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"The bone is definitely broken," Fiona confirmed. She shook her head before gently kissing Alexius on the cheek. "Stay put."
Alexius watched as she gathered a few things from the cupboard. Though they'd only been living together for a few months, Fiona wasted no time acclimating herself to Tevinter living. Her own life had been a trial from birth, every day a struggle, but Alexius wasn't going to let her continue to suffer the injustices she faced. Not while he was around, anyway. Walking in the park, holding onto Alexius's arm, she was confronted by one of Alexius's associates. He didn't take too kindly to a man of respect, someone possessing a lofty station like Alexius, courting a 'knife-eared bitch', and Alexius in turn showed him exactly what he thought of the insult. With his fist.
Unfortunately it had been some time since Alexius settled a brawl physically, instead of with magic or words. While he laid the other man out flat and sent him off with his tail between his legs, he ended up doing quite a bit of damage to his own hand and wrist. He sat silently while Fiona fussed over him, carefully rolling up his sleeve and gently rubbing a numbing potion into the skin. It hurt, but he kept a straight face, watching her set, then heal the bones.
"You could have ignored him," she said, a pulse of blue light and warmth emanating from her hands.
"No, I most certainly could not have. It was either settle it then or challenge him to a proper duel. He'll think twice before insulting me again."
"Insulting you?" she asked, raising one thin eyebrow.
Alexius hastened to clarify. "I am courting you. An insult to you is an insult to my house. This has always been the case in the Imperium."
"Oh I see," Fiona said with a small smile. "And you had to defend my honor. Do you think I've never been called a knife-ear-"
"You shouldn't have to endure that. Especially as my-"
"Especially? You mean if you weren't courting me, it would be acceptable?"
"No," Alexius said quickly. "Simply that I wouldn't feel as honor-bound to-" He broke off as she frowned. "I am going to refrain from speaking now."
"Gereon," she sighed. "For an intelligent man, you can be so very stupid." She leaned down and kissed him. "Your mannerisms are a bit outdated. And for future reference, I can take care of myself." She finished healing his hand, considered it a moment, and smiled. "I did enjoy seeing him hit the cobblestones, though."
Alexius breathed a bit easier, glad he hadn't offended. At least not completely. Fiona was a very strong, independent woman. It was difficult to think of everything she'd been through, how capable she was, when she looked so small and dainty. Especially in his arms. He pulled her down into his lap and kissed her properly, very happy when she allowed it. With her, he felt rejuvenated. She kept him on his toes. While his wife had been vivacious, full of life, she was softer somehow, more willing to let him take control of things. Fiona, gorgeous and hotheaded, made him dizzy on a daily basis. It was as if he was fifteen again, trying to figure out exactly what women wanted, how to talk to them, how to make them like him.
"Next time," she said, pulling back, her fingers laced together at the back of his neck, "will you ignore the insult?"
"Never," Alexius said, his hand resting carefully on her knee.
Though they'd been together a few months, he was still cautious with his desires. Would she want to wait until they were married? He thought he could. After all, they were observing the normal customs, sleeping in separate rooms. The scandal of a magister sleeping with an elf was not uncommon. However, the scandal of courting one was fairly unprecedented. He was rather too old and too tired to care much anymore about offending others, though he did have his son to think about. Felix, in his youthful naiveté, simply wanted his father to be happy. It left Alexius in the position of taking the scandal and moving forward with tenacity, defending Fiona from those who'd insult her. For every one person who said it to his face though, he knew another five were saying it behind his back. He knew Felix could handle the societal pressures of his father becoming a bit of an outcast. The boy was adaptable. He still felt a slight bit of guilt, though.
Fiona released him and leaned against his chest, her hand going to the neckline of her robes. He purchased her traditional Tevinter robes, sharply tailored and in the colors of his house, but trimmed in emerald to accentuate her eyes. She smiled and skillfully unbuttoned the dainty buttons. Alexius inhaled, watching the silken fabric part, a lacy undershirt beneath the richer cloth. Her slim fingers slid beneath the red and gold, and her smile turned mischievous.
