The Infinite Bk. 04 Ch. 03

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"It's dangerous letting that man stay here," said Aithorn, kneeling in the palace before Elisandra.

"If what they say about Valon is true, then Sir Noah and Lady Valia are our best chance of recovering the stolen relics. We cannot accept this loss simply because the solution is a bit risky."

"For all we know, those three could be working together for some scam. They might try to steal even more relics, or worse."

"I trust Lady Valia's desperation to find her brother. She seems genuinely worried about him and ignorant about his goals and location. As for Sir Noah, I'd rather have him as an ally than an enemy. It's clear to me that the princes of Uther are the ones who started the conflict, and though I disagree with his abhorrent methods of revenge, the fact remains that more good will come from welcoming him than alienating him. Moreover, I already know of a way to make his knowledge and skills work for us."

"Very well, Your Majesty. But should he do anything I disagree with, should he become a threat to Sylphtoria, I will end him."

Elisandra sighed. "Your words are colder now than when you left. Leuca, you're miserable living among the humans, I can tell. Why not return home and let someone else handle the duty of aiding Uther?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but... I'm not ready. It still hurts to be here, even if it's just a visitation. I'd rather be miserable in Uther than miserable in Sylphtoria. I can live with annoyance, but not guilt."

"Leuca, you can't simply cancel out one pain with another."

"Regardless, someone needs to fill the role, so why shouldn't it be me? I'm the only one who should suffer."

"No, you shouldn't. You don't deserve to suffer. No matter how much pain you inflict on yourself, it won't change the past."

"Maybe not, but at least suffering keeps me from thinking about it."

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Noah awoke as Valia entered the house, carrying a basket of food.

"Hey, good afternoon," he said tiredly.

"Hi," she said softly.

Noah noticed the look on her face and the puffiness of her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Instead of replying, she casually dropped the basket to the floor and stripped off her clothes. "Move over." She climbed into bed with him, snuggling up close.

"Did something happen out there?"

"I just want to take a nap, too."

Noah decided not to push the issue and put his arm around her. "Well, you got here just in time. I am quite enjoying the feel of that sunbeam."

They spent the afternoon hours snoozing away, enjoying the chance to drop their guard and finally relax without having to sleep with one eye open. They could exhale and let their muscles ease. It was a warm summer day, so they slept without a blanket while the afternoon breeze rolled through their open window and licked their skin.

Held tightly against him, the sweet scent of Valia's hair and its softness against Noah's face was heavenly. He eventually woke up, pulled from his dreams by hunger. Valia was still asleep, and his leg was feeling better, so he carefully climbed over her to get out of bed. But as he took a step forward, she grasped his hand.

"Please, don't go," she murmured, speaking with a soft desperation he had never heard from her before.

"I'm not going anywhere. You went through all the trouble collecting this food, and I want to enjoy it. Besides, I'm sure you must be hungry as well."

He retrieved the basket and returned to bed, and they fed on the forest's bounty. While Noah ate a papaya, Valia munched on a peach the size of a grapefruit. As a drop of juice rolled down her chin, he leaned over and licked it like a dog.

"What was that for?" she asked with a laugh.

"I knew it would make you smile."

Valia paused. "Thank you. You were right to do it."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm... I'm ok. It's just... it's hard being here. I'm in a city full of elves, but the only one I want to see is somewhere on the other side of the horizon. When I was in Colbrand, I'd keep telling myself that Valon would soon come back. I'd fall asleep every night, expecting he'd be back in the morning. I'd wake up every morning and eat breakfast, expecting him to be back in time for lunch. I'd eat lunch thinking he was just late and would make it for dinner. The only way I could live was in a state of constant hope and denial. If I kept telling myself that he was on his way home, then that meant he was at least close by. I could believe he wanted to return.

Now that I'm traveling and have to work and fight to find him, it feels like he's farther away than ever. Where did he go? Why did he leave? What could be so terrible or vital that he wouldn't let me come with him? Every time I'm alone, part of me wonders if that's how it'll be from now on, if I'll ever find Valon. It feels like wherever I go, there is this cold, drafty space next to me, and I know it's where Valon is supposed to be standing. I've fought in countless battles and numerous wars, but no matter how bleak and bloody it got, I knew I had Valon with me."

