"She'll be cross with you now," he called back over his shoulder. "We can still go back if you want." He already knew her answer without asking. She would not have come at his beck and call if she wanted to spend a boring afternoon in the presence of Stefan Del Sol.

"Don't you dare!" she laughed into his ear, indignant at the thought of giving up an afternoon with him in favor of playing at being a halfway respectable girl well on her way to womanhood. Stefan Del Sol was in the market for a wife, everyone knew that; Mara was deathly afraid that she was the wife he was looking for. "I'll black your eye if you try it, Duncan Mallory."

He laughed at the idle threat. He'd taught her to swing a punch or two, but he was too quick on his feet to ever let her win at such a game, unless she happened to take him by surprise. The busy streets of Dreven quickly faded into the distance, a warm spring breeze stirring their hair as the black took them away from the city and the responsibilities and expectations of each of their stations. Lake Silvermere was shining like a diamond in the sunlight and it was toward that goal he was riding, with a surprise in store for the girl who was his closest companion.

Each galloping stride the stallion took shook them closer together, until they rose and fell against the wide back in tandem. Mara never enjoyed herself so much as when she was with Duncan, and always more than ever when he took her outside the city that was all she had ever known before she'd met him. He didn't need a specific goal to delight his friend with a ride through open air and warm breezes, rewarded just for the freedom of speed and companionship with more of her abandoned laughter as she hugged to his back. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise!" he called back, turning his head just enough so that she could hear him over the sound of the horse's hooves and the wind in their ears. The city behind them, the landscape opened up before them, surrounded by farmland to the east and west, mountains to the north, the lake a jewel that shone to the south and their destination. A little over an hour's ride, and small cottage-like houses dotted the shores of the lake here and there. Here was where those who could afford it came when they wanted to escape the city. He gave her no hints as to where they were going, until he slowed the horse to a trot and started down a gravel path toward a small but cozy-looking cottage on the lake.

Even had she been outside the city with anyone else but him, Mara would never have come here without Duncan's influence. This was a place of the truly rich, the truly powerful, and though she delighted in seeing the beauty around her, the cottages where the wealthy played at being poor for their own amusement with none of the harsh realities, she was acutely aware that she didn't belong here. As the horse slowed, she hugged just a little tighter to her friend's back, her cheek resting between his shoulder-blades, wondering just what they were doing here at all. Was it going to be another disastrous attempt at introducing her to his parents"

She needn't fear anything of the kind. He'd given up on her meeting his parents long ago. His mother couldn't stay sober long enough, and his father would hear nothing of him carousing with a girl so beneath his station. No, this was of Duncan's own doing. He brought the horse to a halt not far from a cottage that, while sturdy enough, looked like it had seen better days. He patted the horse to calm him and climbed down, reaching for Mara to help her down from the black beast.

The ride had done nothing for the ladylike position of her skirts, the only blessing being that she was still just a little young to be completely aware of just how inappropriate it was to be astride a horse with your skirts hiked up about your thighs. Swinging her leg over the saddle, she dropped down with Duncan's help and a slightly wild smile, the speed and joy of the ride still clinging to her windswept face as she looked around. "Where are we?" she asked him again, one hand in his as might have been proper in young lovers, the other poking teasingly into his stomach like a child. "You're being very mysterious, Mal."

He was old enough to appreciate the sight of her in that dress, the first real look he'd been able to get of her until they were done with their flight. He felt a swell of jealousy at the thought that he might have to share her company with Stefan or anyone else for that matter, though he didn't quite understand why he felt that way when he knew she preferred - even favored - him over anyone else. He admired the cut of the dress and the way it accentuated curves he hadn't noticed until now, the flush of exhilaration in her cheeks that matched his own, green eyes dancing with life. It made his heart swell with joy to see her happy, to be the source of her happiness. "Close your eyes," he told her, giving her hand a light squeeze.

"Why, what are you going to do?" Such suspicion ....but then, you'd be suspicious too if the last time your friend had asked you to close your eyes, you'd both ended up in the canal. Through no real fault of Duncan's, but the lake was right there. She grinned up at him, sparkling with bright laughter in a way that might make her a courtesan as famed and well-favored as her mother had once been, given time.

