He appeared as a storm of wind and feathers. The man who now stood at the entrance to the Hall of Healing was built like a drawn blade, lean and precise, with every line of his body shaped for motion rather than display. There was no wasted weight on him, no softness—only coiled readiness, as though violence rested just beneath his skin, patient and controlled.
The dark leather armor he wore clung close to his form, layered and reinforced where it mattered—shoulders, forearms, ribs—each piece designed for silence and survival rather than ornament. His hair, long and silver-gray like trapped moonlight, fell past his shoulders where a mantle of muted cloth lay and drifted around him in the dying wind that announced his arrival. His face was carved sharp and deliberate with high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and a mouth that bore signs of rarely softening, even in rest, yet it was his eyes that unsettled the healers in the hall.
They were not merely sharp—they were predatory and felt less like being seen and more like being assessed and weighed. It was a layered, cold gaze that bespoke of something not entirely human. The healer next to Mira shuddered when that chilling gaze landed on them.
Yet Mira, only sighed, "Of course, he would come here." She grumbled even as the man shouted with triumph in their direction, "I knew it!"
The man walked straight off the white platform that was the entrance to the healing hall and into the water channels, causing quite a few healers to squawk with indignation and protest. Ignoring the other healers, he zeroed in on Mira and moved through the water effortlessly, as though it was not even there.
When he arrived at the platform where Mira and the healer stood, he jumped onto it with the grace of a predator, yet water still flew everywhere.
Uncaring of his drenched state, he loudly exclaimed, "I knew you would be here!" His boisterous voice startled Sienna awake, and he stared at this man whose presence seemed to take up the whole of the massive Hall of Healing. "Egan's here, isn't he? Got himself into some sort of trouble knowing big bro." He gave a hearty laugh.
"Idiots, all of them." Mira muttered before she all but snarled at the man, "This is a place of healing, moron!" In her defense, she had not slept much the night before, and her body still ached from the intensive healing she had performed.
The man thumped her twice on the shoulder in greeting causing her to grunt and glare at the weight of it. "Sure, of course it is," he agreed just as loudly as before, "Now, where's Egan, Mira? I have some information for him."
She sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Drevan, you blind feather-brained moron." she muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, but she pointed towards Egan before the man, now identified as Drevan, could open his mouth, "He's right there, but be qui—" He was already moving towards Egan's side before she could finish her sentence, leaving Mira to roll her eyes heavenward in exasperation. I want to go back to bed. Mira thought longingly.
Drevan crossed the distance to Egan's bedside in long, unhurried strides—and then stopped. The change in him was immediate. The loud, irreverent presence that had filled the hall, like a gust of wind, vanished as though it had never existed.
Drevan's gaze settled on Egan. He took in everything in a single, devastating sweep—the unnatural stillness, the pallor beneath his skin, the faint tension still coiled in Egan's frame as if even unconsciousness had not granted him peace. And for a long moment, Drevan said nothing.
"What," he asked softly, "did you do this time, brother?" There was no humor in his question, only quiet worry and fury toward the one that had harmed him.
Mira scoffed, with arms hugging her chest, "What he always does," she replied, her voice rough, "something unnecessarily reckless that nearly killed him."
Drevan didn't respond to her; he just stepped closer to Egan's side as Sienna watched this stranger's movement that felt akin to the moment before a predator decided whether to strike.
As he stood at the edge of the platform where Egan lay, Drevan could see the faint tremor in Egan's breathing and the blood that had not yet fully been washed from his throat. When he at last spoke, his voice held an almost undetectable tremor, "…He looks like hell."
He leaned slightly, studying Egan's face as if searching for any more injuries, then without warning he reached out and smacked Egan across the side of the head hard enough that the sound cracked lightly through the chamber.
Sienna startled and leaped to his feet, "What are you doing?!" he cried as Egan groaned.
Drevan didn't so much as glance at Sienna, addressing Egan, "You don't get to sleep through this," he said flatly. "Wake up," punctuating his command with another sharp tap.
Egan's brow furrowed, as a strained breath dragged into his lungs. "…Drevan?" he rasped in Triavan, the language of Drevan's people, voice rough and unfocused, "Ugh, just how much did I drink the other night?"
"Nothing," Drevan growled in the Western continent's common language, "You were too busy trying to kill yourself again!"
"Huh?" Egan said blearily as he struggled to wake up. Egan's eyes cracked open, glassy with exhaustion—but when they found Drevan, recognition and memories flickered within their verdant depths as he truly woke up.
"Little brother," Egan gave him a crooked smile, "Are you okay?"
Drevan stared at him for a heartbeat, then his hands shot out, gripping Egan's collar and hauling him up just enough to force eye contact, ignoring Sienna's cry of protest.
"You damned idiot!" He roared in Egan's face, "Why don't you worry about yourself more? Why do I have to be the responsible one?" His next statement truly perplexed Sienna as Drevan looked to be in his early fifties and Egan in his twenties, "You're the older brother!"
Mira furrowed her brow as Drevan all but shook Egan, "If you destroy my hard work, I will drown you." She hissed, yet Drevan didn't release him. Instead, Egan reached a calming hand out which came to rest on top of Drevan's own rough hands, "I'm sorry I worried you, little brother." He said as he smiled softly at Drevan.
Drevan huffed and looked away as his anger left him. He gently lowered Egan back to the bed and released him, "What happened?"
Egan hesitated, just for a moment, and that hesitation had Drevan whipping his head back to face Egan.
"…It was nothing," Egan hedged weakly. "Just overdid it a little."
Mira made a sharp, disbelieving sound as Drevan frowned at his blatant lie.
"Nothing?" Mira asked, visibly disgruntled. "You scorched your own lungs! You roasted your insides! You coughed up a veritable pool of blood!" Each declaration from Mira had Sienna flinching and Drevan tightening his fists.
Egan grimaced faintly. "You make it sound so bad."
"Because it was, idiot!" Mira screeched, her face turning red in anger.
Drevan's fists clenched. "Stop trying to change the subject! What happened?" He demanded.
For a moment, there was only silence, then Egan sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the Hall of Healing.
Drevan went very still. Why won't he say anything?! Drevan thought. This isn't like him.
"…Egan?" Drevan prompted quietly, confusion and worry lacing his voice.
Egan exhaled slowly, but Mira's patience had snapped, "You used both!" She cried. "Why?" In her agitation, her eyes were flickering to a seafoam glow.
Drevan looked at Mira confused as did Sienna. "…Both of what?" Drevan asked.
Egan winced as she answered, "Sword aura," she said slowly, each word deliberate, as she relived the panic and fear she felt as she struggled to save him. "And flame."
Drevan's eyes widened in understanding, "What?" His head whipped back toward Egan, "You did what!?"
Egan shut his eyes briefly before finally saying, "I had little choice."
Drevan let out a short, incredulous breath. "What in the Realms is that supposed to mean?!"
As Egan smiled weakly, Drevan frowned at him, "Brother, I need to know the truth. I'm not a child anymore. Just tell me." He was growling by the end.
Egan's jaw tightened. "That's not—" He cut himself off as his eyes snapped toward Sienna, who was watching the scene play out before him in utter befuddlement.
Drevan's gaze sharpened instantly, and he eyed Sienna with the full weight of his gaze, and Sienna tensed as he felt that weight as a blade at his throat. It vanished when Drevan looked back at Egan.
