all she did she did because of him. He had done this. She was just the vehicle. He stood by the fire, leaning against the mantle, His pants tattered and ripped, his chest bare, his long blond hair hanging in loose greasy strands framing his chiseled shadowed face. Dark circles mar his eyes and there are scars all over him from torture and war. After Hybern was defeated, he came back to what was left of his manor. He'd been here off and on since then. When he didn't turn into his beast form and lose himself in the forest. The weeks blended together. Time seemed irrelevant had it been months now, he didn't know he was just pacing tonight, restless and staring into the fire. He heard someone approach and he barely looked up. He just didn't care anymore, assuming it was some enemy here to finish off what was left of him. "Make it quick." His deep baritone voice rumbles in a raspy half growl.
Celeste was a Kitsune, an ancient fae of the beast courts. She was about 5'7" with long red hair that hung in a braid down her back, with two fox ears poking out the top of her head. She was athletic with pale skin and bright blue eyes, and a single bushy fox tail. She wore a tunic that was tied around the waist, one side over the other in the style of a martial artist. She wore pants and breeches and boots and was completely drenched. She crept into the wreckage of the manor thinking it empty. Only to find someone there. Standing by the mantle in the master bedroom. Or what was left of it. After Hybern had destroyed it, invaded, after everything. Now with Hybern dead, the war over….. (After a Court of Wings & Ruin) she wondered who he was. This mysterious man. She was soaked and shivering as she came into the manor master bedroom.
Tamlin turned when there was no answer, tensing slightly as his sharp eyes scanned the room. Then, they came to land on her. "What do you think you're..." He began, eyeing her up and down with suspicion. "Doing here." He trails off as he studies her.
She is wearing a large leather backpack with a bedroll attached and a ragged worn cloak as well as the other garb. Her travel clothes clings to her and she swishes her fox tail, which is also drenched. Her red hair was clinging to her face. She shivers. Her blue eyes meet his looking surprised and concerned as she takes in his appearance. "Oh...I'm so sorry. I didn't realize ... someone was here." She says her fox ears flicking to the side and then forward her gaze shy and uncertain.
His eyes follow her fox ears as they move, and he stands up straighter slowly, moving across the room to stand in the middle. He was a big man - with tanned skin, broad shoulders, muscular arms. And even though the room was cold, he was bare chested. He took a few steps closer to her, staring down into her eyes. "Who the hell are you?" He practically growls, his deep, commanding tone sending a shiver down her spine.
She gulps and tries to make herself smaller, her ears tilting back and her tail curling around in front of her tucked between her legs. "I ... ummm...I'm ssssorrry." She says softly. "I didn't mean to intrude...I sssstay here sometimes...sssince it was destroyed…and ummmm…sssorry."
He tilts his head as he looks at her, studying her. For a brief moment, his gaze softens slightly - seeing her tail tucked between her legs and the fact that she was clearly intimidated by him. But he quickly pushes aside that thought. "How often do you stay here?" He asks, stepping even closer to her, making her almost shrink against the wall.
"Wwwwell...the house was destroyed almost 6 months ago...everyone fled... and many many were ummm killed... and umm... I've been traveling since then...since I had nowhere to go... I used to have a den in the ….the fffforest... nearby...wwwe kept watch on the borders...mmmy family... but they …they were killed... They made me hide... I don't know why… I keep coming back here... Usually when the storms get to severe for my forest...it floods sometimes... when it rains this much... I'm so sorry." She is shaking and shy looking down.
His eyes softened further as she explained the hardships she had been through. He could smell the forest on her, and the rain, the musk of a fox. But he pushed down the sympathy that began to form in his chest, and tried to remember that this was just a stranger. A stranger who was standing inside his destroyed home. No, it wasn't his home anymore. He pushed aside that thought and focused his eyes back on her. "You should find somewhere else." He said, his tone stern, but a small hint of kindness underneath it.
Her ears flick back and forth with uncertainty. "Ok." She says as she shivers, but he hasn't moved so she can go.
He paused for a moment, his eyes looking her up and down. She looked cold, and tired, and he could hear the storm outside raging. He knows should force her to leave but what did it matter. He should have sent her away to spend the night in the thunderstorm… but he could not bring himself to. He would give her a place to sleep for the night, and throw her out in the morning. "You're cold, aren't you?" He asked finally as he stepped away from her moving back over to the mantle.