He didn't want to think on her following in her mother's footsteps, and there would come a time when they'd argue about it, but hopefully not today. Today was her birthday, and he had a very special surprise planned. He looked a little hurt by her distrust of him, a little too sensitive for a boy his age, though he tried hard to hide that side of him from those around him, feeling it more a weakness than a strength. That's what he'd been led to believe anyway. "Don't you trust me?" he asked with a frown.

Her smile only widened, refusing to give into the waver in his temper as she teased him, reaching up to tweak his nose playfully. "Fine," she acceded with a giggle, obligingly closing her eyes. "But if you drop me in the lake, you're explaining it to Elise."

"If you keep taunting me, I just might," he warned, though there was no malice in the warning, another idle threat. He smiled as she finally conceded to his wishes and he led her carefully by the hand through the tall grass to an overgrown walkway which led to the door of the cottage. He glanced at her to make sure her eyes were still closed, not quite trusting her. He let go of her hand and stepped in front of her, the sound of a key heard clicking in a lock, and then he was taking hold of her hand again and leading her past the threshold and into the cottage itself.

For all her teasing, his golden-haired companion did trust him enough to keep her eyes closed, relying on him to guide her on unaccustomed heels over grass as she was led from the horse to the threshold. She couldn't help teasing him still further, though, unable to keep her mouth shut and just enjoy the moment. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to woo me like that stuffed shirt back in Dreven."

The accusation stung a bit, but he knew she didn't mean it. He wasn't trying to woo her. At least, he didn't think so, but his feelings for her were slowly changing, growing deeper and more complex, even if he didn't realize it yet. "Can't you just let me do something nice for you without poking fun for once?" he asked, his pride pricked.

She heard the sting in his tone, her pale face coloring in response, ashamed of herself for upsetting him even this little bit with her refusal to take life as seriously as everyone else seemed to expect from her. The last thing she ever wanted to do was upset Duncan, though she had no idea truly why she felt that way. "Sorry," she mumbled, thrown by the lurch inside that came with knowing she'd gone too far, by however small the distance.

"You can open your eyes now," he instructed, ignoring the apology, preferring to pretend his feelings hadn't been hurt. He was fairly confident she'd like his surprise, once she realized what it was. The surprise was the cottage itself, which he had spent the last several weeks cleaning and sprucing up and though it was nowhere near as nice as the apartments she shared with Elise, it was comfortable and warm and cozy enough to serve as a temporary home away from home. There was even a bed, a quilt carefully spread across it. A picnic box was set on the table that would provide lunch for the day. "Surprise," he said quietly, and just a little bit uncertainly.

He felt a stirring too, but not only a swell of feeling in his heart, but a warmth that spread throughout his body like nothing he'd ever felt before. Oh, he'd felt desire. He was old enough to know what that was, but this was different. This was a confusing mix of feelings both physical and emotional for someone he had always thought of as a friend. He'd chased Stefan off for trying to kiss her, and yet, here he was doing the same thing. He felt his face flush as he reluctantly pulled away, waiting for the inevitable chastisement or teasing laughter, unsure just what her reaction would be. Was this what love felt like, he wondered" Or was he imagining it"

She almost didn't let him draw back, instinctive sensuality swaying her body into the warmth that radiated from his as her fingers found purchase on his sleeves, resting lightly without strength on the fine cloth. Her own cheeks were flushed, her breath shallow and quick, and for a long moment, she stood there, caught between child and woman, half-afraid and half-longing for the heat and tenderness she had just been shown. Slowly, her eyes opened, and in the sparkling green depths was evident the affection she felt for Duncan Mallory. More than a friend's love, more than a child's gratitude. And for once, that smart mouth quirked into a softer smile, opening to offer up three words that reassured and invited in one breath. "Do that again."

His eyes were slow to open, reluctant to break the spell that had been cast between them. He couldn't have imagined it, could he" He saw that same look in her eyes, wonder mingled with longing and just a touch of fear. For all his daydreaming, this first kiss was more than he could have ever imagined. He wondered if he should apologize, but then she was asking him to do it again. Was she just teasing him or could she possibly be feeling even half what he was feeling" "Are you-are you sure?" he asked, uncertainly.

