Freedom of Flight Ch. 06

His blue eyes sparkled in amusement, his lips captured hers again. She moaned as he pressed her against a wall, his tongue duelled with hers. The fingers of one of her hands burrowed into his dark hair while the other stroked his jaw. He slid a hand under her to hold her up though it seemed effortless; her thighs gripped his hips. His free hand stroked her thigh and hip.

She broke the kiss and panted, "Tarval, I have to go get dressed."

He smiled while transferring his hand from her hip to her face, brushing it gently. "I know, but I just want to spend time with you. I want so many things."

She shivered; fear and desire warred in her. "Slowly." She told him.

He nodded, he knew. He gently let her slide down his body. He also knew he had to tell her how much she meant to him. Before he released her, he leant down to whisper in her ear, "I love you." He kissed her temple and let her go, knowing his admission might frighten her. He smiled when she lingered and he noticed that she wasn't surprised by his admission. That seemed like a good... noexcellentsign.

He rested a hand on the small of her back and they walked off together. He escorted her to her room then turned to go to his own.

"Tarval..." She began, clearly deciding that she had to respond to his confession.

He turned and pressed a finger to her lips. "Think about it, Alanna. No need to rush things. I just wanted you to know that I love you and that I will never hurt you for if I did, it would be as if I am hurting myself." He turned and left quickly, leaving her no chance to respond.

Jewel opened the door and pulled Alanna in. "You have a good man there." She said having heard their conversation as she had been waiting near the door for Alanna to return.

"I know." She said as she stripped then quickly pulled on the mail pants looping the suspenders over her shoulders before pulling the drawstring tight. She then held her hands out to slide into the mail shirt.

"You were going to tell him weren't you?" Jewel asked as she pulled the mail shirt on over Alanna's head.

Alanna didn't need to ask what Jewel was talking about; she knew Alanna was going to say those three special words to him. "Yes." Alanna pulled her hair out of the shirt as Jewel quickly tied the strings. Alanna quickly preformed the movements to ensure freedom. Jewel quickly grabbed the back plate; Alanna held it in place as she grabbed the breastplate and hooked it together. "It's going a lot quicker then the last time."

"You know what to do this time and I am a lot more confident with your armour." Jewel answered. Alanna sat on the stool as Jewel grabbed the shoulder guards and clipped them on. Alanna slid on her wrist guards. Jewel quickly tightened the guards after she tucked the mail in. Alanna jammed her feet into her boots; Jewel tied them quickly then grabbed her sashes and tied them around her waist. Alanna grabbed the sword she had been given for her birthday, clipped it onto the belt Jewel and Travis had gotten her and the dagger Dominic had found and buckled it on.

She had been surprised when Michelle handed her the box that contained the sword Gabrielle had made. When she opened it, she was stunned to see the sword with the howling wolf, the one that made her tingle when she touched it. She had been so surprised that she nearly forgot to thank Michelle for her gift before racing to show the sword to her mother.

Jewel quickly polished the metal to remove her fingerprints.

"Done." Jewel stepped back to check her over.

Alanna went to get up but Jewel pressed her hands against her shoulders to keep her seated. "I know only a little of your story Alanna, but here is a little of mine. Before I became affiliated with Dominic's house I was a travelling merchant with my family, a nomad with no affiliation. I was thirteen when my parents' caravan was attacked and they were killed on their way to this Keep. I was taken and I was gang-raped for several days." Jewel hesitated for a moment. "Dominic and his men rescued me but I was a broken woman; they held fears for me. All but one."

"Travis." Alanna slid in.

Jewel nodded with a small smile for the man she loved. "Anyway, this was when Bianca still lived with us. He went to her and begged her to help me. Bianca explained she had no experience dealing with abused women but she would try. Slowly, I got better with Travis always there protecting me. He waited years, wanting me to be okay before he confessed his feelings. Eventually I got fed up with waiting and went to him in the middle of the night."

She walked around Alanna and saw a knot in the plait she had put in last night. She sighed and quickly got to work on the plait. "I know our stories aren't the same but Tarval would hack his own heart out before hurting you. Do not fear him or his love because he will wait eternity just to spend one moment with you." In a few deft tugs, the plait was fixed and the thong back in place.

Alanna glanced up instinctively and frowned, "How long have you been there?" She asked her mother as Jewel buffed her fingerprints from the shoulder guards.

"Long enough." Amy sat on the bed, looking like a warrior queen all dressed and ready to kill. She was dressed almost exactly the same as her daughter except her plates were trimmed with gold, her collar ran down her breast plate between the rise where her breasts were outlined and her hair was left loose to brush her shoulders and frame her delicate face. "Dominic said I could borrow Brianna's sword but he said you have it so I came to get it but I didn't want to interrupt."

Jewel went to the weapon rack, picked up Bianca's sword, and walked it over to Amy. She stood and put the sword on completing her outfit.

"Let's go." Amy said as she walked out the door.

Jewel frowned wondering why Amy was saying nothing about what she had said to Alanna, as it was technically not her place to give advice to her daughter. Alanna caught and read that look correctly as she came to stand next her, "Ma's, just like that. Besides, she wants to see me settle down and doesn't mind when others try to help aid her cause. To be happy and to find the one who can make me happy."

Jewel smiled as she watched Alanna about to leave, "Perhaps you've already found him... hmmm?" She commented as she went to follow Alanna out.

Alanna paused for a moment before she blushed and smiled. "I think you're right." She said as Jewel and her started to part ways.

~*~*~*~*~

Foot Note: as mentioned above before the story, I would like to point out a word that comes up in the story, the first time it comes up I've put an * next to it to make it stand out. The word is torque (second definition,) pronounced as tawk or torc and is a decorative metal collar or armband worn by the ancient Gauls and Britons.