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 Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 11:06 am
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 4:49 pm
((Continued from rp in Ursa's Chambers)) Muris was still blushing furiously as she led him to his quarters. She would've taken him to the stables, but she had a mind to see him in bed as soon as she left his side-- having been injured, he would need his rest, even if Ursa's healing -did- work wonders.
The badger skulked unhappily after her, eyeing this newcomer with unrepressed hatred.
The mouse didn't even notice. Wiping away tears, she hugged him tightly, snuggling up against him,
"Oh Alcie! I'm so glad that you're alive and well and here!" she stuttered, a few more tears making their way down her cheeks. She was trying to be strong, but sometimes it was hard,
"They told me you were dead...and everybody said they'd seen you after and that you weren't, but...but it was hard to believe."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:29 pm
Alces felt the familiarity of his own home returning what strength Ursa's heals could not. Even as they walked up to it his steps were quicker, though it was hard to move at all with Muris' cuddling at his side. Not that he minded, of course.. but the tears she kept shedding weighed his heart down heavily. As they reached the door he stopped, and turned to face her, gathering her up in his arms. All he could think to try and calm her was to prove to her that he was indeed alive, and well, by hugging her tightly.
"Muri, I'm fine.. look at me. Come on," He slid his fingers under her chin and turned her face up to level with his. "See? There's no reason to cry."
He brushed away her tears with the back of his fingertips, and watched her features carefully. The momentary forgetfulness had worn off, and the guilt of his abandonment was starting to weigh him down even more than her tears. His carefree smile slowly fell, and his brow furrowed in sadness.
"I'm just glad you're all right.."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:58 pm
She snuffled a bit, trying to dry up the tears for him, if for nothing else. It worked, to a degree.
"Oh Alcie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." she couldn't help it. Those big brown eyes were practically begging for it. Gently, she kissed him, very tentative about it, and the rested her head on his shoulder,
"I'm just...I'm so happy to see you well."
She had been worried, she realized, that he might die on this mission, as well. Something in her had snapped when those horrid Moon Court creatures had said he died,
"I was so afraid I'd lose you."
And she was, too. It seemed to have made her paranoid enough to forget how worried she'd been about class distinction. They'd deal with that later, right now it just mattered that he was back and safe and, as far as she could tell, he loved her.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:17 pm
It was easy to be be distracted when she looked at him, and Alces fell into her gaze just enough not to notice she was coming closer. Her lips pressed against him, and every nerve of his body stood at attention. Every little hair stood on end, as though a little electrical current went through him. He had been so preoccupied by wallowing in self-guilt that he simply hadn't seen it coming.
He barely had time to kiss back before she pulled away, and he let out a soft, silent exhale of breath. Her words made him grin faintly, and he his head tilted to the side, resting against hers.
But the idea of losing him only served to remind him of his own fears. "You can't get rid of me that easily." He murmured with amusement, though there was a touch of sadness in his voice. "It was I who was afraid to lose you, Muri." He admitted with a frown. "And I would only have had myself to blame."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:28 pm
She could hear something in his tone that made her uneasy,
"Alcie? What's the matter?" she asked, pulling her head off his shoulder and peering at him curiously,
"What do you mean, me? I'm fine. I've been sitting about in the stables. Sulking, if you'll believe it, more than anything else."
Feeling sorry for herself because of what had happened to her, really. That's what she'd been doing. She felt a bit ashamed, but knew that there was really nothing for it now, but to enjoy being back with Alcie and her life returning to normal. Well, with the exception of learning how to fight and improved blacksmithing skills, of course.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:43 pm
His stomach turned as he was faced with the brunt of his guilt. He smiled sadly at her, looking up over her head for a moment simply because it was easier to admit he was a failure when he didn't look in her eyes.
"You are fine now, and for that I am eternally thankful. But.." He closed his eyes, and his head bowed. Blindly he kissed her cheek, before pulling away. There was still a part of him that felt unworthy of even her touch.
"That is no fault of my own. In fact, if I hadn't left to find Lady Neith's child, if I hadn't left you.."
His voice hitched as he turned away, his arms curling around each other as he crossed them.
"Muri, I am no hero. I feel as though being with me puts you in danger, and it frightens me to think that you could ever be hurt again due to my own weaknesses."
His head turned and he looked up at her, though his gaze was lidded and heavy. "You deserve more than I could possibly offer, Lady Muris." His voice was quiet, even as he named her so formally. Perhaps he felt he wasn't even worth using her nickname anymore.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:49 pm
Muris blinked,
"Alcie...." she moved a bit backwards when he lowered his head-- sure to avoid the antlers, but then moved closely again, sliding her arms about his waist,
"Alcie, if you had stayed, one of us would probably be dead. I told Filix the same thing. I doubt the Moon Court had need of two of us."
She shuddered, thinking on it,
"And they probably would have killed you, seeing me the weaker....and Alcie...Alcie, I'm still not a Lady. I never will be."
She flushed a little, remembering that that was why they had not gone further with exploring the idea of a courting between them.
"It's I who am not good enough for you. I'm just a common stablemouse, and you are a brave, noble Herald, cousin to the King. I'm never going to be what you deserve."
As long as they were getting everything out in the open, she supposed she might as well say that too.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:14 pm
Alces blinked, taking in her words carefully. He knew that she worried over the distinction in class, but he had once assured her that it was not an issue. It seemed her worry had remained. Here he was worrying that he wasn't worth her, while she held the same worry for herself. They were truly a pair of fools in love.