His uncertainty was the last thing she expected to see, doing nothing for the confidence that had urged her softer smile into place. Slowly, as the perception dawned that he might not want to kiss her again, Mara's face fell, color creeping into her cheeks as she glanced down at herself. Her hands fell to press against the firm boning of her unaccustomed corset as she swallowed, not quite able to take what she saw as a rejection as graciously as a grown woman might have done. "Don't ....don't you want to?"

"No....I mean, yes, I mean..." He sighed as he tentatively reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles like a proper gentleman should court a lady. He couldn't deny that he wanted to kiss her again. His lips burned with the memory of that single chaste kiss. He wasn't quite sure what was happening between them, but he knew in that moment that he wanted to be more than just friends.

The stammering undid the damage of his uncertainty, though she still held that unaccountable shyness about her as she looked at her friend. Newly sixteen and wanting to be more than a friend to a boy so much higher in station than herself was an awkward place to be, even if she hadn't known she was there until a few moments before. "Duncan," she said his name almost crossly, one arched brow rising over her pointed gaze. "Do I have to make you kiss me every time I want you to?"

He blinked sharply, looking startled as she called him by his birth name and not the nickname he had been dubbed with by most of his friends. He gave her a puzzled look, his own feelings confused, muddled. She'd been his closest friend for so long, he was worried how this might change things. "How am I supposed to know when you want me to?" he asked, equally as confused as she was and trying desperately to sort out what he was feeling.

She stared at him as though he was growing a second head in front of her, something close to flabbergasted and left at a loss as to what she could possibly say that would make him stop thinking about whatever it was that was eating at him. Casting around mutely, she frowned herself, chewing at her lower lip. "I ....well, I ....For goodness' sake, I'm asking you to!" she blurted out suddenly, stamping her foot for good measure. "I don't know if I'm allowed to kiss you first - Elise always says it's the man's prerogative to decide when the woman who loves him kisses him."

Love" Both brows arched sharply at that comment. She loved hm' Or was she just quoting the rules of kissing as told to her by her guardian, who Duncan assumed disapproved of their friendship, as most adults around them seemed to do. "What if I give you permission to kiss me whenever you want?" he asked, tossing the matter of decision making back in her lap. He had no qualms about her kissing him, if she wanted to, and that way he didn't have to worry about trying to figure out when she wanted him to.

"But that doesn't tell me if you want me to kiss you," she pointed out, still a little cross with him for not doing as he was told in the first place. "How do I know that kissing you won't make you all grumpy and stand-offish' You do that, you know," she added. "Anytime you hear or see something you don't approve of, you clam up and start looking down your nose." No, she hadn't mentioned love again, which was perhaps as well. How many people their age really knew what love was"

"I wouldn't give you permission to kiss me if I didn't want you to, would I?" he pointed out, refraining from another roll of his eyes. Girls really were kind of silly and dense at times. It hadn't yet occurred to him that she had practically told him the same thing. "I don't get grumpy," he retorted with a scowl, gray eyes turning stormy, like thunderclouds rolling in. "You're the one who has a tantrum every time you don't get your way!" As evidence by the stomping of her foot, though he was exaggerating more than a little.

"You didn't give me permission, you said what if you gave me permission, and ....and ..." For a moment, she was speechless, having run out of words to express her growing frustration with him. He was her best friend, and she loved him more than she could recall loving anyone but Elise, but Duncan Mallory did know how to pull her strings to best and worst effect. "Fine, then," she pouted finally, disappointed and bemused by how hurt she felt. "I won't ask you again, since you obviously can't even answer a straight question without being obtuse."

