Robb listens silently while his fingers poke at a small pebble lying on the ground. Everything he has heard, has seen, has experienced, made him realize how small his world has been. He has always tried to be as open as he could to other people's stories but he has never been able to interpret their words entirely. He came from a realm torn by war, wearing a crown that had become too heavy for his shoulders and magic...magic was nothing but hearsay. Demons and monsters were nothing more than the stories Old Nan told him and his siblings. And well, the wolf dreams, he rather kept them to himself.
But he gets what Neria tells him. It silences him for a long time and his eyes seem to be focused more on that pebble than her face.
"We have time here," he echoes with a nod. It is a bit naive to think like that, he knows that. Time did not last forever. It wasn't in their hands anyway. He used to think about Jeyne a lot, hoping that every day here would mean a day closer to a return. But now even those memories started to fade. And he wanted Neria to be well and happy but her fate would not allow that.
Despite all of that he says: "If there is a way to prevent it, I will stand for you."
Robb isn't surprised to hear Grey Wind howl in such a way. Sometimes the direwolf seemed to act the way Robb felt and vice versa. And this isn't a pleasant conversation. Still, he smiles as well, nodding.
It takes him an awful long time to finally reach out and take her hand, squeezing it briefly.
She opens her mouth and then closes it again. It would be easy to tell him that he will not be able to save her, that he cannot prevent what is inevitable. But that seems too cruel. Robb is hopeful, carrying light where he may to bring her comfort. Who is she to dash his hopes and concerns? She exhales instead, nodding, her eyes on Grey Wind and the fire and nothing else. For a moment, she cannot face him.
But then he takes her hand and squeezes it, and she feels her heart thunder uselessly in her chest.
In Thedas, she was called fearless. She had faced an Archdemon and killed it. She had sacrificed everything for the people around her. She had become a commander in the face of adversity and destruction. But all of this pales in comparison to how Robb has made her feel and the kindness he has given her. It is overwhelming, all of it poured into a well in her heart that is now too full. She has never been very good with feelings or with romance. In the years after the Blight, she had a few dalliances, all of them physical and nothing more. She had sheltered her heart in stone.
Intentional or no, Robb was coaxing it out.
At length, she squeezes his hand back, tender in the gesture, and speaks softly: "I cannot thank you enough for your kindness." It sounds formal at first, and foolish, and she sighs. "You have given me more than you know, Robb. I am...incredibly lucky to have you beside me."
While Robb has lost all hope about going home a long time ago, he tries to remain hopeful for the future and for the friends he made here. That role as the North's young king is something far away from him. He is just Robb now. No king, not even a lord, just a young man travelling.
There had been times where he had been watching Neria from afar, wondering how it would feel if his hand would be holding hers. How it would be to cover her lips with his. But everytime such feelings came up he squashed them immediately, thinking about Jeyne, his queen. The only woman he should love.
But here he sat right next to her, his fingers wrapped around her hand and he can't look at her. Even the thought about Jeyne waiting for him isn't working anymore, her face had become blurry and her voice...he could not even remember her voice anymore. His heart hammers inside his chest and he watches how his fingers slide over her hand after she had squeezed his hand back.
"I perceive myself as the lucky one here." Robb still isn't looking at her, his fingertips tracing the knuckles of her hand slowly. He is everything but good at admitting to his feelings. "If it weren't for you I would have...not been able to cope with any of this."
It's an uncomfortable weight in her chest, tightening on her lungs. She wants to say something, anything, and wishes she was just a bit more brave about her own feelings. Neria can tell people many things and is not afraid of admitting what is true for others or what may be certain about a situation. But she has always had difficulty speaking of what was in her heart, knowing that in the end, it will never end well.
Exhaling, she looks at their hands and then at him. "I don't like seeing people hurting," she says, because that is a universal truth. "You have always been kind to me. Your friendship means more to me than you may realize. You have kept me from despair more than once."
It's so easy to skirt the real matter at hand.
"I hope to remain at your side, Robb Stark, come what may, in this world and the ones that follow." She smiles crookedly, almost sadly. "You do not have to be alone so long as I am here." A pause. "...If you'll permit me."
He wants to embrace her. Just reach out and pull her close and tell her that everything will be well and that he wasn't planning on leaving her. Instead of that Robb remains still, not letting go of her hand.
Neria's words make him feel oddly warm on the inside, his heart picking up speed again. "And I will continue do so, Neria." The tone of his voice is soft but stern. They are not talking about their friendship anymore. It is something beyond that.
"I will." Robb nods firmly, his blue eyes meeting hers. "Do not ask me for permission, Neria. We both know that...we wish to spend our time in eachother's company." The stern tone that was in his voice earlier has made place for doubt. "If you permit me..."
