Private Tales Healing of the Heart

[Cillian]

At that question, Cillian only smiled. It was a coy, smug little smile the type of which men gave a woman when they thought they had a secret that was irresistible and they would enjoy teasing them with making them guess. But, Sierra had been through enough and whilst he enjoyed playing with her as was in his fae nature, revealing this straight away was as pleasurable as making her guess. Slowly he leaned forward and brought up his other hand to cup her cheek then trail down the smooth, soft curve of her neck to her collarbone and the opening of her shirt. With his little finger he unhooked the small chain about her neck upon which hung the penny he had given her what seemed like a year ago.

"You made a wish," he said simply as though it were the simplest answer in the world.

He stayed there, within her space, for a few long moments memorising every single line of her face and the way the light played with the colour of her eyes. Then he sat back and opened the wine.

"Duchess," he passed her a glass then filled his own.

 

[Sierra]

Her mouth went dry and she had a sudden urge to lick her lips. Even when he was serious there seemed to be a playful glint in his golden eyes. Eyes that seemed to be so many shades fo the amber color that she'd missed. That electric current went through her again as those clever fingers of his trailed down her neck.

Eyes snapped down to his damned pinky-fingers and back up again as he retreated for the wine.

"Duchess," she huffed. She took the glass and swirled the contents of the cup. "And I absolutely did not. I never said I wish...," her voice trailed off. She remembered the cost of a wish and though in her case, she hadn't lost an important memory when she'd first met Cillian.

At least that she knew of.

She'd felt leery of wishing for anything again. Because she liked to be in control. And wishing was far outside anything she could control.

She took a sip of the wine, savoring it, wetting her lips with it. "Maybe, you made the wish." She had no idea if that was even possible. If a leprechaun could grant their own wish. She knew Djunns couldn't.

And even though she still looked like she had a lot of healing to go through. A lot more sleep to eventually catch up on. More weight to gain. And forgiveness to offer herself, she had a small, playful twinkle in her eyes that matched Cilli's.

And gods, she couldn't stop her gaze drifting to his own mouth, suddenly remembering their parting kiss.

 

[Cillian]

Cillian leaned back onto one elbow and sipped at his own glass of fine wine as he listened. Amongst the wildflowers and with the tree over their head he looked plucked from a fantastical painting, the type that hung in palaces or libraries of a dashing prince from the fairytales. He had a thoughtful expression on his face though as he mused over what had managed to bring her to his glen.

"Well, sayin' I wish is definitely an important par' o' a wish, but... sometimes..." he scratched at his beard as he thought how best to explain. It didn't help that he didn't fully understand this type of magic either; it was older than his own father. "When two people are wishin' o' tae same thing... or thinkin' of it," he corrected before she could bite his head off about making wishes again. "An' there's magic around," he motioned to the penny she wore and then his own. "Sometimes... yer don' need teh say I wish."

 

[Sierra]

Auburn-brows lofted and she took one more sip of her wine before carefully placing the cup down. She leaned forward slowly, hovering over the half-prone form of Cillian. Him and his damned-clean shirt. The way the waning sun was hitting his tresses. Those crack of white teeth against tan-skin.

"Is that so?"

She braced a hand that had held a short sword and longbow most of her life next to him on the blanket as she looked down at him. Her other hand lifted and gently brushed some of his unruly hair away from his bearded face.

"Do you think we're thinking the same thing now?" The playful glint never left her steady-gray eyes. Even though a small part of her wondered what the hell she was doing?! She was so out of practice when it came to...men.

 

[Cillian]

Cillian's grin froze when she moved to hover over him. Her slight curves did nothing to block out the sun setting behind her. Instead the rays bathed her in a myriad of deep pinks, reds and oranges that gave her skin a new sense of life. Or maybe that was just a flush from the wine. He swallowed when she brushed the hair back from his face and his eyes danced between hers, searching for her hidden intentions.