"Obtuse" I'm being obtuse?" He laughed ironically, no humor in it. "You are the most stubborn, confusing, obtuse person I know!" he blurted, his cheeks coloring with frustration and annoyance, a little hurt by her accusations, even if she didn't mean them. "If you want me to kiss you, then just say so!" Of course, she had already done just that, and he was no longer sure just what their argument was about. He wanted to kiss her, so what was the problem'

There went that foot again, stamping in a childish manner that really didn't go with the rest of the picture she presented - the tumbling flaxen-gold hair, the defiant line of her jaw, the youthful form so new and almost a woman's. "I did say so, you insufferable ....man!" Of all the insults, she had to come out with the one that did no damage whatsoever, didn't she"

He blinked again at her outburst, surprised that she'd called him a man and not a boy, more confused than ever. Why was she wearing that dress" When had she become so....so beautiful" Oh, she had always been pretty, but not like this. What was she trying to do to him' Was she just teasing him again, talking about love and about kisses" What did she know about love" What was he to do' Should he give her what she wanted and kiss her" He hadn't meant to make her angry. He'd wanted to surprise her on her birthday. He'd wanted to make her happy. Was another kiss so much to ask? He didn't want for another insult or retort. His face flushed, partly due to anger and partly to embarrassment, as he took hold of her arms and pulled her toward him, kissing her hard upon the mouth, harder than before, demanding from her what she had so nicely asked for from him.

The squeak that erupted from her was part outrage, part delight, vibrating against his lips as his mouth found hers. Mara had always known that you could only push Duncan so far, but again, she'd underestimated him. She hadn't thought he'd do this ....or how remarkably wonderful this would feel. It wasn't so much the flare of heat or the flip and spin of butterflies in her belly, though they were a lurch she couldn't ignore; it was more the swelling again in her heart, the feeling of being about to burst with shy pleasure at the fact that he was kissing her.

"No, no one is here yet. It's too early in the season." These were mostly summer retreats from the heat of the city, and it was only spring. Once summer arrived, they would have to be more careful, but for most of the year, the place was quiet and sparsely populated. "You can take the blanket," he suggested, handing her a plaid blanket for them to sit on before taking up the picnic basket laden with goodies that Beryl had helped him pack, once she'd learned what he was up to.

Mara hugged the blanket he handed her, not entirely sure what it was for but prepared to do pretty much anything he asked her for the rest of the day. It was so easy to make her happy, to surprise her with the simplest of things and watch the childlike awe grow until the excitement radiated from her like an ever-swirling cloak. "Where are we going?" she asked him, taking advantage of the fact that his hands were full to bounce up and kiss him with that impishly smiling mouth when he couldn't retaliate.

"Outside, silly girl!" He smiled back at her, all too willing to let her steal as many kisses as she wished. He offered her his free arm - or hand - whichever she wished to take hold of, and led her back outside and around to the other side of the cottage where the sun was sparkling likes jewels off the silvery water. The breeze held just a hint of cool air left over from the long winter, the afternoon sun warm and bright. It was a perfect spring day, and a perfect day for a picnic.

Her hand fit snugly into his, though the differences in their height and build were beginning to make themselves known. It wouldn't be long before he was as tall and broad as she was small and slender, his dark to her gold, a contrasting match of face and personality that would fit almost as snugly as their hands sat together. Mara was absolutely enchanted by the cottage and its surroundings, her mouth half-open as she drank it in, tugged along in Duncan's wake as he led her to where he wanted her to be. "Is that Lake Silvermere?" she asked him, skipping to his shoulder as she squinted at the water. "Can we swim?"

"Yes..." he replied to the first question, laughing at the second. "No! It's too cold. In a few cycles, the water will be warmer. We can then." He didn't remark again on how his sister had drowned there, pushing those darker thoughts down deep where they couldn't blacken the happiness of this day. "Besides, what are you going to swim in" Your bloomers?" he smirked, teasing her as they reached the place he had in mind, where they had a picturesque view of the lake and its surroundings. "You know, the Crosswinds Tavern isn't far from here. Maybe I'll take you there someday," he said as he let go of her hand and set the basket down so he could take the blanket from her and spread it out on the grass.

She laughed with him, too buoyed up to take offense at how amused he was with her enthusiasm. "Do you have something against my bloomers?" she demanded as he took the blanket from her, bending and hiking her skirt and petticoat up above her knees to show off the underwear that fit her snugly to her knees. "They're not that bad, are they?" The prospect of a trip to the infamous Crosswinds, however, was enough to distract her from her teasing once more, her skirt falling back to skim the grass as her eyes widened with hopeful cheer. "Really' You'd really take me to the Crosswinds Tavern?"

