Riding Lessons, attn: Bella

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Though she wasn't able to turn to look at Haeden, Liaran could sense that he was smiling at her. "I'd like that," she told him. Not only had she found the trail more enjoyable than she'd thought, but she wanted to see places like this, ones that were important to Haeden but almost entirely foreign to her. "And I wouldn't mind taking a break," she admitted as they continued to ride. Not much time passed before Liaran heard water splashing, and saw that the path ahead of them opened into a large clearing that was much as Haeden had described it.

She nudged Seawind closer to the creek that ran through the middle, and when the horse reached its edge, Liaran slid out of the saddle. Since they hadn't been riding for too long, she hardly wobbled at all as she took a few steps away from the horse and looked around. She knew they couldn't be far from the Grey Tower, but the isolation of this area made it feel as if nobody other than herself and Haeden existed, and Liaran felt rather content with this idea. It brought another smile to her face as she studied the scenery around them, noticing the rocks Haeden had suggested that they rest on. The Sea Folk woman had no desire to leave the water's edge to investigate them further. Instead, she walked further away from where Seawind had lowered her head to drink, sitting down beside the creek and turning her head towards her Warder. "Let's sit by the water," she called.

[Bella]

"Wherever you go so shall I, my Aes Sedai," he said with a formal bow but a very informal, warm smile.

After dismounting, he'd let the horses drink their fill. They certainly hadn't been working themselves too hard, so it wasn't a concern to put the cool water in their stomachs. He took care of securing them, but they were both well-trained horses. He wasn't too concerned, which meant he was able to put his focus upon the woman with him.

He moved over to where she was sitting and sat beside her. Reaching out, he loosely laced his hand around hers. "I know this little creek isn't much compared to the open seas, but it's very peaceful. I've been out this way and sat long enough at times that even the wildlife forgets I'm unusual. Deer have drunk water at the water's edge while I've been here."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

When Haeden sat down and took her hand, Liaran curled her fingers just a little more tightly around his. She had chosen to sit close enough to the creek that she could reach out and touch it if she wanted, and she did, trailing the fingers of her other hand through the running water. It was cold, but Liaran didn't care. She turned her head towards Haeden when he spoke to her, glad to be off of horseback so that she could look at him while they talked.

"It's nothing like the ocean," she agreed, "but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it for what it is. This place has its own appeal." She certainly found it as peaceful as Haeden did, so silent that she could hear the water flowing over the rocks that lay at the bottom of the creek. Liaran paused to listen to it for a moment before continuing, "It's so quiet out here. It's as if nobody else exists except for us.....and I like being alone with you." She gave the hand she still held a gentle squeeze.

[Bella]

He returned the squeeze, feeling that small thrill of exhilaration that raced through him whenever she said works of such sentiment. It still amazed him, even astounded him at times, that she could feel these things for him...but he was certainly beyond grateful, pleased, and thoroughly returned the feeling.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze in return, resisting the urge to think back to the injuries her hands had sustained during that terrible ambush... His injuries had naturally concerned him far less.

"I like being alone with you too," he agreed, his deep voice softened. "The Grey Tower will always be my home, and I love the place, but it can sometimes seem like..." He paused to figure out what words he sought here. "Even when you are in your quarters, technically alone, one does not always feel alone, I think. Sometimes hearing others pass in the halls, or noises from the windows...

"But here, this feels properly quiet and properly...just us." Haeden smiled at her. "And I like that."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran returned the smile, eyes focused on Haeden even as she removed her hand from the water, drying it on her pants before she shifted over to be closer to him. Much of what he'd said matched her own feelings, but she still liked hearing his words. Liaran didn't think she'd ever cared for anyone as much as she did for Haeden, and knew without doubt that there had never been anyone else she'd trusted as much. At times, she thought her feelings for him ran even deeper than simply caring about him. She was far from being sure about that, but Liaran wasn't worried about it, choosing instead to appreciate what they shared together in this moment.

