Battle and Glory

Arkhann rubbed his chin, decidedly worried. He slipped his arms around Icienne tenderly and pulled her closer, "Do not be sorry, fate has driven us together and as such we will find a way out of this. Ichlaz may be a powerful wizard but he is not omniscient nor omnipotent, take, for example, the Castellans, while they are bound to Valmorgen they are still far mroe powerful here than Ichalz will ever be. The sanctum is near impenetrable, and I believe the Grand Magistrate would give Ichlaz a challenge to be remembered. As for the matter of the stone, can we not simply destroy it? Or hide it away? Perhaps we can simply not go on this little journey and avoid even the possibility of a grisly fate."

Arkhann held Icienne steadily and mused for a moment, he let his warmth envelop her and as he held her he considered their options. Most likely Ichlaz had some sort of failsafe that made the journey absolutely necessary... perhaps he could send an assassin...? No, that wouldn't work, the Wizard was too careful and too intelligent to be caught by such a simple solution. And what of Bellurdan and his tribesmen? They were a nuisance at the least, and any more than that they became a dangerous enemy. Valmorgen would see tough times this year. The Orks were closing in, his personal health was in danger and the tribal forces were at his doorstep... it was not a good day.

Icienne allowed herself to be wrapped in the warmth of Arkhann's embrace, feeling it washing over her, soothing her in a way she could no comprehend, but could not combat. She let that soothing clarity wash over her, and again she wished in vain for a way out of this ordeal, for a life that contained only the Lord Commandant and a simple existance, a life that could not yet be. Would it ever?

As Arkhann proposed destroying the stone, or laying aside the task altogether, Icienne sighed, pulling back from him and gazing again into those hazel eyes, sadness prevalent upon her pale features. "I proposed the same argument to Lucien, but it cannot be. If I were to lay down my task, Ichlaz would find another apprentice and send them upon this journey, making most certain to keep him or her blind to his true intentions, as he as failed to do with me. I do not yet think he understands that I know him for what he truly is now, and I hope it stays that way. And if this apprentice was to succeed, and bring him the Stone, existance as we know it would be wiped out entirely. As for destruction of the Stone..." Icienne smiled bitterly. "It is constructed of stronger stuff than stone. Magic even the Castellans would fear is embedded into the thing, making it utterly indestructable. No, our best plan of action would be to follow the course, leading Ichlaz into a false sense of triumph. Then, upon his hour of victory, I will perform the counterspell to the Binding he has prepared, destroying him and the Portal, I hope."

She drifted back into Arkhann's embrace again, closing her eyes, wondering if the task would destroy her as well.

"I am afraid," she whispered, holding the Lord Commandant close, seeking out that comfort that only his strong arms could provide.

Arkhann held the small mage close to him, wrapping his muscular arms around her tightly. His hands stroked down her back lightly and he let her rest her head on his chest. He felt secure holding her and he could tells he held the same sense of security when she was in his arms. How strange things had turned out, on the outset of his quest he hardly expected to find love or even a farly attractive woman to share a... night with. Yet here he was with this elegant and hauntingly beautiful woman, a powerful sorceress no less, in his arms with strange feelings stirring in his chest.

He looked down at Icienne and after a moment drew her chin up to him and gazed into her eyes deeply. He leaned in slowly and kissed her lightly on the lips before staring at her piercing blue orbs again. "We'll be alright, I promise, not even Ichlaz will harm you, and he shall need more than petty magicks to hurt me. We will go forward with his plan, I think we have a good chance of thwarting him. Until then... stay with me?" he smiled at her gently and held her close to his body, enjoying her presence.

Icienne sighed lightly despite herself, getting lost in the feelings that were overwhelming her as she drifted away in Arkhann's arms. Never before had she experienced the warmth that was gathering inside her now, as if it was puddling in her stomach and radiating waves out into every inch of her skin. She thought of the cold, desolate life that had been her apprenticeship in the Tower of Wizardry, and looking back on it now it looked so gray and forlorn. Especially compared to this... what is this, this exuberance that seemed to seep from her every pore now?

She felt Arkhann's strong, yet gentle fingers engulfing her chin, and she opened her eyes, allowing him to tilt her head so that their eyes were gazing intently into each other. She felt him leaning forward, saw it with her own eyes, and yet she barely believed it. Before her mind could catch up with her body, his lips were touching hers, and she returned the kiss tenderly, treating it as something precious, irreplacable. All too soon, he had withdrawn from the kiss, and she opened her eyes, unaware that they had drifted shut again. She gazed into the hazel warmth that seemed to speak with no words of hope and light. She smiled despite herself at his words of comfort, and as he asked her to stay with him, almost beyond her control, her hand reached up and touched his face. "I will stay with you," she replied in barely more than a whisper. And then, still searching those hazel orbs, her hand snaked around to the back of his head, pulling him almost without realizing back into reach. She kissed him again, closing her eyes, melting away beyond the woes, worries and sorrows that threatened to snuff out all hope and happiness around them.

Unbidden, unknowing, without realizing what was happening, an orb of the softest translucent white encircled the warrior and the mage, shimmering like stars, as an unprecedented happiness washed over Icienne. She was, for the first time in her life, simply a woman, simply learning what it means to fall in love.