"…Explain," he said. Mira stepped closer, voice low but edged with steel. "Now." For once, they were aligned, and the picture they made had Egan huffing faintly in amusement.
"You're both insufferable," Egan muttered, but he sighed and at last answered, "It was the bond."
Sienna went white at Egan's words even as Drevan frowned and asked, "What bond?"
Egan's lips pressed into a thin line, "When I bought Sienna, I was intending to free him completely. I thought the collar might be a bit of an issue, but I didn't think it would be more than that." Egan's frown deepened, "The mage though, he used some spell on us. I have no idea what, but…" Egan trailed off in thought.
When Egan was silent for too long, Mira snapped, "But what?"
Egan looked up at her, her words bringing him back from his thoughts. "It's just the spell…the more I think about it, the more I feel like it was different and filled with malice."
Sienna jolted from his guilt-ridden thoughts, "What do you mean?"
"I know Agni thought that it wasn't a slave bond that they forced on us, but I think that before it hit me it was or at least something just as dark. But once it touched me it was forced to change." Egan said, eyes unfocused in contemplation.
"What are you talking about!?" Drevan demanded, his voice echoing loudly in the hall.
Egan suppressed a sigh, "They threw a spell at us that ended up connecting us. It is currently a protective bond, but the mage said it would allow me to control Sienna. I think what I am, changed it."
Drevan and Mira both said, "How?" Then glared at one another for having the same thought.
"I don't really know. Fire is ever changing. Even when it's shaped by others to work for them, it can escape that form and become something wild. I think the part of me which is flame, took the bond and shaped it into something I could live with." Egan sighed and shrugged, "It's just a guess though."
"If we're talking about the nature of fire, why didn't it just eat the spell?" Drevan asked curiously as his nature as leader of an information guild peaked through.
Egan shook his head, "Fire isn't all powerful; it can't consume everything. Think of stone, dirt, and sand. There are even trees that fire cannot easily touch. I think the spell is similar; it's something flame can't consume." Egan huffed a laugh, "I'm not all powerful, little brother."
"Clearly!" snarled Mira, gesturing to his prone form. "But don't think I haven't realized you've skirted the original question!"
Egan winced, "Of course not, Mira." He sighed and decided to just get it over with. "It would seem that if Sienna is in danger, the bond prioritizes Sienna's safety over my own."
Drevan's and Mira's expressions darkened at Egan's observation even as Sienna's breath caught. Sienna felt his very blood run cold. Everything is my fault. He wouldn't be lying here if it wasn't for me.
"You're telling me," Drevan spoke slowly and darkly, "that thing forced you to break your own limit?"
Egan gave a weak shrug as he admitted, "Yeah. It happened so suddenly, I couldn't stop it."
Sienna's hands trembled where they rested, clenched tight in the blanket as though it were the only thing keeping him from coming apart entirely.
"I—" His voice broke before the word could fully form. "Forgi—" His broken words drew the eyes of the others. Sienna bowed his head sharply, his dark black hair falling forward, like a curtain made of a starless night, to shield his face, but it did nothing to hide the way his shoulders had begun to shake. "This is… this is because of—," he tried again, quieter this time, but no less raw. "If I hadn't—if I hadn't been weak, if I hadn't been caught—" His voice broke in a dry sob.
"Stop." Egan's voice cut through Sienna's spiral into despair and self-hatred with a hoarse voice that was nonetheless unyielding.
The harsh tone of Egan's voice had Sienna flinching as though he had been struck. Egan winced as that had not been his intention. He shifted despite the protest of his body, pushing himself up just enough to reach Sienna's hand, which he clasped tightly, trying to convey his feelings through that touch.
Egan sought Sienna's eyes, and when he connected with them, he said in a much softer voice. "Sienna, this is no one's fault, but the mages who did this to you and me. If you must harbor hatred, aim it at them and not yourself." Egan smiled tenderly, but Sienna shook his head, his breath hitching.
"It is. It is my fault! You, you said it yourself—the bond—" Sienna gasped the words on the edge of hyperventilating.
"That's right, Egan interrupted, tightening his grip just slightly. "The bond forged by the mages forced me into injuring myself. It was the mages that created the bond, not you, Sienna," Egan smiled crookedly, "I don't remember you asking me to have a bond forged between us."
The devastation in his eyes as he looked into Egan's eyes was unmistakable. "You almost died." He whispered.
Egan huffed faintly, a ghost of his usual crooked humor flickering through. "Almost," he agreed. "But I didn't."
"That doesn't make it better!" Sienna's voice cracked, louder now, the grief spilling over. "You burned yourself from the inside just to—just to protect me. Someone you didn't even know. What if something like this happens again?"
Egan's lips twitched, "I will be more vigilant so it doesn't, but, Sienna," Egan released Sienna's hand and cupped his cheek, "I don't regret what happened or the bond," Egan wiped away a tear with his thumb, "And I especially don't regret you. I don't need to know your life's story to care for you. Your actions from the moment I first saw you standing on that wooden platform with defiance shining from your eyes to now have shown me who you are," Egan brushed more tears away, the rough pad of his sword worn hand somehow grounding Sienna, "I knew then, and I know now, you are worth saving." Egan exclaimed quietly with all the feeling he had felt growing in his heart for Sienna since their first meeting.
Egan's words and quiet confidence shattered the fraying control Sienna had been clinging to, giving way entirely. He clenched his eyes shut tightly as tears spilled forth regardless. Despite this or perhaps because of this he could not turn away from Egan nor break contact with him, rather he pressed his cheek deeper into Egan's hand.
"I'm sorry," he choked. "I—I just—feel so weak. A burden on you—"
Egan shifted again, slower this time, careful of the way his body protested. "Hey," he murmured. It took effort, but he managed to pull Sienna just slightly closer, not an embrace, but enough that Sienna could feel the warmth of him and Egan ran a trembling hand through Sienna's thick ebony hair. "You're not weak," Egan said quietly. "Surviving…," Egan choked slightly before he continued, "You survived the slavers and mages, you survived their pursuit, and you will continue to survive and live. That is true strength. It is easy to give up, and dying wins you nothing, but you bravely lived and fought on to survive," Egan pushed Sienna's hair back and gently gripped it forcing Sienna to meet his eyes again, "Sienna, you're so strong it leaves me in awe. Please don't call yourself weak."
Sienna's eyes widened at his words before he buried his head in Egan's chest to weep with abandon. Each stroke of his hair from Egan's hand drawing more tears from him.
Drevan observed the man who had raised him as Egan stroked ebony locks, his whole attention stolen by the dragon. His gaze flicked between Egan and Sienna, taking in the way Egan held him and the way Sienna clung to Egan. I can't remember the last time I saw such a look on brother's face. Drevan thought somewhat pained.
Mira merely looked at the two of them so wrapped up in one another that she was certain they had forgotten she and Drevan were there as well. She felt the ghost of an old pain in her heart, but she brushed it aside. Perhaps now, I'll finally see him truly happy, and that's all that matters. She hid half a smile filled with more sorrow than amusement. No, she thought, his happiness is all that I will allow to matter.
After what Drevan thought to be plenty of time, he cleared his throat loudly causing Sienna to stiffen and turn red up to his ears. Sienna reluctantly pulled away from Egan and turned to wipe his eyes away from the others' view.
"Ahem." Drevan cleared his throat again into the awkward silence, "So…brother, is there anything else we should be aware of when it comes to this bond of yours?"
