The Hunter's Companions Ch. 08

"Come over here." Belcarm said, motioning to her eagerly. She followed him to the centre of the sparse tower room and pointed up.

Above them was a dazzling splattering of stars, twinkling like diamonds in the night sky. Livinia's mouth dropped open as she spun around, looking around her at the fantastic view. Normally you could only see this many stars in the wild. Seeing something like this from within the walls of Silvermoon City rendered her speechless.

"The other side of Silvermoon has too much light. You can't see the stars when there are so many lights around you. Here we're away from all of that. Beautiful, isn't it?" Belcarm asked, Livinia nodded mutely and continued to look at the heavens in awe.

He was right- Livinia had never seen anything as beautiful as this so close to such a populated area. Not being able to see the stars was something she had always hated about Silvermoon City, and now Belcarm had shown her that she had been wrong. The stars were always there of course, but she had lost them under the haze of light and life that she had always associated with her home town.

There was a soft thump as Belcarm dropped his pack on the floor beside the broken orb. He crouched down and rifled through it, pulling out two thick blankets. He laid one on the floor and then sat down, patting the space next to him.

"Come sit, you hungry? I'm starving!" He said. Livinia nodded and sat down beside him on the blanket, her stomach rumbling slightly. After the walk and the climb she could certainly use something to eat and drink.

Belcarm pulled out several cloth-wrapped parcels and two full water-skins. He took great care to place them on the floor gently in front of them. He offered one of the water-skins to Livinia and she took it gladly. When she took a sip she sighed with delight- goldenbark apple juice! She hadn't had any of this for a long time and had missed it severely. It was very difficult to find outside of Silvermoon City, and when it was possible to get some it came at an outrageous price. The sharp tang of the goldenbark apple brought memories of long summer days as a child flooding to her mind. Livinia closed her eyes and took another sip, letting the flavor and memories wash over her. When she opened her eyes again she saw Belcarm looking back at her with a soft smile playing at his lips.

"Goldenbark apple juice!" Livinia said with a grin, holding up the water-skin "My fa-" "Favourite?" Belcarm asked, cutting her off. "I remember." He told her.

Slowly, Belcarm unwrapped the parcels of food. The layers of cloth came off one by one to reveal package after package of Livinia's favorite sweets and baked goods. When he was finished he smiled back up at her.

"I decided to get as many of your favourite foods as possible, to eat at my favourite place." He said, picking up a cinnamon scroll and tearing it in half. He gave a piece to her and took a bite out of his own.

"What is this place?" Livinia asked, looking around, and up, again.

"This is the old Tower Observatory." Belcarm said "When it was in full use the High Elves would use that orb there to make close observations of the stars and the sky." Livinia looked at the orb again, more curiously this time, now wondering how it worked.

"How did you find out about it?" Livinia asked, "It was destroyed when we were barely able to crawl."

"My father used to bring my mother here before they had me." He said with a faint smile. "It was their favourite place to spend time together."

Livinia's heart warmed as she watched him speak. She felt as though she had been given a precious gift in that small amount of information. He had shared that with her, just as he was now sharing a place that meant a lot to him.

"It's beautiful." Livinia said, looking up again and sighing at the sight of so many stars twinkling above her. "I wish I knew more about the stars." She told him longingly "I wanted to do astronomy when I was younger, but my mother said it was useless. She said that there was no point looking at stars in the sky when there were more important things to learn about."

"Really?" Belcarm asked, eyebrows raised as he finished of his half of the cinnamon scroll. "The stories that different cultures come up with to explain the shapes of the stars reflect so much about their history and values! It may not tell you what their currency is called, or how they like to prepare their meals, but it provides an amazing insight into their culture!"

"I agree with you." Livinia said with a shrug, "But my mother would have none of it. Instead I got stuck reading tomes about economics and foreign policy."

"I'll tell you what." Belcarm said, handing her some dry pork ribs. "When we are finished eating I'll tell you everything I know about the stars."