"Well..." he cleared his throat, his own cheeks tinting pink as he set his wine down. He ran his then free hand down her side to rest over her hip and tug her closer. "I hope so," his voice had turned rough and his eyes dropped to her lips. His hand continued its meandering wander down her body to the curve of her backside at the same moment he leaned up to claim her lips in a kiss.

 

[Sierra]

He tasted how she remembered. A bit smokie with a hint of spice. And she could taste a bit of wine glazing his lips. Just like she knew it glazed her own. And then all rational thought left her mind as she deepened the kiss. As his hand found her rump.

Her own hand tugged him closer. Her other hand slipping beneath the fabric of his shirt trying to tug it up and over his broad shoulders. Even though that meant she had to come up for air. Break away from the feeling of his mouth on her own. How his beard felt like a light sandpaper on her skin.

If he allowed the shirt to leave his body, she'd fling it away, not caring that it fell on top of the cheese board. She'd wait a moment to get lost in his gaze, then ease back toward him to capture his mouth again, coming to sit in his lap, or to sprawl on top of him.

Propriety be damned. Life was too short.

 

[Cillian]

Cillian couldn't lie, and if he could he would be hard pressed to lie about the fact he had dreamed of this moment in the weeks Sierra had been gone. His hands explored every curve of her supple body as hers hungrily grabbed at his shirt, pausing only so she could tug it off him, before returning to his own duties. His hands slid under her shirt, splayed across the smooth expanse of her back and then up her sides and over the soft under garments she wore. He didn't need to be an empath to feel her desire. The crush of her lips and the quickness of her breath, the flush of her skin, it told him enough but he needed to hear it.

Slowly breaking apart he looked up at her, one hand coming to cup her cheek and smooth the hair back from her face.

"Are you sure?"

 

[Sierra]

"Yes," she breathed without hesitation. A voice used to commanding battles. One of authority.

Gods yes.

To prove her point, her fingers fell to the hem of her tunic and slowly drew it up until she tugged it free and over her head, tossing it aside. Then, a bit more carefully, the dagger at her belt. Boots were kicked off. Other articles of clothing. She'd steal kisses between as her fingers fumbled to release anything else that stood between his skin touching her own. The heat of his body against her own.

And slightly apologetically, she went to carefully unarm herself with the other weapons she usually kept hidden upon her person. There were quite a few knives.

Out of habit.

 

[Cillian]

Well, Cillian had never been a man to deny a woman her wish.

With her desires laid bare the leprechaun made quick work of ensuring everything else was too. It was there, underneath the budding tree of early spring, next to the quiet gush and bubble of the meandering, lazy stream, that Cillian made all those dreams that came to him in the darkest of night come true to the light of a setting sun. It was everything he had desired, hoped for, and more to be with Sierra in this way. He wanted her to feel the passion and desire he had tried to keep tempered around her before but he also wanted her to feel that those emotions ran deeper than a base, cardinal need.

When they were finished it was night. The stars had had no shame in coming out to watch the two lovers and the twinkled over their heads as they lay on their backs to catch their breath. He lazily toyed with a lock of her hair.

"I missed you, Duchess."

 

[Sierra]

She was bare to the world. To him. Nestled against his side. She stared up at the stars but the man burning brightly next to her had her fullest attention.

"Duchess," she sighed a smile tugging up one corner of her mouth as the back of her hand lightly tapped against Cillian's chest. "I suppose I'm stuck with that now?" A rhetorical question that held no bite to it. Gray-eyes shifted from the dark sky to the house, knowing Rose would be up soon. It was hard to make herself move away from him. To get up.

And she never did this. Even the time before Hal disappeared, when they were together. Everything had to be done in secret. So careful. So quiet. Their lives had depended on it. But like this? In the open night sky. With Cillian.

It was a dream. One she didn't want to wake up from. "I missed you, too," she finally admitted quietly. She held quiet fears about that admittance. Wondering if admitting it would make her lose him like she'd lost Hal.

"I should check on Rose," turning onto her side and into him, she pressed a kiss against his lips and would begin tugging back on her weapons and clothing.

