by wyvern14

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Part 1 (2008)	Part 2 (2008)	Part 3 (2008)	Part 4 (2008)	Part 5 (2008)
Part 6 (2008)	Part 7 (2008)	Part 8 (2008)	Part 9 (2008)	Part 10 (2008)
Part 11 (2008)	Part 12 (2008)	Part 13 (2008)

Chapter 13

Twin moons

It was like waking up from a forgotten dream as she walked up the steps into the night's brisk air. Deepest blue covered the skies and it came alight with thousands of tiny flickers scattered from one horizon to another. No cloud broke the perfect scenery, although the two glowing orbs cast long shadows over everything, bathing vegetation and battlements alike in stark bluish hues.

Two moons, dancing together on black velvet, close as lovers, yet so far from each other...

The image reminded her of the current situation, the estrangement their awkwardness had brought between them, an intangible wall preventing the summoner from reaching forth and grabbing what she craved.

"I wish I knew..."

Eyes locked up above, she felt childish and innocent, chocked under layers of fear, scarves of indecision and a lack of discernment between words and thoughts in others' actions. The black and white aspect of everything at midnight spoke to Rydia, sketching the world as a pool of black and white ripples.

It could be so simple...

Soft wind rustled her curls, touching her light garments and pickling her flesh with cold, making her shiver. Goosebumps covered her arms, which she draped across her body, sighing.

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His eyes drank the sight of her, dousing his bitter thoughts and lifting his soul. So beautiful and so far from his perch. Under the cover of darkness in the stone wall's corners, amid vines and shadows, he watched, unseen and unheard. Edge didn't wish to spy on the young woman as much as assess her current mood.

One time too many. I would not survive a second round of...

Hearing her speak so forlornly tore at him, tugging at his heart almost painfully. How his whole body wanted nothing more than rush forward and console her, make everything right again, but he stood his ground and waited. There was more at stake than his own hurts, while the familiarity of the situation screamed to him that it would not avail him anything.

Has my moment come and passed?

Edge swallowed and breathed deeply, he had never been a coward before, on no account backing out of anything, always running head first as his guts dictated. Had he not told her times and times again how she burned bright in his every thought, why sleep was again restful since he dreamt of her? Then again...

You're like nobody else, a butterfly queen in a court of fleas, a star aglow above a sea of cinders.

The prince realized then that nothing short of honesty and pure, unlaced feeling would sway her. This was no game to win with a wink and a grin, and neither some impressionable lady afraid of mice. Here was his fragile goddess, a being of fantasy capable of burning cities to the ground, who commanded eldritch creatures with will and word and he could only bow down before his muse.

His mind stopped reeling, the aching thumping of his chest slowing to a steady drumming as it all fell into place. Resolution dawned on him as he took the first step.

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Something soft and warm fell on her shoulders and an aura of heat blasted from her back, embracing her body. Not daring to move, she remained still, air catching in her throat. She could not doubt who it was, since no noise had warned her of anybody's coming, no voice breaking her contemplation. Rydia's fingers caressed the hem of his cloak, sliding on the silky material as she leaned unto him.

Edge...

He seemed to creep closer to her and she could feel his breath on the back of her head, enflaming her hair with sweet shivers as he inhaled her scent. This was so different from their previous encounter, so sensual yet tender. Edward's pure voice dropped, his harp's last notes ringing from below and dying in the pounding of her ears.

Elfin fingers inched to her sides, closing in on his own limbs and lightly taking his hands into hers. He returned the gesture, flexing them gently and capturing her offering, thumbs caressing her palms in slow circles. The mage's nerves quivered, still unable to face him, wanting to lose herself to the moment before braving his eyes.

Speech leaves me before I even open my lips, so...

The point of her right boot drew half a circle on the ground until it came behind his leg; her weight falling on her other knee as she slowly arched her back to one side and threw herself in a graceful spin, dragging him along willingly.