He couldn't help but glance at her bloomers, since she was giving him a peek and though there was no chance of him seeing anything he shouldn't, his face still flushed hotly at the peek at her underthings. He didn't really understand why girls had to wear all those layers. All he had on was a tunic and cloak over a pair of trousers, which were tucked neatly into his boots. He finished spreading out the blanket and reached for her hand so that she could join him. "Of course I'll take you to the Crosswinds! What makes you think I wouldn't?"

"Well, isn't it supposed to be where all the foreigners and outlanders gather?" she asked with a grin, dropping her hand into his to let him tug her onto the blanket with him. "And aren't they all supposed to be so strange and violent and not understand anything about Shadokhan and the way we are" What if one of them thought I actually was a courtesan?" Green eyes offered up a twinkling challenge. "Would you fight for my honor?"

He gave her that look again that told her she was being stupid in more ways than one, and talk of her ever following in her mother's footsteps was enough to set his teeth on edge, but for her sake and the sake of the day, he made no mention of it, not wanting to argue yet again. He'd already been making plans in his head to change her future someday, though he'd never spoken of it. "Of course I would. What kind of question is that?" He reached for the basket and set it on the blanket between them.

"The kind that I ask just to watch you get all bristly and protective?" she offered cheekily, knowing that if she persisted in being deliberately playful and cheerful, he was either going to have to join in or risk being made to cheer up, which inevitably ended up with one or both of them in a highly compromising position, usually just as someone who knew him came by. Just to soften the blow, she blew him a kiss, interested to see if he reacted in the same way to a pout of her lips as he did to a touch of them.

The truth was he'd been protective of her from their very first meeting and would continue to be so long as she let him. He reacted to the blown kiss with a scowl and a furrowing of brows, though it was more due to her ridiculous questions more than anything else. "You are impossible," he told her, not knowing that he'd be accused of the same things in the months and years to come. He wasn't going to let her ruin his mood with her teasing though. He had looked too forward to this day to let anything ruin it. A mischievous smile appeared on his lips. "Would Elise miss you if you stayed out all night?"

She giggled at his reaction. Teasing Duncan was one of her favorite things to do; she never knew quite what the response was going to be, which added an element of danger to these silly interactions. His question, however, completely threw her, treating him to the sight of Mara goggling in astonishment for a moment. "I ....Well, she'd know I wasn't home," she managed after a moment. "She knows I'm with you, though. Why, what?s going through your devious mind now?"

"Well, I..." He shook his head. "No, it's a stupid idea. Never mind." He didn't want to do anything that might question or risk her honor. "It's just..." He smiled again, that same hint of mischief in his blue-gray eyes. He opened the basket and pulled out a bottle of his father's finest wine, a bottle of Island White he'd been saving for some mysterious occasion.

"You don't have stupid ideas," she informed her friend, thumping down onto her backside comfortably, leaving her shoes on the edge of the blanket to enjoy the warmth of the spring sun on her silk stockinged feet. He should have known by now that she didn't have a reputation to risk, and though her virginity would probably garner a high price in the years to come, it wasn't something she could lose and be vilified for, unlike the girls of his station. His mischief was making her smile, though, distracting her from the bottle he'd produced from the basket. "What is it' Don't make me tickle it out of you, I know where all your weak spots are."

He looked aghast at her threat, brows furrowed again. "You know how that will go, Mara. It will end with you begging me to stop." Tickling her, that is. She might start it, but he would certainly finish it, and then they'd find themselves in one of those compromising positions again, but there was no one around to see them. "It's Island White," he explained with a devious smile. He knew he was risking a beating when his father found out, but hopefully, he wouldn't realize who it was that had pilfered his prize bottle of wine.

"That wasn't what I was asking," she laughed, reaching over to poke at his side playfully, knowing full well that if she started tickling him, she'd end up being the one at his mercy. But it was fun, and fun wasn't something either of them had much of these days. "I meant ....what?s the idea you're being so smug about' And isn't Island White ludicrously expensive?"

His hands loosened their grip on hers, lost as he was in that kiss - a kiss like nothing he could have ever imagined. A kiss so intense, so full of feeling, he felt his heart lurch and swell, and though he didn't yet know it, didn't yet recognize the feeling for what it was, he was falling just as hopelessly in love with her as she was with him. He felt her hands touch his face and comb through his hair, stirring those feelings further. It wasn't the gentle touch of a sister or the fondness of a friend. It was a lover's caress, warm and affectionate and all too intimate. It wasn't as if she'd never touched him before, but never like this, never with such heart-felt desire to know him in ways no one had ever known him before.

