A Court of Love and Family

Chapter 20

It was almost midnight. The candles burned low, the food eaten. Luna and Tirian had moved out onto the balcony, sitting back with wine looking up at the stars. Her headache had passed and she was so relaxed.

"More wine?" Tirian asked, holding the bottle.

"No thanks." Luna said back her glass was still half full. "Thank you for tonight!"

"Thank you..." Tirian leaned back, raising his own glass. "For sharing this night with me." A blush grew on her cheeks.

"I needed this, to just be and relax."

"How is your head?" Tirian sipped from his wine.

"Better..." Luna closed her eyes, breathing in the night air. "And yours?"

"Better, Casnovas' attempt was hard..." He sighed.

"I can understand that... But we will find a way... one day... I hope..."

"Are you losing hope now?" Tirians hand found hers and Luna opened her eyes. He was closer to her now than before.

"I believed that if we had your mind focused on something else, we could break it. But no..." She shook her head. "But yes... Now... I have no idea what we can do..."

"But I think we can find a way one day..." He came closer. "I almost lost hope but you made me believe again."

"How?"

"You. Your determination, your hope... And the fact that I can make a difference." He took her hand, removing the wine glass from her other. "You, Luna..."

"But right now I don't think I can make a difference... My brother found a clue. We have just walked in circles." Lunas voice trembled. "And we have found nothing to help you..."

"Luna... You will make a difference..." Tirian came closer. "And you have already..." He rested his forehead against hers.

"I have?" She looked into his eyes and the world stopped around her.

"Yes... For me..." Their lips met in a soft light kiss. Luna's body relaxed some more. He let go of her hands and moved over her arms. Luna moved her hands to his back, pulling him closer. Her mind went blank, her heart sped up. Tirian pulled back, breathing loudly and strained, or maybe it was just because he was so close. "You have made a difference for me..." Luna kissed him again and not long after, he lifted her up, and carried her back inside his room.

His hands moved under her shirt, lifting it up to expose her skin. The lighter marks over her hip  and ribs. Tirians hand moved over the line between the lighter and darker skin, making her shiver. Her own hands traveled up under his shirt, and found the raised skin from his scars. That day was so far back now, almost like it had never happened... But the scars remained.

"Do you want to continue?" Tirian asked, breaking the kiss. Before Luna had the opportunity to answer, before she could find the words to say yes, she gasped.

"I know how we can find Gwyns home." She blurted out, just as the thought became clear. How she came up with the idea she had no clue. "We will continue next time..." Her head was spinning and she fixed her shirt.

"How?" Tirian asked and a hint of excitement filled his voice.

"She entered alone, but someone must have seen her, and that someone must have seen someone else that saw her, and on and on... I can search for her in others memories but outside of the gala." Luna was halfway to the door when she remembered the time of night.

"Brilliant." Tirian was out of breath.

"It is late..." One moment without the headache and she figured it out, one night thinking of other things moved her forward.