"Fiona-"
She kissed him. Alexius felt her hand slide over his, then she pulled gently on it. Delicate fingers wrapped around his own, and her tongue slid into his mouth as her hand guided his to her chest. He felt the lacy fabric against his fingertips, and carefully cupped one of her breasts, thumb pressing over her nipple. She made a soft noise in the back of her throat, and he did it again and once more, his own arousal building slowly as she allowed him to touch her. Still kissing him, she continued to unbutton her robes, and undid the light leather belt at her waist. He broke their kiss to nuzzle her neck, gently nipping at the hollow of her throat.
"Yes," she urged him, her other hand at the back of his head now, fingernails scratching along the short, bristly hairs.
He pushed aside the silk of her robes, his hand dropping from her breasts to her bared thigh, squeezing softly. His lips followed her neckline down, and he pressed them through the lace, mouth finding the same nipple he'd teased to hardness. Fiona reacted, moaning softly, wriggling unconsciously in his lap. She shrugged off one sleeve of her robe, then the other, and let it fall before pushing him back in his chair. Clad now in only her lacy undershirt and matching smallclothes, she turned, straddling him, and his hands came automatically to her hips.
"Is this what you-"
But the question died on his lips as she crossed her arms over her front and pulled her undershirt up and over her head, dropping it to the floor. He'd never seen her in any state of undress before. It wasn't proper, after all. But Fiona seemed not to care one whit for propriety. Alexius found it very difficult as well, eyes fixed on her perfect breasts. She cupped his face and pulled him forward, and he needed no further instruction. He kissed the space between her breasts before resuming his earlier ministrations. His mouth latched onto one pink nipple, tongue flicking over it. Her fingernails were back, digging slightly into his scalp as she urged him, and he bit carefully, experimentally. Fiona gasped and drove her hips down, grinding against him, igniting his arousal. His hands slid from her hips to her backside, and she whispered his name before kissing the top of his head.
"Bed."
Alexius didn't question it. He stood gracefully, her legs wrapping around his waist. Her hands went to work on his own robes, undoing the clasps and buckles, managing to just undo his leather belt before his knees hit the bed and he let her drop carefully from his arms. She laughed, looking up at him.
"You have far too many clothes on," she admonished.
He started to rectify the problem when she slid a hand from her stomach down to the damp patch at the front of her smalls.
"Fiona…"
"Quickly now," she teased. "Or I may not be inclined to wait for you."
His robes hit the floor, followed by his shirt. Their shoes had been left in the foyer, socks in the dressing room. Slightly self-conscious, Alexius hesitated at the clasp of his trousers. Fiona leaned up on an elbow, watching. She was so perfect, her pale skin and dark hair, slight parted lips that were full and pouting and wonderful to kiss. And he was showing his age. The grey curls of hair on his chest, and the silver he knew that would be revealed once he took down his trousers and smalls. His skin was weathered and scarred.
Fiona moved to her knees on the bed, took his hands in her own, and leaned up, kissing him hard. He gasped when one of her hands brushed the front of his trousers, and squeezed him through the fabric. A simple, demanding touch, and he realized that it didn't matter what he looked like. She wanted him. But first he would show her what she meant to him. How much he cared for her. How much he…
Loved her.
He pushed her to the mattress carefully, and knelt, his back protesting slightly. Wordlessly, but with raised eyebrows, she reached up and pulled a pillow from the top of the bed. Alexius smiled wryly but took it and slid it under his aching knees.
"I think you'll enjoy this," he said, grabbing her hips and pulling her to the edge of the mattress.
"How can you be sure?" she challenged him.
Alexius smirked, feeling ever like the cocky, confident teenager again, but this time he had the experience to back it up. He kissed the insides of her thighs before letting them rest on his shoulders. Fiona's breath hitched in anticipation, but Alexius wanted to make this last. He nuzzled the soft, sensitive skin, licking the spots he'd just kissed. One hand wrapped around her thigh, playing at the top band of her smalls. She let out a frustrated breath, trying to wriggle closer, but he held her in place.
"Gereon."
"Be patient."
