everything she had. Including this. It seemed to be enough.
It was enough and more than enough for her.
“He’s teaching me how to use a sword,” Ailith said, excitedly - her little face aglow.
“I saw,” she said. “You couldn’t have a better teacher. He taught me.”
Coming up to her, Dorovan slid an arm around her. “She’s a natural, Delae.”
She gave him a look askance and then Ailith, seeing the question in both their eyes. “Yes, you can keep teaching her but Ailith it must be a secret. Promise me you won’t tell your parents.”
“I know, Delae,” Ailith said, almost in disgust, then she grinned and tried to hug them both.
It was an amazement to him. Curled up in bed around Delae, drawing his beloved friend-of-the-heart into his arms, Dorovan said, in astonishment, “I’ve never had a student as gifted.”
It was his second year teaching Ailith and he was finding more reasons to visit than just to see his beloved Delae, as much as his friend-of-the-heart eased his soul and delighted him. There was Ailith, now, too, her joy and her wonder, her passion and curiosity, her intensity. Her focus. At first he’d been enchanted and charmed but love had come almost instantly on their heels, just to see the expression in Ailith’s quick, intelligent eyes, the brightness she’d inherited from Delae.
A little surprised, Delae looked at him. “But you teach Elves.”
“I know,” he said, “but even among my folk, there are those who simply have the talent. I was one, but Ailith…she’ll be much more.”
His eyes went distant.
“For her blood,” he said, in stunned astonishment, “she could be a Master Swordsman.”
So few men truly cared to learn the sword, counting on their numbers more than skill. It was skill, though, that had saved Dorovan’s race.
Just at the thought, at the responsibility of it, his breath caught.
“Like Elon of Aerilann?” Delae asked, startled.
Slowly, he nodded. “Like him. Like his true-friend, Colath.”
Bright shadow to Elon of Aerilann’s dark, with Colath at his side the two elves were legendary for their sword work, Delae knew. Dorovan had mentioned Elon before. Now as advisor to the High King, the new Council and teamed with the human wizard Jareth, they were a force to be reckoned with.
“That good?” Delae said, a little awed.
He nodded.
Slowly he rolled her over onto her back. Even now with silver threaded thickly through the rich fire of her hair, she was lovely to his eyes, he thought as he pierced her. Her eyes and her smile widened as she sighed with pleasure. She wrapped her legs around him as he pressed deep into her.
“I love the feel of you, Delae,” he breathed, stroking into her, shifting his hips to feel every inch.
“Do you?” she whispered, her body shifting to take him.
She wasn’t questioning, wasn’t searching for validation - she simply echoed the emotion in him. She smiled as she always did when he filled her, her body arching as pleasure rushed through her as his own ecstasy emptied into her.
“I love this,” she sighed, trembling.
As did he. She was a delight and a joy to him.
Steel clashed and rang through the forest, the sound oddly musical, especially when done this way, moving from the forms to sparring. It was pure pleasure for Dorovan to do this with Ailith, especially to watch the laughter in her eyes, to see the delight she took in the movement of sword against sword. She had grown, and not just in age, but in skills. It was such a pleasure to watch.
“Watch,” Dorovan cautioned in Elvish and she rolled her eyes, not in consternation, but at herself.
“Forgot,” she said, in the same tongue. “I don’t get to spar with anyone the likes of you much, Dorovan.”
“Hmmm,” he said, amused. “It’s a problem. Don’t get careless Ailith. Ah and your grandmother told me to tell you that you’d best come up to visit her, too.”
There was a hesitation in Ailith’s next stroke that
It was enough and more than enough for her.
“He’s teaching me how to use a sword,” Ailith said, excitedly - her little face aglow.
“I saw,” she said. “You couldn’t have a better teacher. He taught me.”
Coming up to her, Dorovan slid an arm around her. “She’s a natural, Delae.”
She gave him a look askance and then Ailith, seeing the question in both their eyes. “Yes, you can keep teaching her but Ailith it must be a secret. Promise me you won’t tell your parents.”
“I know, Delae,” Ailith said, almost in disgust, then she grinned and tried to hug them both.
It was an amazement to him. Curled up in bed around Delae, drawing his beloved friend-of-the-heart into his arms, Dorovan said, in astonishment, “I’ve never had a student as gifted.”
It was his second year teaching Ailith and he was finding more reasons to visit than just to see his beloved Delae, as much as his friend-of-the-heart eased his soul and delighted him. There was Ailith, now, too, her joy and her wonder, her passion and curiosity, her intensity. Her focus. At first he’d been enchanted and charmed but love had come almost instantly on their heels, just to see the expression in Ailith’s quick, intelligent eyes, the brightness she’d inherited from Delae.
A little surprised, Delae looked at him. “But you teach Elves.”
“I know,” he said, “but even among my folk, there are those who simply have the talent. I was one, but Ailith…she’ll be much more.”
His eyes went distant.
“For her blood,” he said, in stunned astonishment, “she could be a Master Swordsman.”
So few men truly cared to learn the sword, counting on their numbers more than skill. It was skill, though, that had saved Dorovan’s race.
Just at the thought, at the responsibility of it, his breath caught.
“Like Elon of Aerilann?” Delae asked, startled.
Slowly, he nodded. “Like him. Like his true-friend, Colath.”
Bright shadow to Elon of Aerilann’s dark, with Colath at his side the two elves were legendary for their sword work, Delae knew. Dorovan had mentioned Elon before. Now as advisor to the High King, the new Council and teamed with the human wizard Jareth, they were a force to be reckoned with.
“That good?” Delae said, a little awed.
He nodded.
Slowly he rolled her over onto her back. Even now with silver threaded thickly through the rich fire of her hair, she was lovely to his eyes, he thought as he pierced her. Her eyes and her smile widened as she sighed with pleasure. She wrapped her legs around him as he pressed deep into her.
“I love the feel of you, Delae,” he breathed, stroking into her, shifting his hips to feel every inch.
“Do you?” she whispered, her body shifting to take him.
She wasn’t questioning, wasn’t searching for validation - she simply echoed the emotion in him. She smiled as she always did when he filled her, her body arching as pleasure rushed through her as his own ecstasy emptied into her.
“I love this,” she sighed, trembling.
As did he. She was a delight and a joy to him.
Steel clashed and rang through the forest, the sound oddly musical, especially when done this way, moving from the forms to sparring. It was pure pleasure for Dorovan to do this with Ailith, especially to watch the laughter in her eyes, to see the delight she took in the movement of sword against sword. She had grown, and not just in age, but in skills. It was such a pleasure to watch.
“Watch,” Dorovan cautioned in Elvish and she rolled her eyes, not in consternation, but at herself.
“Forgot,” she said, in the same tongue. “I don’t get to spar with anyone the likes of you much, Dorovan.”
“Hmmm,” he said, amused. “It’s a problem. Don’t get careless Ailith. Ah and your grandmother told me to tell you that you’d best come up to visit her, too.”
There was a hesitation in Ailith’s next stroke that
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