A/N -- I needed some serious wine to write this chapter, guys.
Warning: *some* Mature content. Tread with caution.
Kayde and Iris finished off dinner with a glass of aged wine, both curled up together near his fireplace. Despite her other experiences with drink, she found she rather liked it. It wasn't as strong as tavern ale or Hench's whiskey, and it tasted a lot more refreshing. She was in a happy place, but found her head still right on her shoulders instead of swimming off into an inebriated oblivion.
"I like this," Iris commented, swishing the purple liquid around her glass. "It's not too strong."
"I figured you might. Careful not to drink too much of it, though. I like all my furniture and pillows in their respective places," he said with a wink, referencing her last foray with Hench at the guardian sanctuary. Iris grunted at it, wishing that everyone involved would just forget that little incident forever.
"Not my proudest moment," Iris said, and sipped her wine again before adding, "Jackass."
He chuckled, but said nothing for a minute.
Iris turned an eye to him, finding him staring thoughtfully at the flickering hearth. She inhaled a breath and started playing with some of his hair. "What are you thinking about?" she went on to ask.
"How things change," he answered.
"Hmm. Profound." Iris braided the long strand in her palms. "Any specifics?"
"A few things. One of them being you," he casually spoke. "I was actually thinking about a weekend I visited Eda. My mother had sent me a letter to come and visit her for a day -to help her repair a fence. It was a very menial task -one I had no idea how to do. But still, I decided to go because it was my mother." He chuckled. "I saw your aunt in town that day. She was buying some groceries, I believe. We didn't speak... but I did wave at her. It was a small one that got a cordial smile and a nod out of her."
"And then?" Iris raised a brow.
"And then, the very next day, she's at my mother's door asking me to go after you because you'd up and run off to war." He smiled softly, and there was a peaceful, far off look in his eyes. "And from there... madness."
Iris chewed on that statement. "So I'm an official Remorda Guardian, sitting on this sofa and drinking wine with someone I love very dearly... I've somehow turned from a simple girl, to a soldier, to a captain, to a guardian, to the Heart of Eldia." She thought some more. "A twenty-year-old cold case on my older sister came to a close, and I've been reunited with her... all of that because you decided you'd repair a fence one weekend."
He met Iris's eyes with a grin.
She returned it. "Madness," she agreed with a whisper.
Kayde looked down to where Iris laid down a second, completed braid. "What's this? Are we giving me a makeover?
Iris shrugged and combed her fingers through the silk. "Not sure. I've always wanted to mess with it. It always looks so soft," she admitted.
"How about this, then?" he said, and put his wine down on the inn table in front of them. "Give me one second." With that, Kayde stood and walked from the room for a minute. Iris waited on him, watching the doorway until he breezed back through it. He walked up to her and handed her a comb. She looked down at it and smiled a rather genuine smile.
They locked eyes. Kayde offered a nod before walking to the middle of the room. Facing the fireplace, he dropped to his knees and ducked his head down. Iris let out a soft laugh before joining him closer to the fireplace.
Tentatively, she began running the comb through the back of his long, black curtain of hair. In the meantime, he remained perfectly still for her. When she found no snarls or tangles she grew a bit more confident, using the comb to part and organize it. Each shock of hair slicked easily through the teeth of the little tool.
Without a word, she started fashioning it into a sort of intricate braid that her mother had taught her how to do when she was alive. Despite her sometimes violent profession, her hands were gentle as they twirled the strands together. The style took a small while, and Iris would intermittently rub his shoulders for a few seconds. His hair cooperated a lot better than hers, due to being stick straight. She was almost jealous.
When she was done, she walked around to his front. With a finger, she lifted his chin so that she might survey her work.
His hair looked very nice pulled away from his face. Somehow, his eyes looked more incandescent than they already did. Iris could see each strand, vivid green and yellow weaving together to turn each eye into a gem.
"It's really a cruel joke," Iris clucked her tongue. "You're prettier than me."
"Now that's nonsense." Kayde stood up quickly. Iris's eyes followed him up. Before she could protest, he grabbed her by the hand and started tugging her away towards the door.
"What are you doing?" Iris finally got out, stunned at the sudden movement.
"You'll see," he said.
He spun her into his washing room as quick as a cat and stood her right in front of the mirror. She tried to turn to face him, but he stopped her. "No, don't look at me, dear girl. Look at yourself."