Egan sighed as he thought, then shook his head. "I'm not sure. A moment, and I will check the bond inwardly."
Sienna whipped around with panic on his face, "What? You shouldn't be using your po—"
Mira cut Sienna off, "It'll be fine, Sienna." She assured, "It shouldn't hurt him to look, and we do need to know if there are anymore surprises." Drevan nodded his agreement, before realizing who he was agreeing with, and stopped abruptly to scowl at Mira.
Sienna's hands subconsciously searched for Egan's hand and clutched it tightly in his anxiousness, "Are you certain?" he asked Mira.
She smiled with a hint forlorn in hidden in the curve of her lips, "I'm sure."
Egan squeezed Sienna's hand back and closed his eyes. He searched within himself for the bond newly apart of him. Finding it, he examined the bond closely before reaching out to touch it carefully. He heard Sienna gasp, and immediately stopped. His eyes snapped open, "Sienna?" He questioned worriedly.
"I'm fine," He assured Egan, "I just felt something. It didn't hurt."
Egan furrowed his brow, "What did it feel like?" he asked seriously.
Sienna flushed, but answered, "Warm."
Egan grinned at his answer, "I see." He said pleased and closed his eyes once more. He grabbed the bond again, feeling Sienna tighten the hold on his hand in response. He focused intensely on the bond for a long moment before opening his eyes.
Tilting his head, he told the others, "I think the bond is distance related."
"How so?" Drevan pressed immediately.
"I think we can only be so far apart before it demands we shorten the distance." Egan seemed intrigued by the idea, but Drevan and Mira were put on edge.
"How far?" Mira asked with all the concern of a healer.
Egan grimaced faintly aware she wouldn't appreciate his ambiguous answer, "I don't know the exact distance yet," he admitted. "But I can feel it. I felt it back in the marsh. It led me to him" His gaze shifted briefly to Sienna before returning to Mira's. "When he's too far… it's like something starts pulling. Tightening." He exhaled. "And if it stretches too much—"
"It'll hurt you," Mira finished grimly.
Egan shrugged in response, "Maybe. Still, not sure. In the mangroves, it pulled me to him. It didn't hurt, but I don't know what will happen if it pulls and, for whatever reason, I cannot answer."
Mira swore under her breath, pacing once before turning back to them, her seafoam eyes flickering with concern now rather than anger. "Then separating you two isn't an option," she muttered. "Not until I understand that spell or bond or whatever it is better!"
Drevan dragged a hand down his face before straightening, slipping back into something more composed and more like the guildmaster he was.
"…Then we work around it," he said decisively, "but, for now, it doesn't seem to be actively trying to harm them, so—"
Mira snorted. "Oh? Not actively harming them? Work around it?" There was something dangerous in her voice that had all the men wincing, "You don't even know what IT is! Aren't you being too careless, you utter birdbrain! How are you still alive with that kind of attitude?!"
Drevan took on an offended air. "What's that supposed to mean? I only meant there's no use worrying about something we can't change!"
"Oh, yes! The perfect attitude for an information guild's leader! Why, I can't imagine who taught you such perfect ideals!" She sneered.
Now Drevan was really offended, "I'm nothing like him! I have way more self-preservation than him!" Drevan declared while pointing at Egan.
"Hey!" Egan cried in protest as much as he could with his dwindling energy.
Sienna looked between the three of them. He had thought this for a while but was this how mortals showed affection?How…odd, he mused, It would seem the more people squabbled among one another, the closer that meant they were as friends. Interesting.
Finally, Egan demanded, "Why are you here, Drevan?"
Drevan folded his arms, and just as he was about to answer, sparks gathered near Egan. They cracked and popped, then flared bright. The sudden flare of light cut through the lingering tension like a blade through silk. The flames curled and coiled, sparks dancing in tight spirals within the air, heat blooming outward in a wave that made the nearby healers recoil. The air shimmered, bending as if reality itself bowed to the presence forcing its way through. Then the fire took shape, and Kine descended as though stepping out of the heart of a living inferno, her form elegant and terrible all at once. Taller than Mira, her hair flowed like molten gold, each strand flickering with embers, and her eyes burned with an ancient, knowing intensity that dwarfed even the most seasoned elementalist in the hall. Where her bare feet touched the platform, faint scorch marks spread like delicate fractures in stone.
At the sight of her, Sienna felt every instinct in him scream a warning of power.
Drevan stilled instantly, every ounce of his earlier boisterousness vanishing as his gaze sharpened into something cautious and calculating. This was not the Kine he was familiar with. While she was powerful, she was also usually small, and it was not difficult for Drevan to think of her as a mischievous sprite, but this form was all together different. He couldn't help but feel wary at the sight of her.
Mira, for once, said nothing, as she could say nothing. The fire that was Kine burned in such a way that it forced the part of her which was water to submit.
Only Egan exhaled, a faint, weary sound. "…Kine." He knew she was here by His power. If Egan ever summoned her in what was very close to her true form, he would have to pay a dear price.
Kine's gaze settled on him immediately, softening by a fraction although it was the kind of softness that still carried the weight of a blazing sun.
"You are alive," she said, voice like crackling fire over quiet coals, yet echoing with a power that resounded in the Hall of Healing like a physical thing. There was a tinge of relief in her visage that only Egan could see.
She stepped closer, her presence pressing down on the space, and though her attention remained on Egan, her awareness brushed over everyone present giving them all chills as she assessed and measured and then dismissed.
Kine's tone shifted into something sharper, "I come with a message."
Egan's brow furrowed faintly. "…From Him?"
Kine did not nod, but the flames that made her flared once in quiet affirmation. "Yes." She agreed.
Drevan's and Mira's eyes flicked sharply to Egan, and Sienna stiffened, confusion cutting through the remnants of his grief. Who?
Kine continued, each word deliberate, "The one who bears the amulet of the Shard of the First Flame is under siege."
Egan's expression darkened immediately, "How?"
Kine's lips thinned, and for the first time since she arrived, there was something like disdain in her voice. "A mental assault. It slithers through the mind, slowly poisoning and enslaving."
Sienna's breath hitched at the words even as Drevan's posture shifted, tension coiling through him, and Mira's expression hardened, all traces of irritation and fatigue gone.
Kine continued, her voice cooling further. "The amulet was never meant to defend against such a thing. It resists, but only barely. It is failing." A flicker of flame curled around her hand, tightening like a fist, "He is sustaining it. Holding the amulet's protection together by force."
Egan felt as though there was a boulder on his chest. He had been fighting the fog of exhaustion before Kine's arrival, but all the news she brought only added, and Egan had to fight for clarity, "For how long?" He pressed.
Kine shrugged apologetically, "As long as he can." And for a long moment there was only silence as the weight of what she spoke of spread and lay like a mantle across his shoulders, bending them with its weight. "If you wish to save the one who wears the amulet," Kine continued, "you must find him."
The words struck and something clicked causing Egan's eyes to widen as memory rushed in like a King Tide. This wasn't about just someone. His breath caught as he understood what his mind had been trying to protect him from.
"…No," he whispered even as a memory surged forward. Scales as white as spun cloud flashing beneath sunlight, laughter so joyous the wind stole it to spread across the mountains, and a grandiose form folding down into the form of a man, no less striking, with long white hair and steady brown eyes holding the presence of quiet strength lined with patience.