 

[Cillian]

"Mm-hm," he rumbled in agreement. Duchess was here to stay. What had started off as a gentle tease at the noble way in which she had carried herself was now something deeper and more meaningful. He pressed a kiss to her hair in utter contentment.

Cillian had not felt such contentment in... centuries. He'd been with women over the years but they had been fleeting things in the grand scheme of his life. Gone in a blink. That was the beauty and the hardship of being in their spheres, and the pain at their passing hurt every time. So he had kept his dalliances with them brief. Cordial. He could admire them without getting too close to get burnt. He didn't feel like he had that option with Sierra. Not how he felt...

"She's fine," he murmured though he didn't stop her from going, would never stop when the view was that good when she turned away. His lips kicked into that wicked grin and he prowled after her, tugging her back against his chest and dotting kisses along his neck. "I have enchantments around her room, if she left I would know."

 

[Sierra]

"You're incorrigible," she said with a smile hidden in the dark. But she didn't shove him away or step away. She leaned against him, what little she'd been able to gather slipping back to the ground at her feet. Her fingers wound their way across his skin and muscles. Even as her gaze flickered to the window of Rose's room.

No lights on yet.

Rose had a big day and this was proving to be a nap to match.

"Enchantments around her room? Hmm," voice hummed in her chest. "That's very responsible for the vagabond I met on the road." Smile widened in the dark as she'd slowly turn in his arms, her fingers raising to brush his hair over his broad-shoulders. His golden eyes seemed more luminous and they only drew her in.

Why did she feel like she'd never get tired of looking into those eyes?

 

[Cillian]

Cillian chuckled and gently tugged her back down to the blankets where he held her in the strong circle of his arms.

"Contrary teh popular opinion, I am in fact, very responsible," he murmured and grazed his lips across her jaw to the shell of her ear. She was like a drug. Her scent, the touch of her skin, the taste of her. He simply didn't want to lose her just yet, even if it was for a few minutes whilst she wandered up to the house and back. Inside was responsibility, difficult conversations about her past. Out here under the stars it was just about them.

His fingers crushed a strand of hair back behind her ear.

"When was teh last time yer took time for yerself?"

 

[Sierra]

She didn't fight him. And she couldn't stop the contented sigh as his arms wrapped around her. She couldn't explain it. Maybe it was a deeper connection to emotions that she had as an empath but she felt as though they just...fit together. On paper? She'd never be able to call it. That she and Cillian would be able to work like they were.

At least in this moment.

Her fingers caressed his beard, thumb skimming his lips.

She had to stop her eyes from rolling at his question, even though her relaxed expression never wavered on her face. "I'm a high ranking Dreadlord, mother, lead an Underground movement, and just lead a part on the Revolution to take down the Proctors at the Academy." Closing the short distance between them she brought her lips to his as she kissed him and deepened it slowly. Thoroughly before pulling back again.

"Time for myself never existed before."

And now?

It was hard for her to imagine it. Even as she lay wrapped up in his embrace.

 

[Cillian]

"Exactly," he murmured as his fingers trailed back down her jaw to her chin. Cillian gently cupped it and tilted her face to his, holding her there in a firm yet gentle grip until she looked up at him. "Now is the time for you," and before she could protest he lowered his lips to kiss her again, rolling them over so she was pinned beneath him. And if the only way to keep her here, in their bubble, was to keep kissing and touching and loving her this way? Well... there were worse jobs.

Cillian took this job especially seriously.

 

[Sierra]

"Hey, don't get so," the word smug died on her lips as his took over. Not to be outdone, when she wasn't in the heady-haze of what he was doing. When she wasn't completely unwound and undone by his touch and caresses. By his mouth. She would take her time with him. Exploring what kinds of sounds she could elicit from him. How the hue of his eyes would warm, shift, and change.

And there would be more time later for her to continue her journey.

Because those times of when she wasn't undone? When she wasn't nearly begging for more when he stopped, were few and far between in these moments.

That smug son-of-a-gun.