"I understand. You're used to being one in a pair, half of a whole. He's been by your side since you both were in the womb. It's natural to feel lost without him, to feel fear, pain, confusion, and desperation. You don't have to hide them from me. But even if he's gone, I'm with you, and I'll follow you to the ends of the earth to bring him back."

"But are you doing that for me, or for yourself?"

"Why do you think it has to be one or the other? I'm doing it for all three of us."

"Because whatever we do, no matter how many reasons we have, there is always one in particular that supersedes the others."

"Let's not meander around this. What's really bothering you?"

"I want to specify our agreement."

"In what way?"

"If you want to search for other ways to break your curse while we travel, that's fine, but you're not allowed to die without my permission, and not until we've fixed Valon."

"Valia..."

"Promise me!" she exclaimed. "Even if you break your curse, promise me that you'll stay by my side! Promise me that you won't leave me behind and disappear when I need you most! Promise me that you'll--" She couldn't finish the sentence, pausing to steady her breathing while tears hung from her lashes. "I'm sorry."

To Noah, Valia was always a calm, mature person, and though she once confessed that teaching bored her, she had an innate talent and deep care for those under her wing. In Uther, she had worn that façade in front of everyone, pretending to function without her brother beside her, while living purely on hope and denial. Now, her true feelings were pouring freely. Despite her strength in battle and centuries of life experience, there was still a vulnerable side to her that no sword or shield could protect.

"I promise," Noah replied. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, letting her cry into his chest. "I promise I won't leave you."

They stayed like that for a spell, Noah comforting Valia as all her fears and anxieties rolled down her cheeks. Then, when she had finally calmed down, Noah made a pot of tea, and they sat quietly in bed, enjoying the steaming brew and gazing out the window.

"How is your leg?" Valia asked once her mug was empty.

"It's good as new. I'm not even sore."

"Perfect." She straddled his lap, gazing into his eyes with her own filled with desperate need. "Make love to me, Noah. Give me everything, all the strength and passion in your body. Make me moan your name until I can't even remember my own."

"I still haven't repaired my sound-blocking device."

"I don't care. Let everyone out there hear how happy you make me. I want them to look at you the same way I do."

Noah obliged and kissed her deeply, their joined lips and tongues swirling as if trying to fuse together. He laid her down, his strong hands caressing her soft flesh with each movement of his fingertips making her gasp. Noah kissed and nibbled on every erogenous nerve the way he did her ears, with Valia euphorically bearing the marks of his love bites.

He massaged her breasts with masterful skill, teasing her nipples to push her over the edge where sanity melted away and carnality took over. Noah's expert technique, and the continuous switching between gentle and forceful, made her climax as though she was on a hair trigger.

When Noah went down on her and his tongue swirled around within her depths, Valia moaned without hindrance, as though her back arching allowed her to project her sexual bliss better. He sampled her aroused nectar as though it poured from the Fountain of Youth. He'd lift her hips off the bed and eat her out ravenously, and she'd push him onto his back and sit on his face, the two doing everything that would let him dominate her pussy with his tongue.

She was ready for him, and Noah took her without mercy. The speed and ferocity of his driving manhood erased everything from her mind but the moment before her. When Noah was on top, Valia would hold him tightly, afraid to let him out of her loving embrace, while digging her nails into his back with every climax. When she was on top, she'd drop down on Noah as hard and fast as she could, trying to help him achieve a deep penetration she wasn't sure even existed. When he ravaged her from behind, she'd throw herself against his cock with such force that she threatened to push Noah off the bed.

Noah fucked her against every wall, atop every piece of furniture, and in every position that would bring her joy. The summer heat and his exertion made him sweat, and Valia licked every drop that rolled down his neck and chest as though she was dying of thirst. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt such sexual compatibility with someone. The force she hungered for was almost more than he could provide. Neither of them knew how many times they brought each other to climax, but Valia's moans of ecstasy were rare to break.

Her voice echoed outside their home and through the city, reaching the pointed ears of countless elves and making their white cheeks turn red. Word of a human's presence had spread, so it was clear what the source of all the noise was. Noah's reputation was born in Clive, cultivated in Colbrand, and had followed him to Sylphtoria. It went on like that until the sun went down, and suffice to say, the Nadoku's evening prayers felt rather underwhelming after what everyone had heard.

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