A contented voice gave the memory sound.
"You're reckless, Egan."
"And you're too cautious."
"Balance, then."
Egan's eyes sparked as his hands tightened in the sheets. "Thalroth." The name leaving his lips like something fragile and sacred.
Drevan's head snapped toward him and away from Kine, whom he had not been able to tear his gaze from. "…You know who it is," he said grimly. If this person is dear to him, there's nothing he won't do for him, but he's already so injured. Brother, please. Drevan prayed without being sure what he was asking for.
Egan's gaze had gone distant and unfocused, pulled somewhere far beyond the confines of hall. "The Enduring Sky," he murmured hoarsely. Those scales still flashing before his eyes. His chest tightened, "I gave him the amulet." The realization hit fully and with it came something sharp, "Ah, by the elements, Thalroth! How long have you been suffering?"
Something ugly twisted in Sienna's chest as Egan gave voice to his despair. Thalroth. The name echoed bitterly in his mind. Another dragon and someone Egan knew and cherished. Sienna's fingers curled slightly into the blanket. He gave him a powerful amulet of protection. Sienna's throat tightened. There was a history there, Sienna could never touch and would likely never come close to. He was a rescue born of circumstance and chance.
The warmth he had clung to just moments ago flickered unsteadily. His gaze lowered, shadows creeping into his mind despite himself. Of course, he thought, someone like him would have someone like that. His chest ached.
Absorbed in his thoughts and panic for Thalroth, Egan didn't notice Sienna's pain. He was piecing everything together. "Notus's ruler," he said, voice sharpening. "He bought Thalroth."
Drevan exhaled sharply and nodded. "Must be. I came here to tell you about another dragon being held in Galecrest."
"Oh?" Mira drawled sardonically, "You must feel incredibly useful."
"How was I supposed to know about this absolute mess?" Drevan shot back. "Besides, I have other information. I've already moved pieces," he said, forcing the conversation forward. "Hiro's in Galecrest. He's on standby," Drevan continued. "If we get the dragon…I mean, Thalroth out, he'll stabilize him."
Mira nodded once, already thinking ahead. "If his mind is under attack, we'll need more than physical healing…"
"You will," Kine confirmed. "He endures because he believes you will come, Egan." Those words hit Egan like a physical blow.
Sienna's chest tightened again, but this time for a different reason because he recognized that kind of belief having felt it himself. It was a fragile, desperate thing, the hope someone will care, that someone will save you. His jealousy wavered, cracked by something more complicated. Egan's hand tightened around Sienna's startling from his reverie. Sienna blinked, startled slightly by the contact. Egan hadn't let go, he thought as something in his chest shifted easing the sharpness of his pain.
Kine watched Egan's face; she could see him considering his own health, and she saw the moment he shoved it aside, dismissing it from consideration. Kine walked up to Egan's side, once more drawing the attention of all the others.
"Child of flame and ash," she began formally, "I will give you a boon."
Egan blinked at her in surprise, "A what?"
"I know you, Egan." Lips made of cinder and flame quirked upwards, as her master's often did. "I know you plan to throw everything else aside and rush to your dear friend's aid."
"Kine." Egan began, but Kine shook her head trailing sparks and embers in the air as though stars were falling.
"I will not stop you. I do not believe even He could stop you." She smiled regretfully, "Instead I will bestow some of the power given to me to find you."
Egan's eyes widened, "That's why you're in that form!" He exclaimed. I knew Kine had guts, but I didn't realize that she would be bold enough to imply not knowing of my whereabouts to Him, just so she could get some extra power. Damn, Kine! He thought aghast at her daring.
"Hmph." She smiled slyly, rather pleased with herself. "It's coming in handy now, right?" She said seeing that her master understood what she had done. She reached out toward Egan only to stop when Mira cried out.
"Wait! He was damaged internally by his power. I'm not sure his body can take on yours." Mira's concern sparked the others, Sienna and Drevan tensing at her words.
Kine snorted derisively at her. "What you don't know, I do. My flame will never harm Egan." She declared and placed her hand on Egan's chest amid the protests.
The effect was immediate. Egan's eyes didn't just glow, they leaked flames as his body lit like a torch and arched as flame crawled through him and around him eating the bedding in a ravenous fit. Fire crowned him, flowing out in a parody of hair in the wind. Power and heat rolled off him in waves. The power was suffocating as if all the oxygen in the room had been stolen.
As the light spilled out of Egan, surrounding him, everyone in the Hall of Healing, including the gawking healers, had to raise their hands to shield against the blinding radiance.
Then, in an instant, the luminous sun, which had engulfed Egan, was snuffed out as if it had never been, and Egan was left laying limply on the platform.
"He is healed. I have even reversed the damage your damnable country inflicts upon him simply by being. He will need to rest for a few hours, but when he wakes, he will be as he was." Kine explained then before anyone had a chance to say anything, she form morphed into a single flame, quickly shrank to embers, and sparked once before extinguishing.
For a long moment after Kine dispersed, no one spoke. The Hall of Healing, which was so often filled with the quiet murmur of water and whispered murmurings felt hollow in her absence, as though something vast had been torn from it, leaving only the echo behind.
Egan lay still. The rise and fall of his chest had evened, the tension that had once coiled through his body was now gone, leaving behind something deceptively peaceful though that peace did not last.
Mira moved first. She heaved out a breath and rolled her shoulders as if shaking off weight of the scene which had just played out before them. Then, without a word, she turned sharply.
"You two," she said referring to Drevan and Sienna while already walking. "He's not staying here."
Drevan blinked at the abrupt change. "What? Why not? This is a healing h—"
"This," Mira snapped, gesturing sharply around them, "is a public healing hall. And I am not about to leave someone like him," she jabbed a finger toward Egan, "lying out in the open after that display." Her eyes flicked toward the other healers that were still ogling them, dumbstruck. They had just witnessed something beyond them, and Mira, knew that when they came to their senses, they would be desperate to examine Egan for their own curiosity's sake.
Mira scowled in the direction of the fools staring as if what little intelligence originally gifted to them had been smothered in the by heat Kine left lingering in the hall. "No. Absolutely not." She affirmed before turning to stride away. "We're relocating him."
Drevan rolled his shoulders and stepped toward Egan. "Alrighty then," He said as he bent, one hand sliding beneath Egan's shoulders, the other reaching for his legs with practiced ease, yet Sienna stopped him before he could lift Egan.
"No." In his rush, his word came out sharper than Sienna intended. Drevan paused, glancing to where Sienna's hand was closed around Egan's.
"I'll carry him." Sienna intoned with false bravado.
Drevan raised a brow. "You?" He asked mockery absent from his tone and surprise on his face.
Sienna nodded, trying to keep eye contact with the eyes of being that seemed more predator than man. "Yes." He answered quietly yet firmly.
Drevan studied him for a moment before straightening, "You sure about that?" he asked even as he relinquished all hold on Egan. "He's not light and you don't have access to even a quarter of what you are."
Sienna's jaw tightened slightly at the reminder, "I know."
In his study of Sienna, Drevan saw something stubborn and protective in Sienna's expression, which caused Drevan's own eyes to narrow slightly.
Sienna saw their narrowing and anticipated having to argue with Drevan, but then, unexpectedly, Drevan stepped back. "Alright," Drevan said simply.