As they began to slow and still, she'd find herself draped against his chest. He was no longer pinning her against the blanket she longed stopped feeling. Fingers drew idle circles along bronzed skin. A light went on across the lawn in Rose's room. Sierra's eyes drifted lazily across the darkened field of flowers and moonlight. Then back to Cillian.

"You make being a responsible adult very hard sometimes." She'd leave a light kiss on his cheek and begin to unwind herself. Loathe to leave the touch of his skin and warmth of his body.

Perhaps after dinner and bathtime. Perhaps after storytime. Perhaps then, they'd have more time together.

 

[Cillian]

"Bein' an adult is o'er rated, Duchess," the leprechaun flashed her a very smug, very sated grin as he rolled over onto his side to watch as she got dressed in the evening light. Scars, bruises not yet healed from the battle she had endured, her skin was a living, breathing tapestry of her life that he intended on studying with extreme care. As long as she didn't leave, the thought whispered like a serpent in the back of his mind. Cillian hadn't dared to bring up what her next step was out of fear it would have nothing to do with him. Vel'Anir was no place for a fae but it was her and Rose's home... he didn't think she would leave it.

"I suppose I should cook," he mused and then rolled lazily to his feet and into a stretch with no shame for his naked state. He took his time putting on his breeches and didn't bother with the rest except to run a hand through his tangled mane of hair. Instead he packed up the picnic they hadn't eaten neatly.

 

[Sierra]

Sierra didn't hide the lingering glance back as he stood.

Gods help her.

Clothed, though a little unkempt, she made her way up to Rose's room just as the door opened. "Mommy!" The little girl threw her arms around Sierra. Sierra frowned as she felt a fading sense of fear and relief. She imagined Rose was worried that Sierra wouldn't be there when she woke up.

Squatting down in front of her daughter, Sierra held her and whispered in her ear. "I love you." She'd never say that enough because she always wanted Rose to know how much she was loved. Rose finally peeled her little arms away from Sierra and offered her mom a quick kiss on her cheek.

Then she grabbed Sierra's hand and pulled her deeper into her room.

"Look what I dreamed about! I decided to do a drawing." There scribbled with different crayons was a decent drawing of a unicorn dancing over a rainbow."

"Wow, this is lovely."

"His name is George and he asked if I could stay here."

"Oh?" Sierra lofted a brow. There were a lot of things to unpack in that statement and since Sierra and Cillian had feasted but not on food, she decided it was best to have this conversation on a full belly. "Come on. It's dinner time. Wash your hands and let's go see how we can help."

Rose nodded and scrambled to wash her hands, then plucked up the drawing and pounded down the stairs on little feet, ready to show Cillian. Sierra quickly following after tidying up the girl's room.

 

[Cillian]

By the time Sierra made her way downstairs the new unicorn picture was hanging up on the wall amongst a healthy collection of other, similar drawings of a child's dreams. At the kitchen table Cillain was stood behind Rose who was stood on a chair so she could see over the counter and he was showing her how to chop mushrooms.

"Ye wanna slice 'em nice and thin, just like tha', 'nd yer curl your fingers under like this teh avoid cuttin' 'em..." he guided in that soft, lilting tone of his. Rose had her nose scrunched up in concentration as she 'moved' the knife, though it was really Cillian's much larger hand over the top of hers.

 

[Sierra]

Sierra froze when she saw Rose and Cillian. It wasn't that she didn't trust Cillian to teach Rose how to use a knife. Or that she'd disagree with Rose chopping vegetables. It was the memories that stirred up.

A little girl with a knife in a much different setting.

A shiver ran down her spine and head shook slightly. But for a brief moment, she felt stuck in place. It wasn't until Rose's bright blue eyes shifted upwards.

"Mommy look what I can do. Why does Cici's food taste better than what we used to eat?" That brought a forced smile to her lips and snapped her from darker memories. Rummaging around the cupboards she began pulling out eating utensils, plates, and bowls.