"yyyes..very" She says softly. "why arent you?" She asks as she shivers.
Tamlin smirks, "I run hot." He had a good reason for not wearing a shirt. That he had trouble controlling his beast form. But he would not tell her that. "Come here." He said suddenly, gesturing for her to come closer to him.
To his surprise she instantly obeys. She does as he commands, slinking close to the ground. She can sense the beast in him. The rage and pain, so close to the surface.
Tamlin inhales deeply, taking in her scent, she is fae, high fae, he can smell her. Kitsune, likely one of the ancient guardians of the forests,but no one has seen one in centuries. The protectors of ancient secrets. He could smell the magic in her ,powerful but coiled as if sealed. The musk of a fox, mixed with the scents of forest and rain, and the underlying scent of Fae magic. He was suddenly struck by how small she looked. Even with her sharp ears and bushy tail, she seemed tiny in front of him. Soaking wet and shivering as a small pool of water formed around her dripping clothes. He hated that he felt this pull to help her, this urge to keep her warm, the last person he'd helped had destroyed him and everything he loved. Yet he couldn't stop himself. "Take off your clothes." He commanded sternly.
Celeste's eyes widened in fear and apprehension, her mouth gaping in shock. Her ears pinning. "uhh..." She flicks her ears back and forth. "Noooooo. That won't be happening."
He looks at her, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "You're soaking wet. You'll catch a cold if you stay in your clothes. Take them off."
Relief pulses through her and she laughs nervously. "Oh! because I'm wet...yes...haha...yes that makes sense..." her ears perk forward as she understands his meaning and looks very relieved.
Tamlin realized for half a second she had thought he meant to violate her honor and the thought made him scowl. Then his eyes soften as he realises what she thought he meant. "I won't hurt you." He says simply, as his eyes look over her small form again - her dripping hair and dripping clothes. As he looks at her he realises that perhaps she had been through a lot in the past few months." quite, so just... take them off." He says voice is crisp and softer than before.
"Wait…you…..but…but you told me to leave? You want me to go into the storm naked? I am very confused." Her ears perk towards him waiting for an answer.
He sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "You're not going anywhere in this thunderstorm, not like that. You'll catch a cold and be dead before morning. I'm not completely heartless. " He growled as she asked, getting more annoyed by the wet clothes dripping on the old paused for a moment, his irritation growing with every second that her clothes continued to drip on the floor. "Now take off your clothes, before I lose my patience and do it for you"
"Ok ok…" She says her fox ears pinned against her head, and her tail swishing irritably.
Tamlin sighs "What's your name?"
"Oh...uh.. Celeste. Yours?"
"Tamlin." He said in response.
"Tamlin…" She perks her ears in his direction. "That's the High Lord's name… Were you named after him?" She exclaims happy they she will have a place to stay. Her bright blue eyes bright and full of life. He lets out a deep chuckle. At her surprise, and her question. She puts her pack on the floor pulling out a dry tunic. Then pulls off her wet clothing. It lands on the floor with a splat sound.
He turned his back as she stripped her clothes off, though he was tempted to peek. He tried to push down the pang of lust that tempted him to try to catch a glimpse of her naked skin. What was wrong with him? "I am the High Lord." He said suddenly, his eyes moving back up to her face as she pulled on the tunic.
She stops as she pulls on the tunic and looks at him and laughs. Her eyes go wide when he doesn't join her in mirth at his apparent joke. "funny….you're kidding...right?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?" He asks, folding his arms across his broad chest as he watches her.
"Ummmmm..." Her gaze sweeps over him. "Noooo...you look quite serious." she says slowly, taking in a shivery breath her ears perking in his direction.
He sighs again, seeing her shiver again under the now dry tunic. His chest tightens, seeing her still so cold. He swallows down the strange feeling of… is that guilt? "Come. Sit by the fireplace. You'll warm up there." He said as he gestured to the still lit fireplace, that he had been using for warmth at night when he bothered.
She perks her ears forward, her tail swishing back and forth. Then she bites her lip looking uncertain. "Ummm...would ... is it ok if I make some food? And spread out my bedroll...here? This is the most intact room in the house...and I usually... When I stay...I have enough to share. So I don't mind cooking at all. And it's pretty.. Good or at least I think so." She says in a babbly rush her cheeks flushing.
He was going to say no. But instead, he found himself nodding. "Fine. You can stay in this room tonight. And cook. But you're gone in the morning."
