Of the Fells

[KieranSoares]

"I didn' stick around jus' fer this, love. But I 'ave t'say," Theo groaned quietly, "it's a nice li'l addition..." It was easy to see he wouldn't last much longer, but he was holding on for her sake even if he needed a release.

 

[heartofcourage]

"And that is why I love you, amore." Valentina murmured as she leaned in and kissed her lover with a slow burning passion.

She whimpered as she continued to ride Theo, gasping as he found places that had never been touched before. It was an incredible thing, she thought to herself. He could love her and show her things that not even she herself knew about.

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo finally had to give in first, but that didn't stop him from continuing on as long as he could to please her, massaging her little clit and kissing hotly at her neck and chest in an effort to fulfill her needs as well.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina let out a gasp as Theo continued to work on her body even after he had found his release. She whimpered, riding her betrothed until she came for him. A soft cry left her lips, her body going stiff before she collapsed down against him, panting in sharp gasps in the after glow of what hey had just done.

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo's arms draped across her back lazily and he let out a satisfied sigh. After a long silence aside from their slowing breath, he murmured, "I was thinkin', love, while I was workin' today... We oughta get married out a' the loch instead o' the keep. I want it t'be bright an' beautiful, with th'wind an' sun an' eveythin' else." He gazed up at her with a smile. "I love seein' you in th'sunlight. Most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I think that would be lovely." Valentina murmured as Theo held her tight and told her that she looked beautiful in the sunlight. "Hopefully we will have a lovely, sunny day for our wedding if that is the case."

She laughed softly as she pressed her lips against his own and relaxed against his broad chest. "And Alex can stand up there with us. He is one of the best parts of our little family and I want him to feel like he is a part of everything."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He'll be righ' by your side, love," Theo assured her. He definitely considered Alex as his son, but he was Valentina's even more so from the very beginning.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're a lovely man." Valentina murmured as she nestled her head against his shoulder with a long yawn. "Thank you for loving me. I wish that you didn't have to go through so much heartache to get to me, but I'm happy that you're mine."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I think... It might just 'ave been worth it," Theo mused quietly before he began to drift off to sleep.

Morning brought plenty of good news. The cub Valentina had operated on had survived, and almost all of her patients the entire time she'd been there were making a good recovery including Shia. No new cases had sprung up, much to the relief of leaders and common folk alike.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina felt a sense of pride at the fact that she had saved so many people in Ireland and she was able to watch them flourish. She made the decision to stay another to weeks, making sure that there were no new cases before they left. Alex also seemed to flourish as she spent time with both him and Theo, teaching her son flowers and plants. He was a curious little boy and she did her very best to keep up with his questions.

 

[KieranSoares]

By the time they prepared to leave, Alex was starting to learn to write fairly coherently thanks to Theo's teaching and learning to read more and more, and Alex was trying to keep a journal like Valentina's herbology books.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Papa will be impressed with your journal." Valentina said as she relaxed with Alex while Theo packed all of their things for their travel back to Inverness. "And I'm sure that Anna is missing you something fierce."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I miss Nonna," he told her quietly. He'd loved Kitty from the very beginning. "How long will it take to get home?"

"'Bout a week, give 'r take, lad," Theo told him with a smile.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm sure that Nonna misses you too. We'll have to make sure to spoil her when we get home." She said softly, kissing Alex's brow gently.

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo came to join them and Alex curled happily between them feeling safe as could be. They were a good match for him, being two confident and focused individuals while he was still struggling to be brave. Theo smoothed the boy's hair and lounged back comfortably. "I'm sure Annie's missed ya too, lad. She'll be ecstatic t'hear about th'weredragon."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We'll have to go say goodbye to her before we leave Ireland. Perhaps she can tell you how to find her cousin in Inverness." Valentina said with a smile towards Theo. "We were thinking that you would like to stand up with Mama when Da and I get married. I think you could be trusted to keep our rings safe that day, don't you?"

 

[KieranSoares]

Alex looked up as if Valentina had just placed the most direly important task in the world on his shoulders. He nodded slowly, both excited and terrified at the prospect of keeping something so precious for them. It was really no great deal, but to any child, it was a heroic task.

 

[heartofcourage]

"We can practice the day before." She murmured softly as she saw Alex nod hesitantly. "And no matter what, there is nothing that you can do to mess things up. I want you to always remember that."

 

[KieranSoares]

Alex simply let his head rest on her shoulder with a slight nod, closing his eyes and letting that worry go for the moment to enjoy being with his parents. Theo smiled to Valentina, still stroking Alex's hair soothingly.

When they went back out to the loch to find the weredragon Ara Kineln, or Khali as she preferred, the day was clear and they could see to the other side of the loch. Not far from the west docks, they found Khali and three other weredragons, all clearly younger than her, and the youngest was probably Alex's age but about a foot taller. He was trying to help his parents and grandmother but mostly just running around and playing.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Kosovo, Khali!" Valentina called as they approached the group of dragons. "Look, bambino. You have a playmate."

She could tell that Alex was still weary and shy, but the sight of the young dragon playing joyfully was a beautiful one. She hoped that Alex could overcome his shyness to make a new friend.

 

[KieranSoares]

Khali looked up from the nets that she and her family were readying, and she gave Valentina a kind smile. "Kosovo, dear."

The young dragon, outgoing and excited to see someone his age, came bounding right up to Alex. He had a ball at hand, and even though he couldn't speak English and Alex didn't speak Lunar, the dragon boy managed to welcome Alex to play. With a little extra encouragement from Theo, the boys went off into the grass to kick the ball back and forth and play keep-away.

Khali came to Valentina and greeted them both. "What brings you out today?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"We are leaving for Inverness soon and I promised Alex that we would come and say a proper goodbye." Valentina said as Theo slung his arm around her waist. "He's been enchanted with Ireland so far."

 

[KieranSoares]

"That's kind of you. Of course young Alex must be excited to get back and find the person who can bring Invah out of the loch." Invah was, according to most stories, the name that Inverness Kipper had been called by her dearest friends and the first Queen of Inverness to whom she'd given her last egg. Invah Kyre was also thought to be her real name, Inverness inspired by her name and Kipper having evolved through many tellings and mishearings of the story.

 

[heartofcourage]

"He and his cousin Annie. The two of them will bring her out if it's possible." Valentina said with a soft laugh. "He's so excited that he's started drawing in a journal. I never thought that a child so young would have an interest in the things that he does."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I told him he would have to find a special person who could call her," Khali said with a smile. "Dragon-callers aren't so common, but I'm sure they'll manage it one day if she's still there."