Beyond Time (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"... Do you realize what we're doing?" He caressed her cheek adoringly before kissing along the edge of her jaw. His kiss was like fire ghosting across her skin in a way that John's never had been.

 

[heartofcourage]

“I do.” Dylan said softly as he caressed her cheek gently, kissing along her jaw as she tilted her head back for him. Her blonde hair moved out of the way, trailing over her back as she reveled in the attention that he was giving her. “I need you, Ashien.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"But you're engaged to marry, my dear..." he muttered, though he didn't stop. His kisses continued down her neck to her collarbone and his hand found her thigh. His fingers trailed over her skin with the deepest reverence as he basked in the beauty of her form.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan gasped as she felt his hand on her thigh, his fingers tracing over her skin until she shivered. She moaned softly at the sound of his voice, her fingers itching to cling to him and hold him close.

“Then stop, Ashien. I know that you don’t want to. Neither do I.” She murmured softly, her eyes finding his. “If we don’t do this, I feel like I’ll die.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"We hardly know a thing about each other..." He mused quietly, but he finally pulled himself away. "We're from different times... this will only cause trouble, my dear, and heartbreak. I won't compromise your engagement unless you decide you would rather have me than this John fellow. But be aware that if you did choose me... I cannot leave my time for yours, and we can't possibly hope to only see one another once a month."

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan let out a soft groan of disappointment as he pulled himself away, telling her that what they were about to do would only cause trouble. She knew that he was right, that they had to stop before they each did something that they regretted. She still couldn’t explain why she wanted him so much, why she thought that she needed him.

“I know you’re right about everything, but it’s so hard to stop.” She said softly, her fingers itching to tangle in his thick hair.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Come, let's get you dressed, Miss Dylan." He drew her up to her feet. "Perhaps dinner is in order. I should be ready soon." But as he stood facing her, her hands in his own, he was ensnared by the web of lust again in his mind. But he resisted for the sake of her honor.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Dylandra.” She murmured softly as he pulled her to her feet. “I want you to call me Dylandra.”

She had never insisted that anyone call her by her full name in her life, but Dylan felt that her name felt strange coming from his lips. She wanted to hear the full, magical thing. It sounded so pretty with his Scottish accent. The thought of hearing her name on his lips made her belly tighten and she gave him a smile, giggling softly as he offered her dinner.

“I would love to dine with you tonight, Ashien.” She said softly, glancing down towards her clothing which was still on the floor. “But you’ll have to let me dress first…unless you prefer to have me in the flesh.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I admit it's tempting... but I'm not sure the servers would be so amused." He stooped to pick up her clothing for her and placed them in her hands. "It's a shame, though... to cover such immaculate beauty."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I promise to let you paint me again. Soon, hopefully.” She said with a grin as she slowly started to dress, knowing that she wished that she could have remained naked and in his arms just a little while longer.

“What will be having to eat this evening?” She asked him as she pulled her shirt on and took his offered arm with her own, holding it lightly as she looked up into his handsome features.

 

[KieranSoares]

"A recipe from home, my mother's preparation of wild boar." In her time, boar was scarce and incredibly tasty, but people were too afraid of the live animal itself to pursue it.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Wild boar?” Dylan asked him, a curious look upon her features. “Really? Is this something that you have regularly?”

She felt like laughing at the odd answer, but she had to remember that this was a different time and place. He also believed that there was magic at work when she knew that there clearly wasn’t.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Indeed. My brothers and I, and my older sister are all avid hunters. It was the one thing we actually enjoyed doing with our father as children. So much so that my brother Lynndon was nicknamed Boar for it being his favorite wild game. However, I have an advantage. I don't keep hounds, I keep a tiger." He grinned.

 

[heartofcourage]

“And a beautiful tiger he is.” Dylan said, grinning back at Ashien as she slipped her arm through his and followed him towards the dining hall.

As much as Darkwood had changed in the centuries since that time, the dining hall was much the same. It was a long room, richly decorated in dark woods and blood red tapestries. It was warm and cozy despite being large enough to accommodate twenty people.

“I would love to see this house filled with people.” Dylan commented. “I must be a sight to see it so full of life.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"It depends on the time of year," Ashien mused. "In winter and autumn, people seem afraid of Darkwood. I imagine it looks quite ominous when it's not entirely lit up. But last summer, there were people coming and going all the time after it was finished and they were helping me to furnish and decorate the interior. It was lively from sunrise to sunset and quite a sight indeed."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully, "You know... the reason it's so large is because I expected to have several poets and writers and artists come to live here too, all friends, or else my own cavalrymen if the King gave them to me. But neither came about. My friends adore Darkwood but they're terrified of the magicks in its walls. And the King keeps his men close."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Well from the sound of things you could fill Darkwood with your family.” Dylan teased as he told her the history behind the old house. “As far as I can remember, it was only ever just my grandfather who lived here by himself. My gran died many years before I was born here in the Manor. He was never really the same after that.”

“I’ve always wanted to keep the Manor was it was, not cluttered with things that have no meaning. My finacee wants to have his trophies everywhere and it just takes away from the charm of this dear old house.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Ashien glanced over at her with concern. "So you're having troubles with him, then. The way you talk about him seems... forlorn." He took her hand once more as a comfort.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Well, not trouble.” Dylan admitted as Ashien looked at her with a glance of concern. “We just…we just don’t mesh well sometimes. He doesn’t understand why being an artist is so important to me. I get frustrated with him sometimes with his job as well, especially now that he has a new one.”

She let out a long sigh, unsure why she was sharing such information with him. “But we love each other. He’s my best friend.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Are you sure you love him as a possible husband, though?" Ashien asked softly. It was a question no one had ever asked her before. John was her best friend, he had been since shortly after they first met. She'd never had such a dear friend before him and it seemed smart for her happiness and future to marry him. But she hadn't had the feelings about him that she had for Ashien.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan looked at Ashien with a little bit of a frown, not angry that he had asked the question but certainly taken back by it. She had never seen her life without John. They were good for one another and their physical relationship was fantastic. Still, she had never felt the way about John that she did about Ashien.

“I love him. I truly do…but there’s sometimes that I have doubts.” She confessed, blushing at the look in Ashien’s eyes as she said those words.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Perhaps he isn't meant to be your husband then. Perhaps he's meant to be your lifelong friend. You should talk with him about it, my dear. It will solve these problems and either free you from doubts or from a relationship you were not meant to have.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Perhaps.” Dylan answered softly, wondering why this man was giving her such advice on her love life. “I might think that you wish me to be free of commitment so that you can take me freely.”

She had no idea where those words had come from and she certainly blushed after she said them, but she looked up into Ashien’s eyes without apologizing for them. She certainly hadn’t been the only one thinking those thoughts.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm not certain myself," he answered honestly. "But what I am certain of is that I'd like for you to be truly happy. I don't want to see you marry this man and second-guess yourself. I don't want to see your heart broken," he spoke the last sentence quietly, meeting her gaze. "I promise you that regardless of how I feel for you, I do want your happiness more than anything. You're a dear, sweet woman and I'd hate to see you unsatisfied with your life."

 

[heartofcourage]

“You barely know me, Ashien. You’ve met me twice. How do you know what’s best for my life?” She spoke with no malice or anger. She was simply asking him how he knew all of this.

Dylan squeezed his hand as a friend might have, looking up into his face as she waited for his answer. It was like she had waited for those answers so many times in the past.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't know much, my dear Dylandra. I only know for sure that I know very little. And among that very little, I know how I feel. I can't claim to have the key to a life of happiness and perfection, I simply want you to be content and loved." He leaned in to kiss her cheek lightly in the most sincere way.