She wags her wet fluffy fox tail. And undoes her bed roll. It is soft and padded. She then reaches into her pack with curious runes on it, and pulls out many more blankets, and pillows, arranging them with care til the area in front of the fireplace looks more like a cozy den of blankets. She then pulls out a cast iron pot, spoons, bowls and other ingredients. Much more than a bag like that should ever be able to hold. Clearly some form of magic. The kitsune were always clever.
He thoughtfully watches her set up her bed, his eyes flicking to the ingredients with interest. "What are you making?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He was hungry, he realised as he smelt the food. He had eaten very little in the past weeks.
"Ummm when it's cold like this I like to make a stew... and some simple biscuits..It usually will last a few days worth of meals. So I don't have to cook again. And it's hot, so it will help warm me up." She says as she sets to work taking the ingredients and herbs out of the pouch as she rises to fill the pot up with water. Needing only to put it out the window.
Despite his initial annoyance with her presence, he found himself fascinated by the way that she moved around. Her small figure and fox ears and tail had his full attention as he leant against the wall, watching her cook.
"How does that bag of yours hold so much stuff? Seems a little small for all of that."
Celeste smiles as she works and throws things into the pot. "I don't actually know...it was my fathers. When he had to go on long trips... When Hybern came and started killing...He..he and my mother.. they had to go protect the forest...Their duty to the spring lands...But He said I wasn't ready...I was too young… 200 years and too young..." She rolls her eyes and sounds annoyed "but he said he couldn't...survive the battle if he had to worry about himself, and protect me. He pointed out…. I still only had one tail, so I just wasn't ready..." She pauses for a moment taking deep breaths, her expression more somber as she speaks."He made me take his pack and everything from our den he thought I might need...and run. He said help those you can... but hide. If they don't come back. I'm the last guardian. So I MUST Hide. I cannot be seen. He said the High Lord will find a way to save us...But until he does... It is my duty to survive and stay hidden. I never saw them again...and I felt our magic pass to me when they…" She looks down for a moment, her eyes stinging with tears "When they died." She said softly as she worked.
Tamlin's jaw tightened as she spoke. He did not like to think of that time. The destruction and death that spread through the Spring Court, as well as the others, at the hands of Hybern. At the hands of choices he'd made. Mistakes that his people paid for in blood, and pain. "What did….your parents tell you about the High Lords?" He asked his voice a low rumble. His gaze down. He couldn't look at her. He was the reason her parents were dead.
"They said their magic is bound to the land like ours. That they are very powerful...or they were once. Before Hybern and his servants cursed them...Then the curse was broken by a human of all things... someone named Feyre...but...Hybern... He came in full force after that...And...That's all he was ….able to tell me… but..." She looks away. "I heard from others Hybern was defeated in a great battle last month. That the High Lord ….that YOU fought for us. That you rallied Autumn and many others and unleashed the power of the beasts and the winds and weather in a fury of magic..." She excitedly her eyes and voice bright as she told the tale "But then you vanished. No one has seen you...in months. Many said you were dead...But... I never thought so... So… you're really him? Because impersonating him seems like a bad idea." She says as she finishes putting everything in the pot and puts it by the fire. Her hands are still shaking from the cold as she works. Then she pulls out flour, water and some seasoning and makes some biscuits in a pan and puts them in the fire as well.
Her story of him was not exactly what had happened, but it was close enough. The fact that she still believed him to be powerful surprised him. He was certainly not as strong as he had once been. But he would not be telling her that. He found himself standing, moving to her as she worked. He towered over her small form, his eyes looking down at the top of her head as she put the dough into the pan into the fire.
"Yes." He said simply. "I'm him."
"That could be complicated." She mumbles to herself.
He raised an eyebrow at her comment, confusion clear on his face as he looked down at her. "How so?" He asked, his arms crossing over his muscular chest again.
"Hmmmmmmm..." Is all she says. "So if you're really him….and you say you are….Why haven't you fixed your house?" She looks up at him her ears perked in his direction.
He stiffens at her comment, his jaw clenching slightly as he thinks of a response. He didn't like to be reminded about his home - and what had happened to it. "Hybern destroyed it. You saw the condition it's in." He said through gritted teeth, his voice sharp and clipped.
"Yeah...but... you're THE High Lord. Can't you get your people together to fix it?" She says brightly, her tail swishing back and forth.