"Brave? Noble?" He smiled faintly and shook his head. "I think you have me confused with someone else, my dear Muri. Someone who could have protected you that day."
He pressed his hands against hers, which were wrapped around his waist, before turning around in her grasp to face her. Her brought both of his hands up and cupped her face, holding it gingerly in his hands.
"I told you once, and I will promise you now. It will be okay. All that matters is that you know how I feel." Which, he realized, she didn't. Perhaps he had been unsure about things when he had left for his journey, but with so much time to himself and his thoughts, he had never been surer about anything in his entire life. "You are the brave and noble one, Muri. You are sweet, and caring, and you possess within you the brightest life I have ever seen to shine this world. Though you cannot see yourself through my eyes, you must know that there is no one above you. In my eyes, you are no Lady, Muri. You are a Queen."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:20 pm
Muris could have melted right there on the spot. His words set her so much at ease-- all her other thoughts seemed to melt away. He really and honestly didn't care that she was just...well, a commoner. Of course, he'd been very vague about it, but she was fairly certain, by now, that his feelings mirrored her own.
"Alcie..." she began softly, trying very hard not to cry though her chin trembled with the effort. She was just so relieved...
"Alcie, I love you."
She didn't know what else to say. She was not like him, with his pretty words and noble sentiment. She tried, of course, to sound like that, but even with all of Sissy's teachings, she was still just a stablemouse at heart-- and her words would always reflect that (though she had at least managed to ditch the crazy accent she'd had when she was still little)
"And I can scarcely believe you might feel the same...but..but I wouldn't have it any other way."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:30 pm
Alces knew how he felt about Muris. He had known for quite some time. What he hadn't expected, however, was for Muris to feel the same way. Her words came as a foolish shock to him, who suddenly felt like a child that had just been given his greatest and most beloved gift. How could he have failed to realize that she felt the same way? He knew she cared for him, her sweet heart was too kind not to, but..
He was thinking too much, and he shook himself out of his reverie quickly, taking in a sharp breath before grinning like a fool.
"I scarcely believe -you- could love a helpless fool like me. I hope you never regret it, because.. because I love you, my dear Muri. I do, and I would have it no other way."
He leaned in before she could take another breath let alone speak, and pressed his lips against hers, barely brushing past them for the moment. It was too perfect a moment to rush.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:35 pm
Muris didn't have a moment to speak before his lips were on hers, and the second they were, she didn't care to. She slid her arms now around his neck, gently playing them through his hair. It didn't matter anymore. She didn't care that she was common born and he was the King's cousin. She didn't care that they'd been separated for months because of what had happened with the Moon Court.
She didn't even care about the badger muttering angrily at her side.
She just cared that Alces felt the same way, and that now they could get to courting properly and maybe someday...well, she wouldn't worry about that now. The important thing was being with the one she loved.
Sighing softly, she snuggled against him, returning the kiss just as gently.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:42 pm
Every feeling was a new one when experiencing it in love. Though he could often find words to describe almost every feeling, he came up empty as he held her in his arms and just kissed her. It was a dream, it wasn't real. It couldn't be. Was that it? Was he simply dreaming? Had he perhaps passed out somewhere on the road back home?
He pulled away from her kiss, though it felt devastating to do so. His eyes blinked away the glaze as he focused quite sternly on her, and whispered out with a serious expression, "Pinch me."
He remembered hearing somewhere, perhaps in his Kithain's world, that it would wake you up from a dream. Or perhaps it was that pinching meant it wasn't a dream.. he couldn't quite remember which. Either way, a pinch would answer his questions well enough.
While he waited for her to do so, he took the moment to pull her closer, reveling in simply being able to hold her as the woman he loved. If she woke him up, at least he would have this moment.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:47 pm
Muris blinked at this. Pinch him? Whatever for? She was rather enjoying the kissing, and she supposed maybe he deserved a pinch for stopping it, but that didn't seem to be his reason.
Stormy, however, was more than willing to do what his mistress wasn't. Of course, he wasn't really designed for pinching, so he decided to make do and simply bit Alces, right on the ankle.
That'd serve him right for distracting her while he was still injured.
Muris gaped at the badger for a moment,
"Stormy! No!" she scolded, reaching down to scoop up the creature before he could do more damage and blushing deeply,
"Oh Alcie, I'm so sorry. He's really not so bad..well, he isn't always so bad...sometimes...Stormy! Bad badger!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:58 pm
He watched Muris, waiting for her to pinch him, when instead he felt a piercing pain in his ankle. How could she have possibly pinched him down there..? Oh, wait, that was..
He let out a muffled groan as the pain set in, his leg lifted instinctively though it would do no good. What was it with animals biting him today?
He held his ankle with one hand, checking the bite marks. The badger had pierced the skin, two small dots of red from which blossomed tiny rivers of blood. Fortunately, he had gone through much more than that with his old friend the dire weasel, so this pain was nothing.
"No, no it's all right. He did me a favor, honestly." Alces reasoned, smiling nervously. "He proved that this wasn't a dream. That's all I wanted."
He put his foot down, and reached his head out to pet the badger, but thought better of it and pulled his hand back. "Ah.. thank you, Stormy." He thanked the badger for biting him.
Only he would thank a badger for biting him.
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