Robb stops talking, knowing that that would be a very indecent proposal.
It's been years since she has seen the green of Thedas, the high walls of a Circle tower, the brimming fire in the commander's hall. And still, she thinks it is easier for someone to pretend than to truly love someone who is a mage. Who is an elf from the Alienage. Robb has never once made her feel hated or despised. He's been open with her from the start. It hurts, how she feels for him. But she doesn't want it to stop.
They are not talking of friendship any longer. She's glad the charade is mostly over.
"Yes," she says, as if he's made a truer proposal than he has. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nods. "Yes, of course I permit you. You have... You have always been welcome."
Her hand tightens over his and, at last, she leans into him.
Robb had always been a person who followed his heart instead of his head. When it came to strategy, to war, to battle he could be cold and calculating and dreadfully logic. But when it came to everything else he followed his heart.
And that is exactly what he is doing now, listening to what his heart tells him. Those feelings are not something fake, not a lie the Trumps put in him. It had been something that had been growing. From that first moment they shared wine together until now, where they could not hide it any longer.
The way her hand tightens around his encourages him to just let go and give in. Of course, he is a man wed, but it all seems so far away. So blurry. And all he wishes right now is to see that sad smile disappear from Neria's face, to assure her safety.
Before his lips brush against hers he whispers softly: "No harm will come to you, I promise."
She holds his hand even tighter, tilting her face so their lips fit together better, and she leaves the promise there, accepting and sealing it. It's then that she parts from him, just briefly, long enough for her to lift her gaze and smile slightly. "I'm not worried for myself." But that he'd make her a promise is enough. She knows his heart is in the right place, always yearning to help others, no matter what.
Neria kisses him properly this time, grasping tightly to his fingers as she does so. She can feel the outward tension in both of their bodies through their fingers, through the way they clasp one another. Even so, this feels...right. She feels warm and safe, for the first time in a very, very long time, and she doesn't want this feeling to end. Not just yet.
Neria's lips are soft and her kiss is kind and gentle. Yet, the grip she has on his hand is tight, as if letting go might mean that this world was going to end. And he shares that sentiment, really. He notices that he has been yearning for a closeness like this. This warmth, this feeling. It makes him wonder how long he has had these feelings for the young woman.
Robb apologizes to Jeyne somewhere between moving closer and deepening the kiss, the words forming in his mind but knowing that he will never be able to say them out loud. His home is far away. And Neria is right here. And he is careful when he moves his free hand, fingers brushing her cheek softly.
His cheeks felt warm and he is not sure if it is just because of the small fire that burned next to them.
It's as if he has given her permission to breathe. Just that brief touch of fingers to cheek, the tightness of his hands on hers in reassurance, is enough to make her move. She turns, knees touching his as she does so, and she tilts her head to better accommodate the fit of their lips. They part momentarily, enough for an intake of breath, and then she is kissing him once more, deeper this time, mirroring how he moves for her.
Her chest aches, clenches, and she tries her damnedest not to hope or dare to dream that this might be the start of something more. It's only one kiss. Neria exhales and then one hand loosens from his hold so she can come closer, wrap an arm around his shoulders, and keep him that much closer.
One kiss, one night, it doesn't matter. She wants more.
He realizes more than ever how much he needs this. This closeness, that connection with another, to truly belong. Just like her he has lost a lot over the years. A home, a wife, family, friends. It all seemed to seep through his fingers like sand and he had been unable to grasp it. Like it always has been.
But this was real and warm. And Robb Stark does not want to ruin this as well. Not Neria. Not ever. And he finds his head full of promises again, his heart full of warmth. And he tries to convey all of that into one single kiss.
When she moves closer he does the same, shifting to sit more on his knees, his fingers tracing her jawline with utmost care. Slowly he curls another arm around her waist, his hand lightly resting on her back while fingers carefully dig into the fabric of her dress.
"Neria..." Robb whispers after he breaks the kiss, his forehead resting against hers. "...This...I..." He hates it when words fail him and for a second annoyance flashes in his eyes. Kings do not stammer. "It feels good."
If Robb is full of promises and warmth, she is heat reflected, her head spinning with excuses instead of promises. She has a duty to fulfill, a contingent of soldiers in her care (family to her now, nothing less), and a short life to live back home. She has every intention of returning to them and the thought makes her ache. Robb has become too important to her, too close that she feels if she left, she knew she'd be heartbroken. But the reality is this: they will part ways and return to their worlds as they are, to fulfill futures neither of them want, far apart from each other.