He growls under his breath, becoming more irritated with her questions. "I have no people. They are all dead or scattered." He snaps, the anger and pain from the loss of his people and his court clear in his voice. He looks away so she doesn't see the guilt and shame in his eyes. He doesn't deserve their help.
Her ears tilt back as she thinks, her voice soft "Scattered…yeah…. a lot of the villages were destroyed….even the forests were burned ... .accept for mine." She says with no small amount of pride. She suddenly looks up at him, her ears perking forward, "OH! I know….What about tree singing."
Tamlin blinks twice, he has no idea what that is. He stared down at her, confused by her question. "Tree….. what? Tree singing?" He had never heard of such a thing.
She tilts her head looking confused by his lack of comprehension, her ears flicking forward and back with uncertainty. " Come on…You know...tree...sing…. High Lords don't do that anymore?"
He shook his head, looking at her with a mix of confusion and irritation. "I have no idea what you're talking about, so no High Lords do not 'sing to trees'."
"oh." She says, looking away. Sadness in her eyes. "Mom always used to say, Some things are always lost in the waves of time." She whispers. She looks like she's going to say something else then doesn't.
He looks down at her for a moment, studying her expression. "What were you going to say?" He asks, his sharp eyes studying her.
"Do... you want to know what tree singing was? Or what the Kitsune legends say it was?" She asks, her ears perked towards him. Her voice was eager and bright. Her blue eyes looked into his with trust and eagerness, her fox tail swishing back and forth.
He considered this question for a moment. He was annoyed that she had questioned why he had not rebuilt his home. And now she was going to try and lecture him on singing to trees?But his curiosity won over his irritation, "Fine. Tell me what it is." He says, his arms crossing over his chest again.
She smiles at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "Have a seat." She says patting her large blanket & pillow nest she was sitting on in front of the fire. putting a kettle in the fire and some tea in a pot and pulling two cups out of her bag.
His eyes narrow and his jaw tightens, but he walks to the blanket and pillow nest, sitting down beside her. His knee brushes up against hers in the tiny space.
She flicks her tail, her arms coming up for emphasis, her voice dropping her eyes bright and expressive as she began. "Long ago before the first war. The spring lands were wild and untamed." She says her eyes bright as she launches into the story.
He listens to her carefully, his irritation with her slowly fading as he listens to her speak. Her tail comes to rest curled around her legs between them, and pressed up against his leg. He has to resist the urge to stroke it.
"The fae were wild and untamed too. Divided and constantly in conflict with each other." He knew this story. The story of the first High Lords. His lip twitches as she continues to narrate, her voice soft and almost hypnotic.
"They held a great contest, and a fae family was chosen for each of the gifts of life, Spring, Summer, Winter, Autumn, Night, Day and Dawn. Now keep in mind this is our ancestors version of the tale. You may know a different one. Or the details me be different…. anyway.." She continues, he finds himself slowly relaxing, as if her words were working their own form of magic on him. He is distracted by the brush of her tail against his leg as it swishes. It was so soft. He wanted to stroke it so badly. He tried to pay attention to her story.
She pauses and reaches to the fire with a towel flipping the biscuits and stirring the now bubbling stew. Pouring two cups of tea as the kettle boils. She placed a cup of tea in his hand, her fingertips just brushing over his. He took the tea and sipped it. The tea was perfect, soothing and rich and sweet.
She smiles at him and continues her voice slipping into the sing-song melodic flow of her tale "Each fae walked into the cauldron and were gifted its power. And with that power, they were bound to the land. To watch over it and its people. The Spring Court was to guard renewal, life, growth, and transformation. The High Lord of spring returned to his land, and was taught the earth song by the trees. He could hear them...and tap into the seeds of the world tree, buried in the lands of spring. When they danced and sang together on the spring equinox, the power of the High Lord would rise and the trees would grow and grow to be huge structures. Shaping themselves into the houses the people needed, to the will of the HighLord. Each tree housed hundreds of people and spiraled into the sky. Each grove city, guarded by the honoured chosen families of the beast court. "Wolf, Fox, Eagle, there were many...or there used to be... But... after the 1st age... the Grove cities were all burned... and they were never remade... Most of the high fae of the beast courts ...died. Our Kitsune were one of the last."
Her brightness fades and she stares into her tea.