Mira glanced over her shoulder and growled at the men who were taking their sweet time, "I don't care who carries him, just hurry up!" then she grumbled, "And they say women take forever when going anywhere! Ha! Typical males."
At her urging, Sienna moved quickly but carefully as he slid one arm beneath Egan's shoulders, the other beneath his knees. For a brief moment, he stilled as he braced himself, then he lifted and Egan's weight settled into him. It's a solid, warm feeling. Sienna thought the sudden closeness causing his breath to catch. Even unconscious, Egan radiates heat. It was grounding and comforted Sienna as he adjusted his grip instinctively, pulling Egan closer to keep him secure. Egan's head tipped toward him with the movement and rested lightly against Sienna's shoulder.
Sienna froze for half a heartbeat as he felt Egan's breath tickle his neck. "…I have him," he told Mira and the ever-observing Drevan, quietly.
Mira gave a short nod and started toward the corridor. "Then follow me."
The open expanse of the Hall of Healing gave way to narrower corridors carved from pale marble forming natural pillars with their surfaces smoothed and worn by centuries of flowing water that likely entered from the small opening that dotted the hallways letting in natural light and allowing some greenery to crawl within. A thin channel of water lined one edge of the corridor and cast faint, shifting light along the walls. The water was like a stream which accompanied any traveler and whispered softly to them as they walked.
The further they went within, the quieter it became. Sienna walked carefully as the water on the surrounding marble made each step a little treacherous, and he had no desire to so much as jostle Egan. He refused to risk even the smallest discomfort, and adjusted his grip minutely whenever needed, ever cautious with the one who had become so very precious to him.
Mira slowed as they approached a set of tall doors. They stood apart from everything else—crafted from pale, luminous wood inlaid with flowing patterns of silver and sea-glass the color of deep waters, it was as though currents were captured mid-motion. Faint elemental runes traced the frame and hummed softly with aquatic power.
Drevan let out a low whistle. "Well. This is new."
Mira didn't look at him. "No." She asserted derisively, "You've just never been important enough to be brought here."
"…You wound me."
She ignored him as she pressed her hand against the door causing the runes to flare and the doors to open.
The room was expansive though not overwhelming so. A polished larimar floor shimmered with veins of pale silver and gold, making it seem like they were walking on water lit by the sun, the larimar reflected the soft, ambient light which filled the space. Crystals of quartz and tanzanite as well as iridescent shells were embedded in the walls and cast a gentle, oceanic glow, shifting faintly like light through underwater cave.
To the left of room, near a balcony where sheer curtains fluttered in the sea breeze offering glimpses of the sprawling Azurefall and surrounding ocean, lay a wide bed carved from pale wood, with a frame crafted in flowing, wave-like patterns. The bed was draped in layers of fine fabric the colors of white, silver, and soft blue, which seemed to ripple even when still.
To one side, a recessed pool lay still and mirror-like, surrounded by curved seating and plush cushions while sheer cloth and clear quartz crystals hung from the ceiling in a parody of numerous jellyfish swimming languidly through the depths.
Sienna stepped inside the lavish room hesitantly; he had never seen its like. He was beginning to wonder just what else he missed due to his isolation from mortals.
Mira broke the spell the room had cast over Sienna and gestured sharply. "Bed."
Sienna nodded and carefully lowered Egan to the soft fabric. He found that he couldn't pull away immediately, his hand lingering on Egan's shoulder.
Drevan, who was taking in the luxurious room, asked Mira, "Can we really use this room?"
Mira raised a brow at him, "We? You're not sleeping here." She corrected wryly.
Drevan would never admit that what came out of his mouth was a whine worthy of any five-year-old, "What?"
"Don't what me," she retorted grabbing him by the arm to drag him bodily from the room, "I'm sure there's a hole around here somewhere we can stick you in."
As the doors closed behind them, Sienna heard Drevan all but sob, "I really hate you."
They left silence in their wake and combined with the feeling the room radiated, Sienna truly felt as though he was lost in the depths. He turned away from the door to study Egan. He looked peaceful as if all the pervious trials were nothing but whispers in the wind. Sienna scrubbed his face in frustration with his hands, his fingers getting tangled in his long ebony locks. He started to roughly pull his hands free when fingers ghosted over his own. Don't harm your beautiful tresses. A familiar voice whispered to him.
His head shot up and locked on to Egan's sleeping form. Ha! Now, I'm hallucinating him? Sienna thought incredulously, What is going on with me? He looked up at the ceiling where quartz hung in strings and flicked light here and there, No. Do I really not know? He lowered his gaze back to Egan and clutched at his heart before closing his eyes. He tried to imagine a world where he was as alone as he was before those mages had stolen him, a world without Egan. His breath caught in his throat, and he gasped as something low in his stomach clenched tighter than he could bear. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he opened his eyes again. I can't even bear to imagine a world without him. When did this happen? How? Sienna bent forward and grasped at the sheets, his tears dropping down to stain the silk, Ah, by the skies! I love him! I love Egan.
Dragons were not incapable of love, Sienna knew. There were a few of his kind that deeply loved one another and never separated no matter how many centuries past, but they were not the norm. There were too few dragons for them all to be so lucky. Yet, here he was, in love with a mortal. He was not fool enough to want to fight it, love was too rare, too precious for his kind.
Suddenly, he ached with the need to wake Egan and tell him, to hear how Egan felt. Would he return his love, or…Thalroth. Did the other have what he had only just found?
A knock at the door before they opened unanswered, jolted Sienna harshly from his ruminations and he spun towards the maid who had appeared with a heavily laden cart full of various seafood.
She bowed to Sienna, "My apologies, my lord. It was not my intention to startle you."
Sienna blinked at her, "My lord?" he repeated dubiously.
The maid had begun to relive the cart of its burden, placing food on the only table in the room, "Indeed," she answered as she worked, "My lady Mira has given instructions that the guests within this room are to be well attended to." Behind her placid demeanor, the maid was recalling Mira's promise to hang them by their ankles from the tallest tower in Azurefall if they were even slightly disrespectful toward her guests though she had assured them that they could disrespect Drevan all they wanted.
"I see…" Sienna answered, confusion evident in his voice even as he eyed the delicious looking food.
The scent of the meal wafted over to Sienna, and the resulting growl of his stomach was loud enough to startle the maid causing Sienna to flush. The maid swallowed her laughter and gestured to the lavish feast she had just laid out, "Please partake, my lord."
She hid a smile at the face Sienna made when she called him "lord" and watched as he stiffly moved to sit before the food.
"If I may, my lord." Sienna paused from where he had begun to eat and looked at the maid, "It looks as though something is troubling you."
Sienna tilted his head thoughtfully as he chewed and swallowed, "I suppose, I am frightened."
The eyes of the maid widened in surprise at his candor. "May I ask of what, my lord."
Sienna's eye twitched at the form of address, but he still answered, "I feel as though I have finally found what my life has long lacked, but…" Sienna turned his head toward Egan, "if he doesn't share my feelings, have I already lost what I thought I found?" He pondered quietly.
The maid observed Sienna thoughtfully before she said, "My lord, I have swum the waters of Azurefall for nigh on seven hundred years now, and–"
"Seven hundred years!" Exclaimed Sienna looking at the seemingly young woman in front of him, "I thought the people here were mortals!"
Taken aback, the maid slowly shook her head, "We water elementalists have a lifespan of around a thousand years, but I assure you we are quite mortal."