Half an hour later Livinia and Belcarm were well fed and sitting on opposite sides of the large orb. Belcarm had spread one blanket over himself and the other over Livinia before reaching into his pack and pulling out another cloth-wrapped package. This time, instead of food, he pulled out a large shard of crystal. "What's that for?" Liv asked, but Belcarm didn't bother answering her. Instead, he carefully slipped the shard into the orb and put both hands on it. After a few moments of him concentrating the orb changed from a crystal ball into a sphere of complete and utter darkness. The room around them seemed to dim until it was pitch black and Livinia held her breath.

"Because the globe was destroyed they never bothered to take it with them when they salvaged items from the city. My father found this shard when he was on a mission and decided to keep it. He still comes up here every now and again." Belcarm said, voice soft in the darkness. Livinia frowned and was filled with sympathy for Aegon. "Watch this!" Belcarm said suddenly, the excitement in his voice completely unexpected in the darkness.

The next moment a billion tiny lights exploded from the globe and flew skywards, only stopping when they came into contact with the glass dome and blocked out everything beyond it. Livinia looked up, amazed, as she realised that the lights had recreated the night sky inside of the dome.

"Wow!" Livinia cried, getting to her feet.

"You think that's cool?" Belcarm asked, "Watch this!" Livinia looked down in the faint artificial starlight to see Belcarm place his hand on one side of the orb. When Livinia looked back up the lights had rearranged themselves and grown, changing from an entire view of the sky to a smaller subsection. "See, using this you can look at specific constellations!"

The excitement in Belcarm's voice was catching. Livinia carefully skirted around the orb and sat down beside him.

"So Mr. Sharpsword," She said softly "what is your favourite constellation?"

"I have a few actually... but that one there is pretty cool." He reached for her hand and clasped it and then used his free hand to point to the constellation he had zeroed in on. "See there? Nozdormu, The Lord of Time-"

"One of the dragon aspects." Livinia said.

"That's right. Can you see that really bright star up there that is surrounded by group of stars in an oval pattern? That bright star in the middle is his heart. If you follow it down this way you see his tail, and if you go up that way you can see the two points of his horn there and there." Livinia followed his hand and laughed when she saw the shape.

"That is awesome!" She said, squinting a little so that the shape of the stars formed a better picture.

"All of the cultures native to Azeroth have named that constellation in honor of something to do with time. It was the Night Elves who first names it Nozdormu, but the Orcs call it Oshu'gun after Mountain of Spirits."

"They believe that the Mountain of Spirits holds all of the spirits of their ancestors, and has and will for all eternity." Livinia supplied.

"That's right." Belcarm leant forward and tapped the globe once more. The lights that made up Nozdormu shrunk again and new stars were added to the mix until it once again resembled the full night sky. Once it was settled Belcarm placed his hand over a new part of the orb. "This one here," He said with a grin, "is you!"

"What?" Livinia asked, sitting up and looking at the new set of stars critically.

"The Huntress of the Sun!" He said "Those three bright stars there are her belt, the super bright one up there is her armpit, and see that slightly curved row? That's her bow!" Livinia laughed when the pattern finally made sense.

"That comes from a myth or something, doesn't it?" Livinia asked curiously.

"Yeah- the Huntress of the Sun is famed to have shot an arrow directly into the sun. When the arrow hit it splintered off part of the sun and it showered the earth with it's magic, which she then used to destroy an army of Fel demons and saved her home town."Belcarm explained.

Belcarm shifted the globe another two times and showed her two new constellations, explaining their meanings and history. The enthusiasm in his voice made her smile. If she'd known of his love for the stars she would have asked him to tell her about it earlier, even if it was only hear that wonderful tone of pure excitement.

"Even though I like the others," Belcarm said, shifting the stars again "At the moment I think that this is my favorite."

"What is it?" Livinia asked, trying to discern a shape in the stars.

"This one comes from an ancient human legend. In ages long past there was a young man and a young woman who grew up as childhood friends, then fell in love with each other. However, the Gods had already written their destiny and they had written them apart.

"The Gods were not to be denied though, so the young man and young woman spent years trying to deny their fates, trying in vain to reunite with each other once more. One God took pity on them, and secretly rewrote their destinies.

