Alright. TORTALL.
Princess Thayet jian Wilima and the Shang Dragon at night in the downstairs room of a mountain inn. (Response to the first SFF Challenge.)
PG
Thayet wrapped another robe around her and crept down to the common room, careful to make little noise so as to leave the sleepers their rest. She didn’t want to leave Buri - who was both warmer and calmer than Liam was going to be - but she couldn’t in good conscience leave him there alone. After all, she had confidence in Alanna’s obstinacy if not her powers of resilience, but it seemed Liam did not.
The innkeeper and maids had cleared out the other drinkers and themselves. She noted the absence of Liam’s tankard with approval, they hardly need a drunken Dragon on their hands along with everything else, but frowned seeing that he was completely frozen. Liam was breathing, upon closer investigation, but apparently not blinking. Thayet doubted he’d acknowledge here without a reason that met his doubtless exacting standards, but cleared her throat anyway as she took a place next to him on the bench.
“A little late, isn’t it?” she tried. He remained silent and frozen, Thayet pursed her lips. “You’re doing no one any good down here, not Alanna not - ” she stopped, even though Liam had made no move, said and done nothing. Thayet, to her embarrassment, had to resist the juvenile urge to wave a hand in front of his face just to make sure he was there…somewhere. I hardly need another person to take care of, she thought, blessing Buri. She didn’t realize she’d started staring too, at Liam, for more than half a minute until he blinked and turned to face her.
“Coram’s fine now?” he asked.
Thayet realized she would have been happy to answer questions about songbirds or the making of an ao dai, she was even happier to answer questions that made sense. “Yes, or he will be soon. I got him to bed.”
Liam nodded. “Make him stay there. He can’t do…that again.”
“I don’t think he’d be able to,” said Thayet. “The inn doesn’t stock enough beer.” She raised an eyebrow, seeing Liam begin a search for his tankard. “They took it away,” she said. “And thank the gods they did, I don’t deserve having to take care of two of you.”
He smiled wryly at her. “Three, your highness, I believe you will find if you count again.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call me that now,” she said immediately. “I’m…I’m not a…I mean. Well, I’m not.”
He shook his head. “Your blood and breeding could no more desert your than Alann -”
Thayet - not bothering to explain to him why comparing Trebond and Wilima blood was so inappropriate - placed one hand on his shoulder. “She’ll be alright, Liam.”
He grunted. “Oh, I don’t doubt that now. She’ll be alright. But did she ever think - do you ever think - will we?”
He wasn’t facing her so Thayet, wanting to be certain that when she spoke he’d hear, leaned towards him reaching her other hand up to tilt his face towards her. “We’ll be alright too. All of us.”
Liam reached up and grasped the hand on his check, lifting it to his lips and kissing it in a manner much too familiar after the title and rank he had so recently given her. “Consider that,” the Shang Dragon said, “my apology for making so much more work for you.”
More than a little surprised at herself, Thayet leaned in and kissed him full on the lips. She drew back, smiling slightly. “Consider that my acceptance.”
Original.
Notes: This won for best Male/Female entry for the very first SFF competition. Of course, there was only like one other entry. But still!