"Because Cici is a very good cook. Keep your eyes on what you're doing, Rose." A quiet admonishment as she began setting the table.

 

[Cillian]

"Because your ma'am burns everythin'," Cillian murmured conspiratorially in Rose's ear making her giggle. He'd seen the toast on the road. With all the mushrooms done he scooped them up and put them in the large iron cast pan where onions and meat were already frying. "An' what do we do after cookin'?" he asked Rose in the casual manner that suggested this conversation was a ritual between the two.

"Wash hands!" she scrambled off the chair and hopped over to the wash basin where she piled her hands with soap and rubbed them good.

Cillian set a pile of flat, round white breads on the table before returning to his cooking. A few minutes later he took the pan off the fire and then poured it into a bowl.

"Rose, d'yer wanna show your ma'am how we eat fajitas?"

 

[Sierra]

"It's not absolutely everything," she declared, setting the last plate on the table. Hands falling to her hips. A glare with no real threat behind it toward Mister SMug.

Rose nodded with a toothy grin and scrambled into her spot.

"Fa-jitas?" Sierra was curious. She'd never heard of them before. She grew up on Vel Anir rations and their food hadn't always been the most...diverse.

"Yes mommy," Rose rolled her eyes and for a moment took on a look very similar to her mother's. "You put the yum yum in the center of these." Little fingers pointed to the flat pieces of the bread. "Then you fold and roll." She showed Sierra, over-filling hers a bit and just managing to close it. With both hands, she maneuvered her creation to her mouth and took a big bite. "MmmffmfmfmfmfmMmmmm," she finished chewing.

Pressing a quick kiss on the top of Rose's head, Sierra took a seat at the head of the table, so she could sit between Cillian and Rose. "Ah-ah, don't try to talk as you finish chewing." She looked to Cillian. "Something you picked up on in your travels? And it smells delicious." She'd begin making one herself, starting off smaller than what her daughter got. She still didn't quite trust her stomach to keep things down.

 

[Cillian]

Cillian managed to hold back the chuckle building in his chest at the glare and quiet reprimand when he took his seat at the table opposite Rose. But he still gave the girl a subtle wink which made her grin, as though the joke were their own private, personal thing. He made his own fajita as Rose instructed Sierra, and added big servings of different kinds of sauces which he had set in the middle of the table.

"Along teh Cortosi Coast," Cillian nodded. "T'were in a tiny, tiny mining village. A lot'teh folk there were paid in meat, and teh women would chop it up with anythin' they had - mushrooms, peppers, onions - then mix it with spices to hide the taste o' teh meat," insinuating that on top of being paid in meat it wasn't good meat.

"Teh red one is extra spicy, the white is sour cream which cools it down a bit."

 

[Sierra]

Bringing the rolled, stuffed bread to her mouth, she took a bite. Auburn brows shot up as she chewed. The spice hitting the back of her tongue in just the right, wrong way. Swallowing, she coughed and reached for the cooking white cream, getting a spoonful lathered in her tongue.

“It’s….good,” she managed, the edge of her eyes watering as she coughed again.

And it was. She just should’ve realized she probably needed to ease into spicy. Swallowing, she took another bite with less red sauce.

Rose giggled across the table.

Sierra looked to Cillian, hesitating in asking her next question. Since he’s brought up his travels. “When’re your plans to hit the road again?”

She had to wonder if he’d meant to leave before now but been stuck here because of her and Rose.

 

[Cillian]

Cillian spooned a good few heaped spoons over his own fajita before folding it up and taking a bite. He still managed to throw a rather smug, amused look in Sierra's direction despite having a mouthful of food. He had almost finished off the whole thing when Sierra asked her question. He quirked a brow then finished off the last two bites whilst he mulled over his answer.

"Truthfully?" he asked as he reached for another flatbread and put the 'yum yums' in the middle like Rose said. "I hadn' thought about movin' on for a while," he'd found himself quite content where he was for now. "I sold most o' teh last o' my stock in teh last village so I need a few months teh make some more. An' I got a few orders to do, too."