He, too, knew the warnings, like beacons going off in his head. He'd been warned time and again. He knew her fate, he knew what she was to become, but he'd already decided to take matters into his own hands. One way or another, she would be his. Her heart belonged to him and no other. Her kiss told him that, even if her voice did not. And if she wouldn't have him, then he would die of loneliness. It was as simple as that.

If only they could have taken off in that moment. If only they could have been spared the pain and heartache of the growing that was still in their future. But for now, that future was still a way off, and in that moment, they'd shared an unspoken promise, sealed it with a kiss that took them both by surprise. A kiss that Mara did not want to end. Some unknown instinct, urged on by the flip of heat that burned in her and set her heart to thumping wildly in her chest, made her shift, her legs parting in innocent seduction, her knee rising to press to his hip as he lay over her, as he kissed her, wanting to be closer, but not yet knowing how.

Even the most wonderful moments must at some point come to an end. He had to come up for air at some point, lest he drown in her kisses. When his lips at last broke from hers, his breath came in great ragged gasps, like he had just run a long distance when all he'd really done is kiss her. He looked down at her in amazement, if only for a moment, meeting her gaze, wondering once again if she was feeling even half of what he was feeling. He felt her heart thumping wildly, nearly in time with his, tasted her sweet breath, lost himself in the green gaze of her eyes, as lovely as a summer day. He felt her legs part beneath him, and the heat of desire coiled tightly inside him. He knew enough how it was done - how a man and a woman came together physically - but he was inexperienced in the ways of love, untried and a little more than afraid. In that moment, he was unsure what she wanted of him. Was she silently asking him to continue"

Oh, how he wanted to, but he couldn't, wouldn't. She was a lady, and he wouldn't ruin her this way. His heart ached with the thought of ever sharing her with another. He wanted to not only be her first, but her only. "Mara..." he whispered, his lips so close to hers. My darling, my love... "I-I can't..."

For a single breath, she showed him the woman she would become in time, smiling tenderly as he gazed down at her, as their breathless heave brought them close only to retreat with each in and out. Her fingers played against his cheek. "Not yet," she whispered, promising that one day it would be his. Then the young girl reappeared in the cast of her impish smile as she nuzzled to him affectionately. "I like this birthing day," she teased softly, suddenly kicking up to knock him over onto his back, straddling him with slender hands reaching to pin him down with a quiet laugh. "I haven't kissed you yet, though."

He had wrestled with other boys often enough and was learning how to defend himself, mastering the art of swordsmanship, but this was different. With very little effort, this slight girl bested him, tossing him onto his back with little effort. He looked up at her from his back, a little bewildered, making no effort at all to resist her, even though he had told her they could go no further. His eyes widened, wondering what she had in store for him. Hadn't that last kiss blazed dangerously between them' He could think of nothing that could match such a kiss, other than taking her and at last making her his.

If he thought the fire that blazed was dangerous, he was going to be startled by what she planned to do now. Mara wanted to play with the flame, their barely acknowledged agreement that it would go no further than a kiss the safety line that gave her that confidence. She giggled at the look on his face. "You look like I just said I was going to strip down and fiddle with you," she told him playfully, bracing her hands above his head, releasing his arms as she leaned down. As the flaxen-gold of her hair fell about their faces in a shimmering curtain, her lips brushed his once, twice, offering up smaller, teasing kisses that slowly began to grow deeper, giving him control despite their change in position.

He wasn't quite sure what to do with his hands. He wanted to touch her as she'd touched him, memorize her so that he could call up that memory deep in the night when he was alone and surrounded by darkness. He had no way of knowing that the memory of her would burn brightly in his heart and his head for many years to come, when life became hard and the loneliness was too much to bear. It was this sunny day he would return to in those moments, these moments of youth and innocence, when love was still new and he was full of hope for the future. It was this moment, in later years, that kept him going, the flame of love still burning brightly, no matter how dismal life seemed. He reached to touch her face, gently, tentatively, fingers sifting through the soft curtain of gold that shimmered in the sunlight. He returned her kisses, his lips increasingly warm. Cupping her face between his hands to deepen the kiss, his lips parted, inviting her to taste him, giving himself to her with an unspoken promise.