"I can still see you in the mirror," Iris commented.
"Pretend I'm not there," he instructed. "Right now, it's just you in that mirror."
"Why am I here, Kayde?" Iris raised a brow.
"Because I'm about to show you why you're the most beautiful person in the world," he answered and lifted her chin. "Let's begin. Now let's address this first," he pulled her hair over her shoulders. "Look at those dark curls, how they shine. Those curls you cut all away for your father." He quickly braided her own hair away from her face. "I want you to look at your eyes. You have lovely eyelashes. They bring out the color of your eyes -that color that's as dark and rich as chocolate. They've seen so much horror, and yet they somehow glow with bravery and hope. They're the only eyes in the world that can stand me still."
"Kayde, they're just eyes," Iris playfully snorted, but he shushed her.
"I'm not done," he went on. "And then your skin might as well be made of porcelain, because it's the color of moon-glass and nearly faultless. Except for places like these," he pulled her hand up to show a small scar on the back of her hand. "Which exist because you've saved so many lives." He dropped her hand. "Let's talk about your cheeks."
"Oy," Iris grinned. "Here we go."
He ignored her satire. "What phenomenal cheekbones, first off. But the best part about your cheeks is that they flush a pale pink color when you get really excited. That and," he poked one of her dimples. "I like these. They get prominent when you smile at me. A smile that you use to brighten more days than this world can count," he went on, "which brings us to your lips. They're the color of a dusk rose and entirely soft. Your teeth look like pearls behind them. You use all of it to convey yourself to the world -to change the world."
"Anything else?" Iris asked, hardly able to hide the fact that she was mightily touched by his ridiculousness.
"Well your jaw... what a nice structure. It's thin and heart-shaped. And it's attached to a graciously long neck..." His finger ran up the side of it, and Iris almost visibly shivered at the allusive contact.
"Don't tell me you've actually managed to come up with a nice little backstory for my neck," Iris interrupted with a disbelieving shake of her head.
Kayde grinned. "Not your neck, no. But it's exquisite... and I like it."
She turned around to face him with a bemused twist of her lips. "I get it."
"Ah, but I haven't even gotten to the best part." He turned her back around with a hand.
"I'm scared," Iris teased. "What's the best part?"
"Take a step up to the sconces and blow out both of their flames." Confused, Iris did as told and Kayde shut the door at the same time, leaving them in darkness as black as pitch.
"I can't see anything," Iris stated the obvious.
"Mhm. Now I don't care which direction you turn. What I want you to do, Iris, is shut your eyes and start taking deep breaths. In your nose... out your mouth. Take care to make sure they're a bit faster than your normal breathing. Just think about nothing -I want your mind to be completely quiet, so that you can comprehend what makes you the world's most stunning woman. I want you to do that until I say stop. When I tell you to stop, I want you to hold in your breath for several seconds. Then you'll know."
"This is a joke," Iris muttered. "Is this going to make me see things or something?"
"Just do it."
She huffed once, and then did as told. His instructions had her breathing like a mongrel for a little over a minute.
"Stop," came the instruction.
Iris held her breath. And waited. For the first few seconds, she was looking at the darkness to see if she'd hallucinate or something. And then, after a second, she knew. The rapid breaths had made her heart pound like a drum in her chest. She could feel it in her throat... hear it in her ears. Iris put a hand over it and let out her breath.
"Do you understand?" he quietly asked, referencing the heart in her chest.
Oh, he was good. She simply answered, "Oh, you sly dog."
His answering laugh broke the darkness and he opened the door, letting the light from the hallway pour in.
"You're absolutely mad, do you know that?" she said with a snort. "I love you."
They began walking down the hallway back to the common room. "And I you, dear girl. Maybe you liked the speech." His eyes twinkled. "I like the braid by the way. You did a good job on it."
"Thank you," Iris replied. "And your speech was good. How long did you work on it?"
"It wasn't rehearsed," Kayde said. "It's just how I see you."
He kissed her on the forehead once they got back to the fireplace. "Now, it's getting late," he began and pointed to his left, "There's a master bathroom down that hall. I got some bath oils and scented soap for you while I was shopping for the food. There's dried petals in there for you too if you want rosewater. I'll put out the fireplace and wash up in the other washroom."
"Do I stink?" Iris toyed with him.
