Thief In the Night

Reunited

The morning hadn't gone as well as she had hoped it would. She had to argue with Heathcote until he agreed to train her, and it had taken half the day. When he finally caved, he told her she wasn't allowed to use any of the weapons just yet. He was going to teach her other tings first, like stealth, and help her become more agile. And he refused to start today. So she had just sat around the house all day, sulking. She took a long bath, soaking in there until the water was almost cold. Now, she stood by her window, with her wet hair dampening the back of her long nightgown. The short sleeves and thin material kept her from getting too hot while she slept, and the flowing skirt brushed the middle of her calves. She looked up at the stars, holding back a sigh. The moon was climbing high into the nighttime sky, casting a bright silver light over everything.

Deciding to leave the curtains open, she blew out her candle and crawled under her covers, her back to the window. She closed her eyes and did her best to relax so she could fall asleep. As she laid there, she started to hear strange sounds in her half-asleep state of mind. She didn't get up, thinking she was just imagining things. Then, when a blast of cool, fresh air came into the room, she snapped up, wide awake.

She turned to face the window, her heart racing. When she saw what was there, she felt time stop.

He had come back.

She blinked slowly, hoping she wasn't just imagining it. As Therion stepped off of her window sill, she got up from the bed and began to walk to him. She wasn't going to believe it was anything other than a dream, until she reached out to touch him. But, instead of just meeting thin air like she thought she would, she actually touched something. Startled, she jerked her hand back, holding it in her other hand, pulled to her chest. She could barely believe her eyes. He's actually here, she thought.

"Cordelia," he said, his voice in a high whisper, "I'm, uh, I'm sorry I startled you." He held out his hand, looking her in the eyes.

She stretched her hand back out, cupping his face. "You came back."

"Yes," he replied, leaning into her hand as he covered it with his own.

"I thought you said you weren't going to."

"I didn't plan to. But after I finished travelling with my other companions, I was back on my own. I still enjoy thieving, but I was lonely. And on some of those lonely nights, where I wouldn't be able to get to sleep, I realized I had been ignoring something I had been feeling for a long, long time."

"And what was that?" Cordelia asked.

"A connection I had. One with you. I felt it from the first time we met, and it only got stronger when you broke down my walls and taught me how to trust again." He took his hand from atop hers and reached for her face with both hands. Cupping it, he leaned in towards her. He looked deep into her eyes and stopped right before he got too close to her face.

Cordelia gazed at Therion with just as much intensity. "I felt a connection with you, too. It was almost instant. I missed you so, so much when you left after finding the last dragonstones, because I thought I would never see you again." She brought her free hand up and ran her fingers through his hair, vaguely realizing how soft it was. She stood on her tiptoes, leaning in closer to his face, her eyes still looking into his, and kissed him. Her eyes fluttered closed as the kiss deepened. His arms wrapped around her waist, with one hand reaching up to wind itself in her hair. Her own arms were wrapped around his chest, holding him tightly, and she never wanted to let go.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that, or how much time they spent just holding each other, not kissing at all. He did, however, start to fall asleep standing up. This startled Cordelia, who had to struggle some to prevent him from falling.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, "I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep, and I've been travelling on foot a lot."

"Well, that's unacceptable. You don't need to run yourself ragged." She looked around the room. "Here, follow me," she said, grabbing his hand. She led him to the other end of her room, where there was a long couch. "You can sleep here tonight; let me go get you a blanket." She walked off before he could say anything to the contrary. "And take off your shoes!" she exclaimed, looking back over her shoulder.

Therion couldn't help but smile at that. He pulled them off, along with his scarf, shawl, and waist sash. He yawned, then pulled off his shirt, using it and his other clothes as a pillow. He was fully stretched out on the couch and was almost already asleep when Cordelia was back with a blanket.

Seeing him stretched out like that, she blushed. She could tell he was more than half asleep already and was glad for that—she didn't want him to see her blush just because she saw him shirtless. She tossed the blanket over him, making sure he was well-covered.

"Goodnight, Therion," she said, pressing a light kiss to his temple. Standing back up, she headed back to her bed.

She didn't know what was going to happen when morning came, but she wasn't worried. She had Therion with her now. And even if he left, she knew he would be back; that he would never leave and stay gone.

For the first time in ages, both fell asleep with a smile on their face.