He was met with a delighted smile as she felt his invitation, one hand lifting from the grass above his head to trail over his shoulder as she took the invitation, opening her mouth to his, teasing the tip of her tongue against his own. Her palm lay flat for a moment over his heart as her young body swayed instinctively, sweetly innocent friction through cloth that stoked the flame a little higher, coaxing her on to let that hand smooth over his chest, his side, grasping at the fine material that was all that stood between his skin and her touch. She, too, would cling to these moments in the years to come; when life seemed dark and impossible to breathe through, she would remember spring sunlight, a dappled lake, and Duncan's kisses in the first flush of love.

Her touch, as innocent as it was, set his heart afire, his body aching with longing, having a mind of its own. Though he could not have her, not now, not yet, the longing was there, an unfulfilled ache that was painfully sweet. The innocent friction of her body against his only stoked that fire higher, maddening in its intensity. It was dangerous, he knew, tempting. It would be easy to lose control, to let their bodies decide for them, but even at the tender age of sixteen, he thought first of her and not of himself, his own needs and desires second only to hers. Despite the aching need that was like a sweet torment, he savored every kiss, every caress, his fingers sliding through her hair and down her arms, across her slender waist and over the slight curve of her hips. His tongue tangled with hers, tasting her, breathing her in, kisses slowly growing less awkward, boldly, surer.

Slow and growing in confidence, she breathed him in, feeling the tug and ache of duty against desire, of her often-hidden shyness threatening to well up and overwhelm the wanting that colored the sweet surge of first love in her heart. Gently, Mara drew back, lowering herself to lie atop him, braced on her forearm as her hand curled to play with the tousle of dark hair that crowned his head, nudging the tip of her nose to his. "I wish today could go on for always."

She had given him the opening that he needed, but was he bold enough, sure enough to speak his mind" If he told her of his plan, would she mock him' Would she tell him it was impossible? Nothing was impossible, where love was concerned. That was what his young, idealistic heart told him, and he chose to believe it, not yet knowing the heartache that awaited them just a few years hence. "It can, Mara. It will. Someday we'll be together. I promise." His eyes were hopefully bright, nearly as blue as the sky in that moment, shining up at her, all the love he was feeling for her reflected in that gaze. He touched his nose to hers, a caress of fingers against her cheek, loving and tender, needing her to believe him and to trust him.

Even at sixteen, he felt a strong desire to protect her, to keep her safe, to take care of her like she deserved. As he grew into a man, those first feelings would grow into a strong sense of right and wrong, of duty and responsibility, of truth and honor and justice. And though he would one day become a warrior, he would be a warrior who abhorred killing and desired only a simple, tranquil life.

Her smile softened, saddened a little, touched deeply that he thought he could promise her something so against the grain of their differing stations in life. But someday ....she could hold onto someday. When they were older, when he came into his inheritance, when no one was telling him what he could and couldn't do any more, he'd be able to make her his mistress. That was a someday she could hold onto. The sadness lifted as swiftly as it had fallen, and she kissed him again, shifting to nestle close. "Someday," she promised him back quietly, for once not finding something to tease or laugh about.

His smile brightened, like the sun coming out of the clouds, as she seemed to agree with his plan, even though she had misunderstood it. He had no intention of making her his mistress. He didn't care what the norms of society were. One day, when he was able, he would make her his wife, and they would raise a family of their own and live a peaceful, tranquil life. It was all his heart desired; nothing else mattered so long as he could cling to that one fragile hope. But today was not a day to be worrying about the future. Today was her birthing day, and it was a day for celebration, for without the event of her birth, he would have never known her. She was his one saving grace, the light amidst all the darkness, though he was not good enough with words just yet to tell her as much. "Happy birthing day, Mara," he said as he smiled happily up at her. I love you.

((We just couldn't resist the urge to fill in a little backstory! Massive, awesome, phantasmagorical thank yous to Duncan Mallory's player for, well, being AWESOME!))