Guarded Love (COMPLETED)

A Taste

Ineria drew back her hand from a steaming pile of dumplings, easily eight or nine, piled upon a plate with a pot of gravy on the side. Steam erupted out of the small knife cuts Reiss had been in charge of until she bowed out, the smell heavenly beyond measure. If the Maker's side bore an odor it would probably be lilacs in spring, the forest after a gentle rain, and Ineria's fresh pork dumplings with extra gravy. At least that was what Reiss hoped for.

The King sat at the lone table, eying up the treat, a knife in one hand and fork in the other. "Well," Ineria waved her hand at him, "eat the blighted things. We must know if they are truly the best in thedas. Right, Da'len?" Ineria glanced over at Reiss who sat across from Alistair. He spent most of the cooking time trying to wipe the flour off his shirt which ended in trenches of handprints trailing down his chest.

Bristling under the scrutiny, Alistair jabbed his fork into the first dumpling. It hissed at the indignation, sending more of that tantalizing spiced meat smell into the air. Without any ceremony, the King of Ferelden jammed the entire two inch long dumpling into his mouth and began to chew. The response was instantaneous, flecks of pork and cabbage trying to escape, which he crammed back in with his mouth while talking rapidly.

"Maker's sake, it's so light and fluffy, but then the pork with lettuce stuff and bam spice city brings it all together for..." he swallowed obviously and then grinned, "Good, so good."

"Shemlan!" Ineria threw her hands up, "Fen'Harel ma ghilana," she cursed to herself before picking up the King's hand, stabbing his fork into the second dumpling and then dropping it into the gravy. "You eat together, like this. Dip-dip, see," Ineria spoke in broken sentences as if afraid the human suddenly lost the ability to understand her.

Alistair watched the thick brown sauce dribble off his dumpling before racing both towards his mouth and biting down. His eyes rolled back in his skull and he chewed the dumpling apart. "Sweet Andraste, okay," Alistair placed both his utensils down so he could bring his hands together in raucous applause. "These are beyond a doubt the best dumplings in thedas, probably even past into the unmappy bits."

"Of course," Ineria shrugged as if unimpressed with his comment, but Reiss watched her cheeks light up as she fluffed her greying hair. She loved it.

Stabbing at another and clogging up the gravy bowl with as much as he could, those silky brown eyes darted over to Reiss, "Aren't you going to have some too?"

"I..." Decorum said she shouldn't eat in front of the King but standing on tradition would never apply when Ineria's dumplings were involved. Snatching one of the hot pockets up in her fingers, Reiss dug the dumpling in the gravy like a shovel and then popped it into her mouth.

"So that's how it works," he smiled, giving up on the silverware and plucking up a dumpling with his fingers. While Reiss continued to chew on hers, he finished his fourth one off - the man had an appetite that would trounce most giants and they regularly ate goats whole. And yet, he didn't show that voracious eating anywhere on that toned and taut... Reiss scrunched up her nose, trying to stave off a blush at the image of the shirtless King making elven dumplings embedded into her memory.

"You've stopped eating," Ineria commented, catching on right away when Alistair slid his hands to the side.

"Well, she should have her share," he gestured at Reiss who knew she was blushing now. "Partners and all," Alistair grinned.

"Right, partners," Reiss smiled while impishly picking up one of the dumplings he was willing to forgo for her.

Ineria patted him on the shoulder and slipped back, "Foolish shemlan, I can cook you up more. Eat all you like."