Sienna rubbed his forehead at the weight of his ignorance before he gestured at the maid, "Forgive me, please continue what you were saying."
She smiled kindly at him, "In my experience, my lord, what the future holds is never as bad as what we might imagine. I think if you speak with him and are honest with him, you might find that you are not so alone in your feelings." She had heard her lady's mutterings about these two and felt confident that they shared the same feelings. "Courage, my lord, opens far more doors than fear."
Sienna nodded, "Thank you for your council." He said respectfully to the woman, who far outstripped him in years. Sienna continued his meal in silence, the maid cleaned up and left soundlessly without disturbing his thoughts.
Sienna rose and walked over to the bed. His eyes roamed from, copper and crimson strands splayed out upon the pillow cradling his head, to the auburn lashes brushing his cheeks, down his pale neck still stained slightly with blood, to his muscular chest, to his–
Sienna's cheeks flamed. Ah, skies. He thought as he shoved his hand through his hair, before he lay down next to Egan. I'm hopeless. He lamented. Sleep rose from the comfortable bed, wrapped around Sienna and dragged him into a world of dreams.
****
The ocean beyond the windows darkened, the light shifting from soft blue to deep indigo, long shadows stretched across the room. The glow from the embedded crystals glowed dimly, leaving the space bathed in quiet, muted light.
Egan woke to a familiar ceiling having stayed here before, but the warm presence and weight on his chest was new as was the black sea of locks strewn around him mixing with his own copper and crimson strands.
Sienna was curled around him, his head resting on Egan's chest as if listening to his steady heartbeat. Egan smiled tenderly at his form, raising a hand to stroke the silky hair that swam around them like a dark ocean. He brushed some hair back from Sienna's face and smiled wider when Sienna crinkled his nose as a few stray strands tickled his nose.
Sienna groaned as woke, "…Egan." He asked blearily. Egan's stomach tightened as his name was the first thing uttered by Sienna.
"Yes, I'm here." He said softly.
Sienna blinked the world into focus and flushed as he realized his position, but before he could jolt back and away, Egan cupped his cheek.
"Don't." That single word stole any movement from Sienna, and his breath stilled as Egan gazed into his face. "You're beautiful." He said at last.
"Egan?" Sienna gasped.
"Ah." Egan released Sienna. "Forgive me, I'm being too forward."
Sienna quickly caught Egan's retreating hand and shook his head. "No, that's not it. I just…" Sienna steeled himself, "I think…No, I know, I've fallen in love with you, but…" Sienna trailed off.
"But?" prompted Egan.
After a long moment of silence, he said, "I know you have him. I just–"
"Wait, who?" Egan sat up a little to look at Sienna and shook his head, "Do you mean Thalroth?" Egan suppressed the need to jump to his feet and run to Thalroth's rescue at the reminder of him, but Sienna was important too and deserved his attention right now. And, he reasoned with himself, no one is likely to be awake right now and Mira might just kill him if he woke her in the middle of the night after all the power she had expended for his sake.
Sienna nodded shyly. "You've known him for a long time and care about him, right?"
Egan huffed a sigh, "Sienna, he is dear to me, but not in the way you fear." He buried his hand into Sienna's soft hair, "We have known each other as friends and only friends."
Sienna looked doubtfully at him, "But you gave him the amulet…"
Egan sighed and plopped back onto the bed to stare hard at the ceiling, "I did, but mostly it was to get back at my father."
Baffled Sienna could only utter, "Huh?"
"My father made that amulet for me, to protect me." Egan spat.
Mortals were truly perplexing beings, Sienna thought, "That seems…" Sienna trialed off not wanting to offend Egan, but just what was he supposed to say to that?
Egan huffed a laugh at the hesitation and confusion he could hear in Sienna's voice, "Nice, right? Like some doting father?"
Sienna could clearly hear the disdain in Egan's voice and said nothing, but he agreed with Egan's words. His father does sound caring. Sienna couldn't imagine his own draconic parents making such an effort for him.
"But he only made it after he did something horrible to me and spent a long time after ignoring my existence." Frustration buried the sorrow in Egan's voice as he spoke. He shook his head, "In any case, I gave the amulet to Thalroth because I didn't want to hold onto it."
"I see," acknowledged Sienna even though he still didn't understand. What could have been so horrible that Egan couldn't accept what was clearly an apology from his father? Although, Sienna conceded, I don't know the whole story, and it's not my place to judge. He knew better than to ask Egan about the details right now. Sienna felt that any questions regarding the amulet and Egan's father would not be welcome, so he asked instead, "Egan, if that is true, then how do you feel about me?"
Egan stilled at the question, and for a moment, he said nothing. Not because he didn't know the answer, but because he did, which somehow, made it that much harder.
His gaze drifted from the ceiling back to Sienna, really looking at him this time. The soft uncertainty in his expression. The way his fingers still lightly held onto Egan's arm, as if afraid he might disappear if he let go. Egan exhaled slowly.
"…How do I feel about you?" he repeated quietly, as though testing the shape of the words. His chest tightened as his thoughts swirled. Since when did it become this? Since when had this stopped being about responsibility, and become something that could undo him? Egan lifted a hand, hesitating only a fraction before letting it settle once more into Sienna's hair. This time, it wasn't just soothing, it was grounding.
"For someone from a race of beings that claims to be ever wise and powerful," Egan murmured, voice soft and a little rough, "you're remarkably unfair."
Sienna blinked. "Unfair?" His people claimed to be wise? No one had ever told him that.
Egan huffed faintly, but there was no real humor in it rather something quieter, more vulnerable. "You ask me that," he said, eyes searching Sienna's, "as if it started just now."
Sienna's breath caught, and Egan's gaze softened, growing distant for a moment as memory stirred. "It didn't," he admitted before continuing more quietly, "It started the moment I saw you."
Sienna went utterly still, his eyes tracing every subtle movement of Egan's lips.
Egan gave a faint, self-deprecating smile. "You were standing on that platform," he said, voice lowering, "covered in blood, chained, barely able to stand… and still looking at them like you'd rather die than bow." His fingers tightened slightly in Sienna's hair.
"I've seen people break before," he continued. "Warriors. Elementalists. People stronger than most will ever be or understand." His eyes darkened faintly, "But you didn't, haven't." Sienna's throat tightened as his own memories were sparked though Egan did not pause long enough for Sienna to sink into those memories, letting out a slow breath. "I told myself it was just anger," Egan went on. "That I hated what they were doing. That I couldn't stand seeing someone, anyone, treated like that." He paused, "…That I was just doing what I always do." Saving people. Fixing things. Carrying burdens that were never his to begin with.
Egan's lips twitched faintly, "But then you looked at me." Sienna's heart stuttered as he heard the weight within those words, "And you didn't trust me," Egan said softly.
There was no offense in his voice. Only something almost… fond. "You were afraid," Egan admitted, "but you still refused to yield. Even once we were bond." His gaze sharpened slightly. "And that should have made things easier." But it hadn't rather it had done the opposite.
Egan swallowed, "It should've stayed simple," he admitted quietly. "Free the dragon. Break the chains. Move on." That had always been his way: never stay, never linger, and never get attached. Egan scoffed at the thought within the privacy of his own mind. Really, now. Since when had that ever worked out? He shook his head, shaking away the thoughts and proceeded, "…But you kept looking at me like that." Egan ignored the way Sienna's fingers tightened around his arm. "Like you were waiting for me to prove you right," Egan said with sorrow in his eyes. "Waiting for me to hurt you."