"However, before they could come together, another God found out and got angry and tore their pages from the book of life. When the other Gods found out what had happened they found the couple's pages and cast them into the heaven, sending their spirits into the skies and turning them into stars so they could have one final, everlasting embrace."

When he finished his tale Livinia sighed. She had never really enjoyed soppy romance tales, but the sweetness of the story could not be denied. Belcarms grip tightened around hers and he shifted so that he was sitting and facing her directly.

"Can show me their outlines?" Livinia asked, pointing to the beautiful spray of stars above their heads.

"Of course dolah'surfal." Belcarm whispered, leaning forward slowly.

Livinia's breath caught in her throat as Belcarm's lips brushed hers so softly that they were barely there. She heard the whisper of fabric as he shifted around, and then his lips were on hers again, more firmly this time. He wrapped one arm around her, his hand covering the back of her head and he leant against her, slowly pressing her towards the ground. When her back was flush with the floor he shifted so that he was settled between her legs. When he was comfortable he favoured her with a tender kiss, his tongue running gently along the crevice between her lips. Belcarm reached down with his free hand and ran it down her leg until he reached her knee, then he lifted her leg and placed it around his waist. Livinia didn't need any help to get the second leg around him. When she was in position she could fell the length of his erection pressed against her core and she moaned.

"This," Belcarm whispered, his lips brushing her earlobe "is how The Lovers are, for all eternity." He pressed himself against her and Livinia whimpered.

Belcarm nipped her earlobe playfully before trailing soft hot kisses down her neck. When he reached her shoulders he pulled away from her and traced the outline of her face with his fingers, looking deep into her eyes. The intensity in his eyes made Livinia's cheeks colour pink and her heart beat a little faster.

"I love you." Belcarm's voice was clear and firm, his words slipped through her mind and straight down to her heart, making her entire body weak with emotion.

"I love you too." She replied, the words were automatic, as soon as they left her lips she knew the truth of them. But as she said them she couldn't help but think of how she wanted to say the same thing to Kalendras. Belcarm laughed softly and stroked her cheek.

"You're not meant to frown when you say that." He told her softly and Livinia's mouth popped open in surprise. She hadn't known she'd been frowning, but she shouldn't have been shocked that her confusion had shown on her face in that unguarded moment.

"It's just that-"She begun, but he cut her off with a soft kiss.

"Don't." Belcarm said when he pulled away "You need time, I get it... I can wait an eternity if you need me to."

Belcarm kissed her again, this time more passionately. One of his hands drifted down her thigh, sliding slowly under the fabric of her skirt. As he kissed her he inched her dress further and further up her leg, pressing himself against her as he went. When his fingers came to rest against her hip bone she moaned into his mouth and automatically raised her hips against him.

Suddenly, the knowledge that she loved both Kalendras and Belcarm hit her hard. She broke the kiss and put a hand against Belcarm's chest.

"Bel, no, I can't." Her body protesting against every syllable.

"What?" Belcarm asked, pulling away from her, his chest heaving and eyes wild with desire.

"It isn't fair to do this. It's not fair on you, or me... or Kal." At the mention of Kalendras's name the desire died in Belcarm's eyes and he quickly rolled off her.

Livinia sat up and spread her skirt over her knees, then ran her fingers through her tousled hair. When she looked back over at Belcarm he was still lying on his back, his fingers raking through his hair in frustration.

"Bel, please-"

"No, I get it. You said you needed some time." He said, trying hard but failing to keep the anger from his tone.

"It's just that-"

"You're right. It isn't fair." Belcarm said, sitting up beside her.

"Please don't be ang-"

"I'm not angry." Belcarm said quickly, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "Not really... just- frustrated?" He said. He reached out and stroked her cheek softly. "You told me you needed time, I clearly didn't listen."

"I'm sorry Bel, I really am." Livinia said, cupping his hand with her own and leaning against it, savouring the feeling of his skin against hers.

"Should we head home?" Belcarm asked. Without waiting for a reply he got to his feet and pulled the shard out of the dome. Suddenly, the room around them returned and they were no longer among the stars. The dull light in the ruined building suddenly seemed cold and foreboding, and all of the magic fled from the night.