"I will set you on fire."
He smiled. "Not if I set you on fire first, my dear."
She tried to retort, but he covered the lacy fabric of her smalls with his mouth and exhaled. Fiona gripped the covers and pressed forward against him, and he let her. He knew it wouldn't be enough, just a terrible tease. Her scent fueled his arousal, and he suddenly wanted to taste her, to have her writhing against him. But he would wait. Their first time together and it would be perfect. He kneeled up a little, wrapping his hands around her thighs now, thumbs brushing the joint where her legs met her body, playing carefully under the fabric of her smalls.
"Do it," she said breathlessly.
Alexius chuckled and nuzzled her again through the fabric, earning a noise of frustration. Very slowly he pulled the fabric aside, fingers brushing against her damp folds. She gasped and pushed forward, looking for friction that he denied her.
"You're trying to drive me insane."
"Yes," he agreed, laughing when she let out another frustrated growl.
Feeling pleased with himself, Alexius repeated the motion, his thumb sliding slickly upward until he found her clitoris. Fiona's protests died, replaced by heavy breathing as he started to circle the small nub. Through years of experience with his wife, he learned what gave her pleasure, wanting to give her back what she gave him. She'd always been a bit naïve, never having taken care of herself sexually in her youth, and Alexius took it as a point of pride when he made her come for the first time. Through long, serious conversations, he learned that a former king of Ferelden numbered among Fiona's lovers, and he was determined to be better than Maric Theirin.
"These are very pretty, but in the way," Alexius said, and pulled her smalls off her hips, leaning back so he could remove them entirely, and tossed them to the floor. She laid before him, blissfully naked, eyes half-lidded, one hand cupping her breast, the other clenching the blanket. "When your gods created you, I bet they broke the mold." He leaned down and kissed her flat stomach, smiling as she rolled her eyes.
"You say such saccharine things, Gereon."
"Shall I stop?"
"Perhaps."
"Then how about this?" He parted her thighs and licked up her slit, causing her shudder. "I love the way you taste."
"Yes," she breathed.
Wrapping an arm around her thigh, he used his fingers to keep her parted, tongue laving at her clitoris before nipping gently, gauging her reaction. She gasped and pushed forward, and he did it again, harder. Her thighs tightened around his head, and he laughed. Using his other hand, he gently circled her entrance, and her hips bucked once before he slid two fingers inside her.
"Gereon!"
Keeping the pressure on her clit, he kneeled up for a better angle with his fingers, crooking them toward her belly and stroked hard against the velvety muscle. She gasped and sat halfway up, one hand grabbing the back of his head impulsively.
"More!"
The noises she made coupled with her scent, the taste of her arousal made him achingly hard. He longed to strip and finally take her, but he would wait, preferring to give into her demands. Keeping up the pressure against her clitoris, he stroked inside her. She canted her hips, her little breathy moans sounding so sweet, the way she gasped and called his name inflating his ego. She was getting closer, begging him to keep going. Perhaps cruelly, he stopped.
"Bastard!" she hissed, and sat up, breathing hard. "Gereon, you-"
He laughed, and she smacked his shoulder. "Violence! Such violence in my house, I will not allow it!"
"Am I a guest here?" she demanded.
"This is your home, my dear."
"As the lady of the house, I propose a new rule then."
He stood, his fingers leaving her. "Oh?" He undid the clasps to his trousers and pushed them and his smallclothes down his hips, his earlier self-consciousness gone.
"Her lover will not leave her unsatisfied, or she reserves the right to do him bodily harm."
Alexius smiled as her eyes fell from his face to his groin, her lips parting, tongue darting out unconsciously, licking her lips. She reached for him, and he dodged.
"Gereon," she growled, her expression a mixture of lust and arousal.
"Lie back, my love...ly."
She caught his affection before he had time to correct himself. There was a knowing pause, and he held his breath. But then she smiled and slid back onto the bed. He knelt on the mattress, then carefully laid over her, kissing her. She felt warm and soft against him, his erection pressed against her belly. One of her legs wrapped around his, then moved upward around his waist, and he was struck with how limber and flexible she was. He reached down between her legs, thumb finding her clit once more, and she arched up against his hand.