Egan sighed and he shifted his hand, brushing a calloused thumb pad lightly along Sienna's cheek, "And I realized something I didn't expect." His voice dropped, "I wanted to prove you wrong."
Egan let out a quiet, breathless laugh, "That should've been my warning."
Sienna's chest ached. Why does it sound as though he doesn't want to… Egan's gaze softened again to something warm and unguarded shattering Sienna's thoughts.
"Then you said your name," he continued. "And all could think was…How beautiful…Sienna…"
Sienna's breath trembled at the tender utterance of his name. Egan's hand stilled against his cheek, and his voice grew quieter still. "After that… it stopped being so simple. My mind was filled with thoughts of you. Everything you did, I couldn't help but notice."
Egan bent his head forward and to touch Sienna's bringing them impossibly closer. Sienna was certain that Egan could hear the thundering of his heart, but only continued, "When you stumbled walking… I noticed. When you flinched… I noticed. And when you tried not to show pain…" his jaw tightened faintly, "…I noticed." Sienna's eyes burned at the passion and caring seeping from Egan's words.
"I tried to tell myself it was just responsibility," Egan admitted. "That I couldn't leave you like that, but when you smiled…" he said softly, "just a little… when you realized I wasn't going to hurt you–" His breath hitched, "That's when it got dangerous."
Egan laughed under his breath, but there was no levity in it. "You right, I've known Thalroth for a long time," he said, voice steadying. "I've fought beside him. Trusted him with my life." He pulled back slightly, and Egan's gaze settled fully on Sienna. "But you–" Egan cut himself off because this was the truth he hadn't wanted to face. "You just came into my life, and already…it is as if you have been subsumed into me…been made a part of me." he finished quietly. Sienna's breath caught sharply as Egan's expression softened into something almost helpless. "Do you understand how ridiculous all this is?"
Sienna shook his head faintly, so Egan continued. "I couldn't stop watching you," Egan admitted. "Even when I told myself I should." His hand slid back into Sienna's hair, slower this time, more deliberate. "When the bond formed," he continued, "I should've hated it." His lips pressed thin. "I do hate what they tried to do to us, but this bond, different than what they intended…it lets me feel you…know you."
Sienna froze. Just what did he mean by that? In truth, Sienna, without his draconic powers, found it impossible to so much touch the bond let alone feel anything from it; he was aware that Egan could grab the bond, but this was the first he was hearing about feeling him.
"I've felt your fear and pain, but I've felt your awe and wonder too," Egan's gaze softened further, "That indominable spirit of yours is truly something else." His thumb brushed lightly against Sienna's cheek again. "As I came to understand you, I realized something I wasn't prepared for."
For the first time since Egan had begun, Sienna whispered with a desperate edge, "What?"
"I didn't want to distance myself from you." Egan smiled, "I wanted to stay. I wanted you to stay. To be with me in every sense that implies," Egan confessed quietly.
Sienna's heart soared, but he was surprised, Egan didn't stop there, "When you ran into the mangroves…" His voice tightened and his hand clenched slightly were it still cupped Sienna's cheek, "I didn't think," His gaze darkened with memory, "I just knew I had to reach you, or I wouldn't be able to breathe."
Sienna's eyes widened as Egan exhaled shakily. "That's when I had to admit the truth," his voice dropped to something almost fragile, "This isn't just caring or a sense of responsibility." His fingers stilled in Sienna's hair. "It's you. I fell for you," Egan huffed self-deprecatingly, "No," he shook his head, "I'm still falling."
Sienna's breath broke as Egan flashed him a small, crooked smile. "And I don't want it to stop." Sienna's hand clung to Egan's arm as he began to tremble. "…So," Certainty in heavy in every word, "if you're asking how I feel about you…love…feels like too small a word."
Sienna's chest tightened as a strange awareness spread through him. It wasn't pain or fear, emotions he had gotten to know very well in a short amount of time. No, this was…recognition, maybe?
Sienna gasped, as he felt the world shift. As if from a far off distance, he could hear Egan call his name in concern, but he was too focused inwardly. Ah, he wondered, is this instinct? His senses sharpened in a way they never had before or after the collar. He could hear the quiet rise of Egan's breath, the warmth radiating from his skin, the steady, unwavering presence that filled the space around him like a contained flame. And, unbidden, MINE, the thought pulsed within him more tumultuously than any storm he had ever soared through on draconic wings.
It was so sudden and instinctual that it was terrifying, and Sienna flinched as though struck; his hand jerking slightly from where it gripped Egan's arm.
"Sienna?"
"I-I-something feels…it feels different!" Sienna struggled to articulate.
Egan quickly sought out the bond. "Oh!"
Sienna looked at him, uncertain. "What?"
Egan's expression shifted between realization and quiet awe. "The bond," he said softly. "I think it's… transforming."
"Transforming how?"
Egan hesitated because he didn't fully know or understand, but he could feel the flicker and sputter of change. He felt the bond reach for them and become warmer, brighter as though before it had been kindling and, now, surged into brilliance.
"I think it's responding to us," Egan said with wonder.
And for a moment, there was only silence as Egan was completely absorbed in observing the bond, then instincts as old as the kingdoms of the elementalists, flared past reason and burned like embers beneath Sienna's skin.
Dragons did not bond lightly. Usually, when they mated it was with the goal of preserving their species, and they soon parted again not long after. They did not give themselves to another so easily.
The embers, sparked by instinct, blazed beneath his skin, roared and gathered low in Sienna's stomach and like an inferno, it was scorching in its heat. Sienna gaze locked onto Egan's lips, and he found himself panting.
"…I don't understand this," he managed to get out.
Egan's flickered with flame as he met Sienna's heated gaze. "You don't have to," he said quietly.
Sienna shook his head as his hand reached up to tangle itself in Egan's shirt. "No… I-" Their breath hitched in unison as the bond pulsed. Sienna looked at Egan with uncertainty in his eyes, yet beneath the uncertainty lay desire.
Egan's expression softened at the look, "Sienna, you don't need to think, just…fall."
Sienna exhaled shakily, "…What do I do? I've never…I've never…"
Egan huffed a quiet breath, a faint smile touching his lips as his hand shifted to the back of Sienna's neck. "Let's start simple then," Egan murmured.
Sienna tilted his head curiously, "How?"
Egan hesitated before he closed what little distance there was between them, slowly, so Sienna had plenty of time to pull away if he wanted. Just before he touched Sienna's lips, Egan stopped even as everything in him screamed for him to continue.
He waited for Sienna, for him to move, and for a moment, Sienna froze. Then the bond pulsed once more, and Sienna's fingers tightened in Egan's shirt. He moved slowly and with uncertainty closing the little distance that remained.
When their lips met, it was light, barely there fluttering of breath. Sienna stilled at the contact, suddenly unsure what to do next, then the contact deepened as Egan took control. Sienna inhaled sharply against Egan's lips, instinctively leaning closer, his hand tightening as the inferno inside him settled into a controlled blaze, and Egan's hand on his neck steadied him as he guided Sienna to respond, unhurried. There was no demand in Egan's action, just soft direction, allowing Sienna to learn, to experience.
When they finally slightly pulled back and rested their foreheads together, Sienna's eyes remained closed then slowly opened, "…That felt…" he swallowed, "…I want to do that again."