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No lesson could have prepared him for such an amazing experience as dancing with Rydia. It went beyond the nimble whirlwinds of deadly struggles and felt infinitely more beautiful to him than any occasion he previously had to see her give herself to the magnetic pull of magical conjurations. His body moved in concert with hers, still holding her from behind, supporting her weight and following her lead as she waltzed to non-existent music.

There is only silence... and her.

It might have been forever or mere seconds, although his flesh was hot from the exertion, warming up. The languid ballet took on a different mood once she passed under her upraised arm, turning on herself to face him. Crystal emeralds mesmerized his thoughts, gleaming with abandon and primal elation for their frolics.

An angel in forest shades, a nymph.

Toes graced the smooth stones still, tracing patterns and flowing dusk as they covered the vast expanse of the balcony. Slowly, his grave features curved into a slight smile, devoid of mischievousness and mirroring hers, radiating joy. Rydia's hands skimmed from his, up his arms, feathers travelling on his bare flesh to his shoulders. Fingers crawled along the high collar and into his fine silvery hair, while the others moved down on his ribs to his waist.

Trailing fire kisses, enthralling me...

The summoner closed her eyes, biting her lip in recklessness, and then detached herself from their mutual grip. Bone and sinew followed her by instinct, catching her as she threw her weight backward, an arm snaking around her hips while the other circled her shoulders.

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She had known, without a doubt, that he would grab hold of her as she had let herself fall, lacing his neck in response. That simple gesture, quick yet by pure reflex, meant everything. His lips grazed her collarbone, sweeping up her throat slowly until it brushed her earlobe.

"Rydia..."

En trance, she felt his whole heart poured out into that single word, her own name, scraping all doubts and fears from her very being. It exploded inside, enflaming her blood, pulsing within like a second life beat. Her nose vanished in the crook of his throat, nuzzling with a soft sigh.

I had feared, hoped, ran from and longed for... you.

His fingers gripped her harder and she heard as well as felt him swallow, his face buried in her untamed jade hair.

"You're everything to me and beyond. Let me show you, I..."

Rydia moved her head, stroking his smooth cheek with hers, cutting him off before he could finish. Savoring the very scent of him, so close, so warm, it burned her from the inside out, parting her lips and giving her breath a voice of its own.

"I love you..."

He stiffened around her, the air catching with a slight noise, his heartbeat rising against her body like rolling thunder. Catlike, he straightened himself, still holding her close, the hand on her shoulders rising to trace her jaw.

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He could not tell if the ball still went on below, nor if the sun had risen. Touching her, memorizing every line and smooth curves of this adorable object of his affections took precedence over everything. She raised her chin in his direction and their lips met, tentative, timidly, reverent in their caress.

She... She... I...

Moments passed by, before they broke the kiss to take breaths, drowning in each other's eyes in starvation. A flicker of annoyance crossed his mind; what if someone came up to break this magic moment?

We could always...!

He smiled wickedly, sweeping her off her feet in one fluid motion, wrapping her in his cloak. His eyes shone devilishly and he winked at her with renewed impishness. As she glanced his way questioningly, wondering why he suddenly turned jittery, he murmured to her ear.

"This rogue is stealing you, oh fair maiden!"

As he dashed off the terrace in a supple leap, the guests of the festivities could swear they heard a feminine laugh break the silence just before the orchestra attacked another harmony.

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Mountains partly hid the coming dawn, tinting the edge of the skies with pale pinkish hues. Under the canopy, green and silver mingled, pooling amid satin and silk like liquid. Her eyes looked up, noticing the still bright astral bodies gazing down at the world.

Twin moons superposed, one lying in the other's embrace, enlacing completely, as one.

Her lashes fluttered, head resting on his chest, warm hands tangled in her vast emerald tresses. Rydia's arms held him tighter, clasping and not letting go.

"Stay with me."

Edge smiled lazily, fondly gazing at her, eyes filled with passion.

"Always."


The end.