"Please," she whispered against his lips. "Please, no more waiting."
A bit nervous, but eager, Alexius kissed her softly, and steadied his cock. He pushed in slowly, breaking the kiss, gasping at the soft heat that enveloped him. She was tight and perfect, and she squeezed him teasingly.
"I won't break," she whispered.
"I might."
"Oh, my sweet man."
He rested his forehead on the swell of her breasts, taking a breath before pushing inside fully. "You're so perfect," he managed.
She laughed. "You're saying that because-"
"I love you, Fiona."
"Mon Dieu. Gereon…"
He looked up at her, her shining green eyes, as she smiled at him. "I do."
She nodded, accepting it, but not quite ready to say it back, and he wouldn't press. He kissed her again, and started to move, canting his hips, thrusting inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, driving him deeper inside. They kissed, hot and needy for one another, and he missed this frenzied passionate lovemaking of his youth. She pushed at his chest.
"Over. Over now."
He did as he was told, hands moving to waist as she straddled him. She looked like a goddess atop him, skin flushed, lips parted, eyes fixed on him, like she could see into his soul. She smirked, a confident, cocky expression before she rolled her hips, then started to ride him.
"Fiona! Maker's… fuck…"
Not normally given into cursing, Alexius couldn't find the words, couldn't tell her how good she felt around him. She squeezed tightly, and his hips bucked. His hand joined hers between them and she rocked against his fingers, little needy moans escaping her lips. He sat up, pulling her close, her breasts pressing against his chest as she thrust against him. They met for a brief, open-mouthed kiss, neither able to keep quiet as Fiona bore down hard and cried out, hips canting frantically, pushing herself closer to and then over the edge.
"So beautiful," he whispered, as she held onto him, riding out her pleasure. "So amazing, so gorgeous."
"Take me. Finish. I want you," she said, kissing him, their sweat-slicked limbs sliding against one another's.
Alexius smiled and turned them over once more, settling atop her. He thrust slowly and deeply inside her, Fiona's eyes closing, lips parted, groaning at the sensation. He felt a crackle of electricity, just a light, vibrating buzz at the base of his spine, and he looked at her, wide-eyed. She laughed.
"Next time, I hope you'll expect more of that," she said, and wrapped her legs around him. "Finish."
Wondering if she would be the death of him, Alexius sped up with her urging. She was still tight, still hot, and he'd never felt so good. Not since before he'd lost his wife. Fiona was gorgeous and brilliant, and she cared for him, wanted him. And he wanted her. He wanted to marry her, to keep her safe, to love her until the end of his days.
His orgasm came in a rush of heat and light-headedness, and he thought he lost consciousness for a moment. But he heard her name leave his lips, and the kiss that followed was soft and sweet. She let him lay there a moment, then pushed lightly on his chest. He took a breath and pulled out, feeling her shiver beneath him before rolling off. Fiona cuddled up next to him, head on his shoulder, fingers playing at the silver curls of hair on his chest.
She said something in Orlesian, the words sounding like a song from her lips. Then she looked up at him. "That was amazing."
Alexius laughed and pulled her close, kissing her. "Was it, now?"
"Mm. Yes. You?"
"It couldn't have been any more perfect," he said quietly. He held her, the fingertips of his free hand stroking her arm, and they lay together for a while, dozing quietly. "Shall I call for a bath?" he asked, when she shivered. "Or would you prefer the showers?"
"I think I will like the engineering of your house. A shower sounds perfect."
"Your house as well now," he corrected her.
She sat up slowly and he watched her walk carefully to the armoire, pulling out a robe. "If you make fun of me for walking funny-"
"Make fun of you, my dear?" Alexius said, following her. He took her around the waist and kissed her cheek. "Never. Though it's a point of pride that I'm the one who caused you such incoordination."
She laughed and pulled a robe out for him as well. He kissed her, then pulled it on. They walked together to the shower room, hand in hand. And despite the aches he felt, he wouldn't have changed a thing.