Egan let out a soft, breathless laugh. "Good, because I wasn't planning on stopping."
Sienna flushed and reached out to touch the side of Egan's face. He had done this many times to Sienna, and he wanted to understand what it felt like from this direction. Warmth flared beneath his palm, and he watched his own fingers trace the outline of Egan's jaw, observing the edge of a new world he was about to enter.
"I don't know what to do." Sienna continued before Egan, who had opened his mouth, could say anything, "So show me. Show me how to love."
Egan caught Sienna's wrist and turned his head slightly to press a kiss into Sienna's palm. It was a small, fleeting contact, which sent heat rushing up the length of his arm to slam into his heart. "It would be…" Egan's voice was husky with desire as he met Sienna's eyes, "my honor."
In one swift, graceful move, Egan rose and straddled Sienna, leaning down to kiss him, claim him, explore him.
Sienna didn't know what to do, but Egan's earlier words of "just fall" flitted through his mind. He trusted Egan, so he fell into the taste of Egan. A taste of honey and hearth smoke. Touches trailing unseen flames.
That inferno smoldering in his belly morphed without warning into a firestorm and Sienna broke the kiss with a moan and gasp for air.
Sienna panted in awe and lust as Egan took off shirt, his armor long removed, and flung it to the side. Sienna's eyes darkened, reaching a hand up to brush across the many scars scattered across Egan's torso.
"Egan…" he said with sorrow in his voice, but Egan grabbed his wandering hand and kissed his fingers.
"They only show where I've been." Egan smiled, "They don't define me…Unless…perchance…they disgust you?" Egan trailed off far less confident.
"What?" Sienna cried, "No! I just…" he struggled to put words to his feelings, "Their remnants of your pain, and I just wish you never had to be in pain."
Egan relaxed, "Well, that's one wish we share. I dislike seeing you in pain too, so let's focus on pleasure."
Egan helped Sienna from his clothes, tossing them and his own pants carelessly about the room.
Sienna stared as he got his first view of all of Egan. Muscular, clearly defined abs, led his eyes to Egan's…substantial manhood.
As Sienna was taking in Egan's form, Egan was gazing at Sienna's. Sienna's pale body was only highlighted by the veritable sea of ebony hair splayed beneath him. Deep blue iris gazed up at Egan through narrowed slits. Egan watched as breaths lift Sienna's lush lips in lust filled pants, ivory skin spread, unblemished, down and over well-defined abs, where his sex was already erect and leaking.
He looks like a divine being fell to Avaloria. "You're stunning." Egan breathed.
He ran his hands up Sienna's flushed torso even as he claimed his mouth, pressed his thumbs over Sienna's nipples tearing a startled cry from Sienna. At Sienna's response, Egan pinched the nipples as he pinched and rubbed them and swallowed Sienna's ragged cry.
Sienna broke from the kiss and panted, "I need-I need…"
Egan took gentle hold of Sienna's chin and guided him back into a short kiss. "I know." He said, rasping, "And I will, but for now just feel."
Sienna dug his nails into Egan's back, scrambling for purchase, as Egan took one nipple into his mouth and sucked while his hand rubbed and pinched the other. When Egan lightly bit his nipple, Sienna arched his head back into the pillow and let out a choked cry.
Sienna's chest heaved as Egan gave him a brief respite as he reached for the salve on the edge of the bedside table. "Sienna, this next part…," Egan's voice was hoarse as though he had been the one screaming, "If you want to stop at any time, just tell me."
Sienna frowned and panted, "Why? Will it hurt?"
Egan looked thoughtfully at him as he threw the lid to the salve back on the table. "Hmm…maybe not…I think that I might be able to use the bond to keep it from hurting."
"Then why would I want you to stop?" Sienna asked, genuinely confused.
Egan barked a laugh before saying, "It can feel odd or scary at first.
"Just at first?"
Egan grinned at the innocence of the question, "Yes, usually, then, if I'm doing it right, it should feel amazing."
Sienna's eyes widened, "Better than this?"
Egan laughed full heartedly, before his eyes darkened, and he bent to hover just above Sienna's lips, "Oh yes," he said roughly, "Far more pleasurable than this."
He claimed Sienna's lips, thrusting his tongue within his mouth to trace the inside. He broke the kiss to trail more kisses down Sienna's neck pausing to give his chest extra attention, nipping and sucking as Sienna clung to him and cried out unabashedly as hips came off the bed entirely of their own volition.
Sienna's body trembled as he dragged in ragged breathes. He felt Egan's hand move lower and he buried one hand in Egan's crimson locks as he felt the press of a finger. "Ahhh, wha-? Ugh hah…"
"Breathe," Egan pressed his finger, slick with salve, past Sienna's entrance, and watched as Sienna's back arched and unintelligible cry was rung from him.
"E-Egan, i-it feels." Sienna could articulate no more than that.
"Shush, just trust me." Egan grasped Sienna's member causing him to almost levitate off the bed and scream with abandon.
Sienna's head tossed and turned, his hands finding and wringing the sheets as Egan thrust into him with one finger then two, scissoring him open. When Egan added a third, Sienna was already chanting his name, but he screamed it when Egan found a certain spot within him.
"P-please!"
"Please what?" Egan's voice was low and rough now as his composure began to fray at the seams.
"I d-don't…AHHHH!" Sienna screamed again as Egan hit that same spot again, "M-more…hauh…I need m-more!" He cried.
Sienna whined at the sense of loss as Egan removed his fingers. He didn't notice Egan using the salve to slicken his own member, but he felt it when Egan grabbed the bond. He felt when it when the muscles in the area Egan had been tormenting slackened and relaxed.
Egan bit Sienna's lower lip gently and said hoarsely, "Remember to breathe." Then, with a powerful fluid motion, Egan thrust forward, deep within Sienna.
Sienna's body went taut at the move, and he screamed in pure ecstasy. Egan gave him only a moment to adjust, though he carefully monitored Sienna through the bond, before he was moving and thrusting causing Sienna to writhe beneath him.
When he hit Sienna's sweet spot with a powerful thrust, Sienna's back arched impossibly back as legs came unbidden to wrap around Egan. Egan continued to aim each thrust at that spot, unraveling Sienna and wringing broken cries and screams from him.
"E- AHHHH…I-sss-happeni-" Sienna couldn't stop screaming long enough to get the words out, but Egan understood.
He grasped and pumped Sienna member causing tears to spill from his sky-blue eyes, "It's okay, love, let's come together."
He timed his thrust to the pumping of Sienna's member. Sienna spilled tears and cried aloud before his whole body went taut, and he clenched down on Egan drawing a moan from the flame user before spilling his seed into his hand. The absolutely wrecked look on Sienna's face drove Egan over the edge, and he came within the dragon.
Sienna didn't feel the warmth from Egan's seed spilled within him as his first orgasm had whited out his vision and sent him into the realm of unconsciousness.
After a long moment, Egan caught his breath, "Sienna?" When he received no reply, he hurriedly checked the bond before huffing out a laugh at the realization Sienna had passed out. Egan kissed Sienna's forehead as love and amusement swirled within him.
He rolled off Sienna and flung arm an over his brow. That was amazing, he reveled in the ecstasy of the lingering passion, but the view of the white ceiling brought to mind flashing white scales. Tomorrow, I have to find a way to save him no matter the cost.