A Kind of Magic

Twelve

Annwyn giggled when her eyes found Leodhais the moment he appeared in the doorway at the foot of the stairs, already dressed in human clothes just like Gilderoy, ready to walk through the standing stones into the world lying beyond.

Leodhais smiled at her as he approached the table, laid with breakfast for all of them, where she sat with Peregrine. The pair of what Alaric's dressmakers called blue jeans, combined with a tightly fitting black 't-shirt' and a hooded 'cardigan' spun of thick grey wool weren't the most flattering clothes he had ever worn but he didn't quite dislike them. 

Gilderoy, dressed in a similar fashion, climbed onto the bench next to Peregrine, while Leodhais asked the dragon shifter, "Won't you get changed?"

"I'm changed," he replied, moving his legs in a way to show that he was wearing a pair of jeans too, but black, matched by a black shirt similar to the elf's stretched quite tightly over the muscles of his chest, and a black leather jacket. But his black cloak was still tied around his neck, his hat hung down his back, and his sword lay on the bench at his side. "And you'll have to leave that here," Peregrine added, pointing to the great silvery bow slug across the elf's back. "It would attract too much attention in the human world. You too, Gilderoy, your sword must stay here," he turned to the dwarf whose mouth was full of freshly baked bread, and so he only nodded in reply. 

"But you will carry your sword, I take it?" Leodhais asked, narrowing his eyes on Peregrine. 

The dragon shifter sighed his impatience even as one of Annwyn's hands came to rest squarely on his chest while the other closed around Leodhais' hand.

"I must carry my sword, elf, I always do. It's the only blade that can kill a Highlander, should we be tracked," he replied, forcing his voice into civility. But a deep scowl never left his face as he observed Leodhais and Annwyn's now joined hands. "It belonged to my father, and his father before him, it's imbued in our magic. And I'd do something about those ears if I were you," he added, changing the subject.

Annwyn laughed and stood up, her eyes pouring into Leodhais' as she touched his hair, pulling a few strands from the thong tied around his ponytail, arranging them in such a way to cover the pointed ends of his earlobes, her breath catching as he closed his eyes momentarily and leaned into her touch to better remember it.

"Peregrine told me that there are no elves in The World Beyond The Stones. The humans wouldn't like our ears," she said in a voice just above a whisper. 

Leodhais reached out to her face, his fingers vanishing in the black silk of her hair, pushing the shiny strands behind her ear, revealing a pointed tip as white as alabaster, his fingers unable to resist touching it with gentle reverence. He smiled, then inhaled deeply as she closed her eyes and tilted her head into into his caress, wishing he could bring his lips to hers, she was so close and perfect and unpredictable and incredibly responsive...

Peregrine cleared his voice loudly behind them, making her eyes snap open even as Leodhais, his lips very close to hers, took a step back.

"Sit, elf. Eat quickly, then let us go. The journey is still long, and we must leave our horses here."

His mind void, clever words of rebellion which he always had in store for Peregrine scattered by Annwyn's closeness, Leodhais simply let himself drop on the bench next to her, suppressing a content sigh when she inched closer to him, her thigh flush against his, her left hand finding its way into his right, leaving him to feed himself left handed, wishing the moment would never end.

But it did, Peregrine didn't give Leodhais and Gilderoy more than ten minutes to finish their breakfast before he urged them to their feet again.

"Thank you, Annwyn. If everything goes well, we will be back in a few weeks with Alaric's daughter," the dragon shifter said as he stood in front of his sister, glancing significantly at Leodhais whose arm was now wrapped, quite invisibly, around Annwyn's waist from behind. "You know Shadow, and he knows you, and thank you for keeping the other two horses as well."

"Take care of yourself, promise... promise you'll be careful, Peregrine, you're... the only family I have," Annwyn begged, voice breaking even as her eyes welled up with tears, and she, freeing herself from Leodhais, wrapped her arms around her brother's neck.

"As always, I promise, Annwyn. You mustn't worry about me," Peregrine replied, his voice suddenly husky, hinting at suppressed tears. "I'll wait for you outside, hurry," he added, looking between Gilderoy and Leodhais even as he put his large hands on Annwyn's waist and removed her from himself gently.

Then he was gone, and Gilderoy stood in front of Annwyn, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips. "Thank you for your hospitality, fair Annwyn." She smiled down at him through her tears, and then he was gone too, adjusting his satchel on his shoulder as he rushed towards the door in Peregrine's wake, leaving her alone with Leodhais. 

She turned to him, and they stood in front of each other without touching, their eyes devouring each other, committing the tiniest details of the moment to memory. 

"His name is Asfaleem," Leodhais said finally after a long moment of silence, only disturbed by Peregrine and Gilderoy's muffled voices reaching them through the closed door. "He's a good horse; he won't cause trouble..."

"Ray of Sunshine," she translated quickly, smiling at him. "I like it."

Leodhais raised his eyebrows at her, ready to tell her how surprised he was by her understanding Elvish, but he didn't have time to open his mouth before Peregrine's fist connected with the hard wood of the door, the noise scattering the magic between them followed by the dragon shifter's words, "We are leaving, elf. You either come with us or find your way back to Alaric's castle alone. You're not staying here!"

Without thinking, Leodhais pressed his lips to Annwyn's forehead, inhaling the scent of her hair. "I'll be back, fair Annwyn," he pledged, walking towards the door without looking back for fear he would lose the courage to leave, opening it wide before she whispered, "I'll wait for you."

She escaped up the stairs then, even as Leodhais joined his companions outside.