He was listening intently as she told her story, sipping his tea. He found it hard to not reach out and touch her to comfort her. Stroke her hair. Her ears. Her tail. He shook his head slightly, getting control of himself. "So tree singing...is the art of calling the world seed and literally creating a city out of a giant tree…..." He says disbelief in his tone. But he thought of the trees in the Spring Court. How tall and powerful they were. How they swayed in the breeze. And the sound that it made when the wind blew between the leaves. How sometimes when he ran with them he could almost hear them, feel them around him. He sipped his tea, his eyes drifting back to her small form. The way the light caught the tips of her hair, the slight scent of fox and forest that he could smell from her. She was beautiful, he found himself thinking. Shaking his head and staring into his tea.
She flicks her tail as she watches him, those intelligent blue eyes studying him, before she smiles and looks perky again her ears perked froward. "So...that's tree singing. I take it High Lords don't do that anymore..."
He shook his head wordlessly, still focused on the fox fae sitting on the blanket beside him. But he pulled himself together again, pushing aside the desire to touch her, to stroke her hair, to run his hand down her placed down his empty tea cup and leaned back, resting on his hands. "No." He answered her question. "No High Lords do that anymore."
"My family was the one charged with the guardianship of the sacred forests." She pauses like she wants to say more but she can't. Her ears flicking back as she thinks, pursing her lips. Then she suddenly seems to have an idea and she perks her ears forward. Her eyes bright and eager, "High Lord. Can you guess. WHAT I guard?"
He raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at her once more. He eyes her up and down for a moment, a look of thought crossing his face. "You're a Kitsune…." His voice trails off.
"mmhmmm, yes… I am… we are immortal. We are guardians. What do I guard?" She says softly. "You already know the answer if you're clever…." She purses her lips again and looks like she is in almost physical pain as a tattoo on her wrist glows "But I cannot tell you."
He looks into her eyes, his own looking like molten gold. He had no idea what she was getting at. Was this a game? He studied her for a moment. Then he looked down at her tail, his eyes following the movements of the soft fur. His eyes moved back up her small form, to her fox ears, moving back and forth slowly. Then it hit him. "You said the sacred ….forest."
Her ears perk towards him and her blue eyes glimmer brightly. "Yes. Think of my story. What's in the forest." She says her eyes are bright. Hoping he figures it out.
As he mulls over her tale. Sacred…..what would make that forest different…..tree singing….singing to….to…The World Tree Seed...If she was still charged to be guarding that forest….then there…. There must still BE one there. His mind reels with the implications. Could he….save his people. Hope glimmered in his chest for the first time in an age. He suddenly stiffens, realisation sinking in as he looks directly at her. If he can figure out how ... .to tree sing…He would be able to house his people again. He would be able to draw back those who were scattered and homeless, and bring back the Spring Court. He met her eyes with his own.
She smiles at him with tears in her eyes. "Yes." She nods seeing the realization in his gaze that hope was in his heart.
He let out a deep breath, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the ceiling. He can't help but let a small laugh out. A laugh of realisation. Of relief. Of victory. He feels as though a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He would be able to rebuild his court. To fix his home. Then reality comes crashing in, and he shakes his head, No hope was foolish. He didn't know how to tree sing….it was lost magic. His power was sporadic and broken, his people shattered and scattered. He could never hope to do this. "That's…. Interesting-" He says finally "Why are you telling me all of this?"
Her expression falls her ears flopping to the side when she sees the hope leave his eyes. "I didn't tell you anything." She says softly "Other than a story, an ancient legend passed down in my family. I am forbidden to talk about what I guard or where it is. But stories are always fun to share. And sometimes important." She says quietly as if trying to draw him back into his moment of hope
Tamlin let out another bitter laugh, "Indeed." He says softly.
Her ears flop back as she looks saddened. But she gets out two bowls out of her pack and dishes out the stew and the biscuits. Smiling at him softly. He accepts the bowl of stew, taking a deep whiff. It smelt incredible, rich and hearty and delicious. It made his empty stomach rumble, and his mouth water. He took in the scent for a moment longer, before taking a spoonful of the stew and bringing it to his lips. His eyes widened as he tasted it. The richness of the flavour. The spices. They hit his tongue with a delicious punch. He swallowed. "This…..this is amazing."
She smiles and her tail swishes back and forth with joy. "I'm glad you like it, High Lord." She says with a warm smile.
He doesn't speak for a moment, too busy eating more of the delicious stew. When he does speak, his eyes are trained solely on her, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Just Tamlin. Call me Tamlin."