"Of course not," Kayde smirked. "Just wanted you to be relaxed while you're here. After you bathe, you can pick which room you wish to sleep in, and I'll take whichever one you don't want. They're all very tidy, I assure you."
"Very well."
----
Iris's bath was the most peaceful one she'd had in a long while. She took extra care to use the petals and oils he'd gotten her. She scrubbed every surface of her skin with precise accuracy, washing away the day's dirt. There wasn't a speck to be seen on her body or consequently, in her hair. She'd made sure of that. When her curls were nice and clean, she piled them into a sort of coiffure atop her head to keep them from hitting the water again.
With a quick look around the room, she sat on the side of the bathtub. She tried to push her sister's 'I told you so' face out of her mind as she began using a shave-blade on her body. Iris sniffed. Whatever. Hench wasn't a saint and neither was she. She might as well be prepared, she continued to tell herself as she used a few drops of scented oil to moisten her skin.
Iris didn't put her guardian attire back on, but rather, nicked Kayde's bath-robe from the hook on the wall and pulled it over her shoulders. She chuckled as she loosely tied it at her waist, plan now fully underway. Iris tried not to look at herself in the mirror before waltzing right out. There was no way she could take herself very seriously otherwise.
The master bedroom was right near the washroom, and thankfully, unoccupied for the time being. Kayde was likely still bathing. Iris shut the door behind her with a bit of a devilish grin. She took a seat at his small writing desk and decided she'd read after a second.
She read for about ten minutes, until there was a knock.
"I'm in here," she answered.
"Are you decent?" Kayde asked from the other side of the door.
"I'm dressed. You can come in," she said.
Kayde walked in and found Iris putting her book down. He started to tread over to her to say goodnight, but didn't make it far. She whirled around in the chair to face him. It took a couple of seconds for him to really register what he was looking at. The robe she wore was cut down the center of her chest, showing bare skin to her navel. Her legs were crossed, the robe falling to the sides of them. Kayde stopped immediately, as if he'd been struck.
"How was your bath?" Iris asked innocently.
Kayde threw his eyes to the ceiling, avoiding her visage as a gentleman should. There was a small chance it might had been an accident. He didn't answer her question. Instead, he directly addressed their circumstances. "Iris, what are you doing?"
Iris let out a loud laugh, unable to help herself. "That's straightforward, isn't it?" Her mouth curved up a corner, and she decided she'd be forthright. That always made for a good time. "You did such a lovely job at describing my face and hair. But there's more of me than that." The joke was playful one.
He let out a stark breath, still not looking at her. "This... I am lost for words," he admitted. "This is a dangerous game."
"Then play."
He sighed, and immediately began explaining himself. "Iris, when I was saying all that stuff earlier about you... I didn't mean to... insinuate anything. This is not what I was after, by any means. I didn't say all those things just to..."
"Oh, sure you didn't," Iris voice was laced with satire. "I'm sure you didn't at all expect this."
Kayde suddenly looked very stressed. "I promise."
"Oh, lighten up, would you?" she laughed out loud and moved towards him. Once she was close enough, she playfully swatted his shoulder. "That was a joke. I know you weren't trying to pressure or force anything. I'm not susceptible to obligation." She fidgeted with his collar. "I'm not doing this for any other reason other than I want to."
Kayde took a breath, but said nothing. The look on his face told Iris he didn't quite know what to say.
"It's up to you," Iris took a step back and raised a brow. "I'm not going to put you at fault for either choice. Whatever my decision, I want you to want me back, or it's no fun at all."
"No!" Kayde spoke up. "No, it's not that I don't..." He sighed, and then couldn't help but laugh and rub his temple. "I'm making a mess, aren't I?"
"And usually you're so smooth, too," Iris teased. "I'll make it easy: what do you want from me?"
His voice went thick. Finally, he answered, "Everything." He wasn't just talking about her body.
Iris's tone went soft. "Then look at me."
He took a breath and finally found her eyes. He saw the small smile that played on her lips. Her eyes flicked down, and he finally took the hint.
He looked her over, head to toe. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't allured by her. Iris was a goddess made real. Smooth skin played over the curves he could see, serving as an invitation to a wicked game. Her hair was pulled away from her slender neck, showing off the soft line of her collarbones and the gentle slopes of her breasts.