It was well past midnight by the time that Belcarm and Livinia stood before the Shepard's Gate of Silvermoon City. They had spent the entire walk in silence. Livinia hadn't known what to say- she loved him, she knew that as surely as she knew her on name, but the loved Kalendras as well. Until she made a decision about who she wanted to be with, she didn't feel right using Belcarm to relieve her sexual tension. Belcarm himself seemed quite tightly strung as they made their way back to the city, but Livinia could understand why and didn't bother trying to placate him- there was only one thing that she could say to make him feel better, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to say it so she kept her lips firmly shut.

"Do you want me to walk you to your door?" Belcarm asked, as they came to a halt outside of the gate.

"No, I'll be fine." Livinia said "You have a long trip, and if you walk me home you'll be lucky to get to bed before sunrise."

"I was thinking of heading to the Bazaar in the morning for the Sun Markets. Do you want to come with me? We can go to the exhibition when we finish up there."

"Sure. Where shall I meet you?"

"At the fountain again? By the mid-morning bell?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay... See you in the morning." He turned to leave, then stopped and turned back. "Liv?"

"Yes?"

"I meant what I said earlier."His eyes were filled with a storm of emotion and Livinia had to restrain herself from wrapping her arms around him. "I love you... And I am willing to wait for you, however long it takes."

~*~

The following morning Livinia made her way to the Bazaar with the events of the previous night still reeling through her mind. With a little bit of sleep, and in the bright light of a new day, what had happened didn't seem quite as bad as it did when she first stumbled into her bed. Even so, she couldn't stop the myriad of thoughts racing through her head as she tried to figure out what on Azeroth it was that she wanted.

Before heading out that morning her parents had interrogated her about her whereabouts. Well, her mother had interrogated her and her father had sat silently and watched. Even at her age, and after years of being independent, whenever she returned to Silvermoon City her mother insisted on treating her like a child. Livinia had told her mother that she had caught up with some old friends, and got stuck talking to them. She was tempted to tell her about Belcarm, if only she would stop her incessant match-making schemes, but then decided better of it. She would wait until she had made her decision to tell her mother anything- because if things didn't work out she would be on the receiving end of a severe inquisition.

Livinia didn't have to wait for long in front of the fountain before Belcarm appeared. As soon as she layed eyes on him the breath was knocked out of her and every fiber of her being tensed in despair. With the mid-morning sun beating down on him and the wind flirting with his hair, he easily had to be the most handsome male she had ever seen. He was wearing a new-looking pair of black leather boots with intricate patterns pressed into them. His breeches were made of fine low sheen silk and his tunic was deep blood red. His tunic fit him perfectly, as did most of his clothes, and clung to his body in a way that made Livinia's inside squirm with need. As he got closer she could see the masterwork embroidery on his tunic, all done in a metallic red thread that subtly caught the sun rays as he walked.

Livinia had known Belcarm for five years. She had always known how handsome he was but had never really paid it much mind because of her interest in Kalendras and her conviction that Belcarm wasn't interested in relationships with anything other than his reflection. Seeing him like this, in all his finery, really made her realize how blind she had been. When she thought about his intimate words the night before her heart quickened and momentarily forgot the reason that she had stopped their coupling. Even though she knew she had done the right thing her body now hated her for it. '

"Good morning dolah'surfal." He said with a soft smile. Livinia bit her tongue and had to make a conscious effort to remain standing whilst her knees went weak.

"Morning Bel." Livinia responded. He brought one hand up to caress her cheek and then leant down and planted a soft chaste kiss on her lips.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

"Yes thanks... You?" Livinia replied.

"Very well."

They had both lied, and they both knew it. Livinia could tell from the faint circles under his eyes that he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, and she had no doubt that he could see the same thing on her face. Livinia had spent the whole night tossing and turning, swapping rapidly between emotions that were completely counter-productive to her sleep effort. Lust, regret, concern, anxiety... Looking into Belcarm's emerald green eyes she could tell that he had felt the same.