That's why this moment is so much more important to her. Seasons change, people change, and their time together may be short. Tomorrow, they might be separated. But right now, tonight, they are alive and they are together. Every second is precious.
Neria leans back against his forehead and opens her eyes to look at him for just a moment. She smiles, nose brushing his. "Then don't stop," she murmurs, hold tightening on him, as if offering comfort with the press of her body instead of something much more intimate. "You have my permission." To have her, to be close, to fall apart in front of her, it doesn't matter; she will stay, she will hold him, and she is his tonight. "You needn't hold back," she promises, and kisses him again, just a brush of her lips to his.
His heart fills itself with a pleasant warmth when he hears those words from her mouth. After all they have been through, after all the people they have lost and dangers they have faced, they still are together. And maybe their time will be short and it could very well be that one day he will notice that she has returned to her homeland, leaving him here to solve matters for the Trumps.
“Losing you would be a terrible thing,” he admits softly, his forehead still resting against hers, fingers still digging into the fabric of her clothes. His cheeks glow a little with the trust she has in him and when her lips slide over his again he manages to capture her lower lip between his for a couple of seconds. “Then I will not...”
It pains him a little to have to break that kiss to get up and lift her up. Not far from the fire lie two blankets on top of a small pile of furs.
“Grey Wind, keep watch,” he says, his voice surprisingly curt and commanding. Yet, when his eyes are back on her face the smiles a warm smile and can’t help to feel a bit giddy about bedding her.
“You should not hold back either, I wish to look at you when you come undone.” The tone of his voice is soft and kind and his face is as red as a beet.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
queensland) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
museboxings2014-09-27 01:00 am
no subject
But he gets what Neria tells him. It silences him for a long time and his eyes seem to be focused more on that pebble than her face.
"We have time here," he echoes with a nod. It is a bit naive to think like that, he knows that. Time did not last forever. It wasn't in their hands anyway. He used to think about Jeyne a lot, hoping that every day here would mean a day closer to a return. But now even those memories started to fade. And he wanted Neria to be well and happy but her fate would not allow that.
Despite all of that he says: "If there is a way to prevent it, I will stand for you."
Robb isn't surprised to hear Grey Wind howl in such a way. Sometimes the direwolf seemed to act the way Robb felt and vice versa. And this isn't a pleasant conversation. Still, he smiles as well, nodding.
It takes him an awful long time to finally reach out and take her hand, squeezing it briefly.
no subject
But then he takes her hand and squeezes it, and she feels her heart thunder uselessly in her chest.
In Thedas, she was called fearless. She had faced an Archdemon and killed it. She had sacrificed everything for the people around her. She had become a commander in the face of adversity and destruction. But all of this pales in comparison to how Robb has made her feel and the kindness he has given her. It is overwhelming, all of it poured into a well in her heart that is now too full. She has never been very good with feelings or with romance. In the years after the Blight, she had a few dalliances, all of them physical and nothing more. She had sheltered her heart in stone.
Intentional or no, Robb was coaxing it out.
At length, she squeezes his hand back, tender in the gesture, and speaks softly: "I cannot thank you enough for your kindness." It sounds formal at first, and foolish, and she sighs. "You have given me more than you know, Robb. I am...incredibly lucky to have you beside me."
no subject
There had been times where he had been watching Neria from afar, wondering how it would feel if his hand would be holding hers. How it would be to cover her lips with his. But everytime such feelings came up he squashed them immediately, thinking about Jeyne, his queen. The only woman he should love.
But here he sat right next to her, his fingers wrapped around her hand and he can't look at her. Even the thought about Jeyne waiting for him isn't working anymore, her face had become blurry and her voice...he could not even remember her voice anymore. His heart hammers inside his chest and he watches how his fingers slide over her hand after she had squeezed his hand back.
"I perceive myself as the lucky one here." Robb still isn't looking at her, his fingertips tracing the knuckles of her hand slowly. He is everything but good at admitting to his feelings. "If it weren't for you I would have...not been able to cope with any of this."
no subject
Exhaling, she looks at their hands and then at him. "I don't like seeing people hurting," she says, because that is a universal truth. "You have always been kind to me. Your friendship means more to me than you may realize. You have kept me from despair more than once."
It's so easy to skirt the real matter at hand.
"I hope to remain at your side, Robb Stark, come what may, in this world and the ones that follow." She smiles crookedly, almost sadly. "You do not have to be alone so long as I am here." A pause. "...If you'll permit me."
no subject
Neria's words make him feel oddly warm on the inside, his heart picking up speed again. "And I will continue do so, Neria." The tone of his voice is soft but stern. They are not talking about their friendship anymore. It is something beyond that.