"ok." She says and smiles her ears perking towards him and she moves closer to him.
He can feel the heat coming off her body. The smell of the foxes and forests and rain is stronger now. He eats his stew, spoonful by spoonful, trying very hard to keep his eyes on the bowl in front of him, and not on her. He tried desperately to focus on his food, and not on the proximity of the Fox Fae sat next to him, the soft sounds of her slurping her stew, the smell of her skin. The way her tail brushed up against his leg with every movement of hers.
She eats as well, enjoying the silence, listening to the rain. The storm outside picks up in intensity, the sky thundering and lighting flickering through the cracks in the boarded windows.
They finish eating and she moves her pot away from the embers enough to keep it warm but not enough to have it burn. Then washes the bows out in the rain and puts them away in her pack. She yawns and shivers again and then gets back to the nest of blankets and snuggles under them in her nest by the fire. "Thank you for joining me for supper. It's nice to have someone to talk to."
He watches her work, enjoying the easy way she moves through the motions. He watches as she curls up on her blanket and pillow nest, snuggling in and covering herself up. She looks vulnerable. So small and fragile in the huge pile of blankets. He is still sitting in the nest and he doesn't move, but there is a uncertainty in his gaze. As if he isn't sure what to do.
Celeste perks her ears towards him noticing he hasn't moved. "It's cold tonight." She says softly, her tail swishing back and forth.
He smirks slightly, watching as her tail moves back and forth. "Is that an invitation to stay here by the fire?" He drawls, shifting closer to her. His larger, warmer body close behind hers, the heat pouring off him.
Her eyes grow wide and she looks at him, her ears perked forward and she shifts closer. Scanning him studying him. "Do you feel it yet. Have you healed enough" She whispers her voice barely audible, a deep longing in her voice.
He swallows, her words making him freeze for a moment and he looks confused. He looks down at her. Her small frame, the way the light of the fire dances of her face. He can feel his heart beginning to beat faster in his chest. He can feel the heat from her body. He can smell her skin. He swallows again as she speaks, his eyes locked on her, drinking her in. "Healed… enough for what?"
She looks down and her ears droop. "Nothing." She says softly "Just wondering if you were cold." She says softly. "Becasue…I'm still cold.. And you said you run hot…and the bed is all…broken" She says glancing at it. "Would you like to stay and camp with me?" She asks gently.
He can tell that wasn't what she meant but decided not to press her. The last thing he wanted to talk about was how healed or not healed he was. How broken he was. But she seemed to care. Seemed to…It had been so long since anyone had shown him this level of kindness. He wanted to push her away to reject her, but there was something about her. He just couldn't bring himself to say no. To his own surprise he nodded. "I would like that. Thank you." He says in a hoarse uncertain rumble. His head swirling. Not sure what to say.
She smiles at him and opens the blankets for him to climb underneath with her. Her eyes are bright with warmth and welcome. Her ears perked towards him. It had been so long since anyone had looked at him that way. With affection and warmth. He climbs into the blankets and she cuddles up to him. Her tail curls around him as she lays her head on his chest as soon as he lays down. Her skin is chilly and he slowly pulls her closer to him, his eyes closing as he feels her body press up against his. He pulls up the covers around them. His arms wrapping around her. Her arms wrapping around him. Pulling him in closer. Her shivering stops and he can feel her warm up against him. Can feel her hair and the tips of her ears brushing against his chin. His breath is coming in deep and fast breaths, as he shakes. Its been so long. So long since he's had anyone this close. He pulls her closer, his nose nuzzling into her hair, inhaling her scent. She smells warm, happy, she is in his arms and she smells happy. He inhales deeply again. Cradling her hair, her back. Closing his eyes. He's so tired. He hasn't slept in weeks. He relaxes against her. The feel of her body against his is more soothing than he ever thought possible. His eyes begin to grow heavy, his breathing starting to slow. His arms tighten around her, his fingers clenching in her tunic. He closes his eyes, breathing her in again. He doesn't know when he fell asleep. But he did. Deeply and peacefully for the first time in what felt like years, the nightmares didn't come. Wrapped up with this little fox. He felt peace.
Celeste looked up at him, at the peaceful look on his haggard tired face. Brushing a hair off his forehead. "Sleep well, my High Lord." She whispers softly as she curls up with him a single tear sliding down her cheek."I'm here."
To Be Continued