When he met her gaze again, his smile went crooked and raised a single, suggestive brow. Suddenly, he was back to being the same Kayde Vorantis she'd known. "You sure?"
"That grin is almost criminal," Iris teased.
"Are you sure?" he asked again, a mite more serious.
"Do I look unsure?" Iris looked down at herself. But Kayde didn't move a single muscle until she confirmed. "Yes, Kayde. I am sure." She took a seat on the edge of his bed. "Now undress."
Kayde leaned over her and nipped at her mouth. With a sly smile, he said, "Earn it."
Those words set the tone for the rest of the night, because Kayde was entirely himself, even as he shared her bed. He was loving, but with that streak of mischief. He was roguish fun, though backed by devotion to her. His eyes sparkled every time he looked at Iris.
With Zayn on that first night after fighting Erodyne, things had been sort of clumsy. Neither of them had known what they were doing, and the grass had been digging into her back. It had hurt like mad too. But Zayn had been very sweet with his romantic words, even if both of them had taken themselves way too seriously. She'd almost expected some of that awkwardness to return tonight.
But it didn't.
Iris had been the first to drop the robe from her shoulders, exposing the full curvature of her torso. The way Kayde had looked at her -so worshipful... so in love with her. Oh, but he also had a look that told her he might eat her alive. If she were telling the truth, she was probably guilty of the same expression. He was gods damn beautiful all over, inside and out. Where she was delicate and curved, he was strong and tanned. He had a great many tattoos inked into his skin. They not only wired up his arm, but one of his legs as well. There was a particular one she liked right under the slant of his hip.
Iris would never forget the way his hand had lightly ran up her spine, racking her body in shivers as he kissed the junction of her shoulder and neck --the same hand that traced the line of her leg all the way up to her neck. Iris would never forget the practiced way his mouth moved against hers -or the more sinful, secret dance of his lips that spoke volumes of practice. She'd never forget every single time those green eyes had met hers, or the way it felt to grab onto his long hair as she'd made love to him.
And then, there was him. He played with her and teased her, sure... but he did his best to be tender and attentive as well, when the moment called for it. Every so often, he'd ask for her input on what she wanted and acted off that. Iris had certainly been comfortable enough to explore her options, which certainly made for a very interesting night. Even more so because she'd entertained his suggestions as well. It was all good fun.
Kayde, over the course of the night, spent most of the time trying to drill everything about her into his memory: the vividness of her eyes as her head tilted backwards, the curve of her mouth as both her lips parted away from the other, the arcs and angles of her body as it moved consequently with his, the depth of the dark hair that ended up whirling storms down her back, the sound of his name when it but was a breath on her lips, and the unrelenting fire and passion present in every aspect of her being.
He loved her. Oh gods, he did. He'd never stop loving her.
And after it was all said and done, it was all he could say. He hoped he didn't drive her mad with how many I love yous he'd uttered at her. Of course, she'd likely given him just as many. Everything about that night had ensured that his life was simply and wholly complete. This... being with her, hearing the love in her words and seeing it written all over her face, was the happiest he'd ever been.
It was when they were near drifting off when she whispered. "Kayde."
His eyes opened. "Yes?" he whispered back.
"You said earlier, before dinner... 'I am yours'," she ran her fingers over his face. "Well, I am yours, too." She smiled. "I just thought I should make sure you knew."
He nodded. "I know." He kissed her one last time before shutting his eyes again for the final time that night.
After a second, her voice whispered again. "Kayde."
He kept his eyes closed, but another smile still wisped to life of his face. "Hm?" he asked.
"Don't tell my sister."
He covered his lips with two fingers, issuing a silent vow to Iris that he would not utter a word. Then, he crossed his heart with a husky laugh. Iris curled into his chest after that, feeling warmer than she'd ever felt in her entire life. Oh, she loved him too. More than any combination of words would ever convey. She knew that with absolute certainty.
And that, as it so happened, was that.
A/N --- The hills are aliveeeee.... with the sound of fanservice! Heh! I got a great many comments on Fearless regarding my lack of detail in certain areas (ya filthy swine). So here you go. I hope you liked it. It was far from X-Rated (because I can't bring myself to do that type stuff *_*)... but I did more with it this go around. Also, UNEDITED because I can't bring myself to reread what I've written right now. Romance is my bane.
Btw: Epic version of the song I had posted up top is now posted here because I decided I liked that version better.