She was still smiling up at him when she said, "We'll have to make sure we return here more often in the future, then. Considering how Shadow whines if she's in the apartment and not in the room with either of us, I don't know that we'll ever be truly alone there!" She laughed as she spoke the last words. Her laughter faded, and her next words were more serious. "I'm glad you brought me here," Liaran said. "Not just because it's pretty and peaceful, but...because it's somewhere you've often been, a place that means something to you. I'm happy you chose to share that with me."

[Bella]

Truth was, he particularly liked Liaran's dog too. He'd never had a pup of his own, so it was a nice...bonus to bonding Liaran. As if he needed one.

"I don't recall ever having someone I've wanted to share this place with more," he said earnestly as he lifted their joined hands and kissed the backs of her fingers. He smiled again as he lowered their hands once more. "I would wish to share all such places of mine with you, although I fear that I do not have many."

His laugh was quiet, and edged with self-deprecation. "Sometimes it feels like...until you, I did not have much like but the stone walls of the Tower. A few glimpses here and there, like this place, but very little besides." He turned his head as his green eyes grew intense with complex emotion, looking at the tranquil water. "Now it feels like the world has opened. In ways more than the physical lands."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Combined with the emotions she could sense through their bond, the words Haeden spoke to her nearly overwhelmed Liaran. Her own feelings were just as complicated, and for a while, she couldn't find any words to express them, though being bonded did make that less necessary. Her eyes remained on Haeden, studying him in silence, then drifted down to where their hands lay clasped together. She never tried to keep them out of his sight, as she did with most people. There was nothing she had to hide from her Warder, and it still sometimes surprised her to know that was true. She'd never felt this close to anyone else. Her eyes left their hands, and Liaran raised her head slightly, meeting Haeden's green eyes with her own dark ones.

"I think I know what you mean," she told him, her voice just slightly hesitant. She rarely had reason to speak of her emotions in this way, and she struggled to find the right words. "I.....when I'm with you, I feel......more alive..........than I ever have before." She didn't know what else to say, if further words needed to be said, and honestly, wasn't sure if everything she felt for him could be conveyed through mere speech. Giving up on the thought of saying anything more, Liaran leaned forward to kiss him instead.

[Bella]

That was a sort of language Haeden could easily understand, and was more than happy to communicate in.

As she leaned forward toward him, he leaned in to meet her and close the small distance between them. He lifted his spare hand, fingertips tracing a soft line along the edge of her jaw before resting against the side of her neck, the very tops of his fingers sliding into her hair behind her ear.

He pressed his lips to hers, gently at first and gently for the longest of moments. What words could not be used to say was thoroughly conveyed through this gesture and the flood of emotion that settled between the two of them. After that moment, that emotion swelled subtly, and he pressed in to deepen the kiss just a little.

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

As their kiss intensified, Liaran moved closer to Haeden. She wrapped her free arm around him, resting her hand on his shoulder as she pulled him towards her. She leaned against him, and her fingers closed more tightly around the hand she still held. Not wanting to be distracted by anything around them, Liaran shut her eyes, for several moments forgetting everything except Haeden, herself, and the tangle of emotions now passing between them. Nothing else seemed to matter more than this.

Far too little time had passed when she broke away from the kiss with more than a little regret. Liaran raised her head slightly to take a deep breath, opening her eyes and blinking in the sunlight. Those eyes stared deep into Haeden's, and Liaran made no further moves to separate herself from him. She had absolutely no desire to do so.

[Bella]

She pulled back, and he let her go. He would never press her in the slightly, but he couldn't help sharing in that bit of regret for it. Haeden kept his hand where it was, curved lightly against her neck, and pressed his forehead to hers. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply of the fresh air around them, as well as the sweet scene of her nearness.

"I could stay here with you forever," he whispered. His own desires rose up within him, but he struggled against them, to subdue them, because he did not wish to overwhelm her just with his feelings.