"I will." Robb nods firmly, his blue eyes meeting hers. "Do not ask me for permission, Neria. We both know that...we wish to spend our time in eachother's company." The stern tone that was in his voice earlier has made place for doubt. "If you permit me..."
Robb stops talking, knowing that that would be a very indecent proposal.
no subject
They are not talking of friendship any longer. She's glad the charade is mostly over.
"Yes," she says, as if he's made a truer proposal than he has. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nods. "Yes, of course I permit you. You have... You have always been welcome."
Her hand tightens over his and, at last, she leans into him.
no subject
And that is exactly what he is doing now, listening to what his heart tells him. Those feelings are not something fake, not a lie the Trumps put in him. It had been something that had been growing. From that first moment they shared wine together until now, where they could not hide it any longer.
The way her hand tightens around his encourages him to just let go and give in. Of course, he is a man wed, but it all seems so far away. So blurry. And all he wishes right now is to see that sad smile disappear from Neria's face, to assure her safety.
Before his lips brush against hers he whispers softly: "No harm will come to you, I promise."
no subject
She holds his hand even tighter, tilting her face so their lips fit together better, and she leaves the promise there, accepting and sealing it. It's then that she parts from him, just briefly, long enough for her to lift her gaze and smile slightly. "I'm not worried for myself." But that he'd make her a promise is enough. She knows his heart is in the right place, always yearning to help others, no matter what.
Neria kisses him properly this time, grasping tightly to his fingers as she does so. She can feel the outward tension in both of their bodies through their fingers, through the way they clasp one another. Even so, this feels...right. She feels warm and safe, for the first time in a very, very long time, and she doesn't want this feeling to end. Not just yet.
no subject
Neria's lips are soft and her kiss is kind and gentle. Yet, the grip she has on his hand is tight, as if letting go might mean that this world was going to end. And he shares that sentiment, really. He notices that he has been yearning for a closeness like this. This warmth, this feeling. It makes him wonder how long he has had these feelings for the young woman.
Robb apologizes to Jeyne somewhere between moving closer and deepening the kiss, the words forming in his mind but knowing that he will never be able to say them out loud. His home is far away. And Neria is right here. And he is careful when he moves his free hand, fingers brushing her cheek softly.
His cheeks felt warm and he is not sure if it is just because of the small fire that burned next to them.
no subject
Her chest aches, clenches, and she tries her damnedest not to hope or dare to dream that this might be the start of something more. It's only one kiss. Neria exhales and then one hand loosens from his hold so she can come closer, wrap an arm around his shoulders, and keep him that much closer.
One kiss, one night, it doesn't matter. She wants more.
no subject
But this was real and warm. And Robb Stark does not want to ruin this as well. Not Neria. Not ever. And he finds his head full of promises again, his heart full of warmth. And he tries to convey all of that into one single kiss.
When she moves closer he does the same, shifting to sit more on his knees, his fingers tracing her jawline with utmost care. Slowly he curls another arm around her waist, his hand lightly resting on her back while fingers carefully dig into the fabric of her dress.
"Neria..." Robb whispers after he breaks the kiss, his forehead resting against hers. "...This...I..." He hates it when words fail him and for a second annoyance flashes in his eyes. Kings do not stammer. "It feels good."
no subject
That's why this moment is so much more important to her. Seasons change, people change, and their time together may be short. Tomorrow, they might be separated. But right now, tonight, they are alive and they are together. Every second is precious.
Neria leans back against his forehead and opens her eyes to look at him for just a moment. She smiles, nose brushing his. "Then don't stop," she murmurs, hold tightening on him, as if offering comfort with the press of her body instead of something much more intimate. "You have my permission." To have her, to be close, to fall apart in front of her, it doesn't matter; she will stay, she will hold him, and she is his tonight. "You needn't hold back," she promises, and kisses him again, just a brush of her lips to his.
no subject
“Losing you would be a terrible thing,” he admits softly, his forehead still resting against hers, fingers still digging into the fabric of her clothes. His cheeks glow a little with the trust she has in him and when her lips slide over his again he manages to capture her lower lip between his for a couple of seconds. “Then I will not...”
It pains him a little to have to break that kiss to get up and lift her up. Not far from the fire lie two blankets on top of a small pile of furs.
“Grey Wind, keep watch,” he says, his voice surprisingly curt and commanding. Yet, when his eyes are back on her face the smiles a warm smile and can’t help to feel a bit giddy about bedding her.
“You should not hold back either, I wish to look at you when you come undone.” The tone of his voice is soft and kind and his face is as red as a beet.