War and the Sea

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Mon Nov 04, 2013 12:39 pm

Isla sighed. It was all so complicated. She found Alysander attractive and had felt something when she kissed him but he did not. She found Nicholas attractive and again felt something when he kissed her but it was not quite the same, or maybe it was but she was too surprised to know for sure. Her eyes looked Issac over. He was not Alysander but he was not unattractive.

He talked of being made to feel safe or desirable and both of those things Isla recognized. She had felt those with both Nicholas and Alysander had made her feel quite safe on a number of occasions despite initially being a source of her fear. Isaac spoke of intercourse and Isla’s mind flashed to Wallace and him pushing her to the ground. She knew it was possible to enjoy another person in that way but not as he had used her.

Her head tilted and she stared at Issac. “It is all very confusing. I am sorry I was embarrassed when you told me I have never been told by someone that they love me. Given everything that had gone on in the camp it was more than a little overwhelming.”

Isla looked up at the sky. “Do you like teaching people math and science?”

She turned the conversation away from talk of emotions and love. It forced her to think too much about how she felt and Isla had had enough of that for the moment. He had not answered her question about why he thought he loved her. He had talked about how people see love but not why he felt that he loved her. She decided it best to let it go.

Her eyes fell back on the man who sat near her. “Would you teach me?”

She was curious and wanted to hear more about math and in particular science as Isaac had described it.

“Maybe even a little bit? You can say no. I would not be upset if you did not want to take the time but I have never heard of them before now and would like to know more.”

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 7:54 pm

Dryfall and some larger pieces of wood were tied together in a large bundle, which Alysander unloaded from the back of Wallace’s horse. He unsaddled the hard working animal and let her graze, then gathered up the wood and headed down the hill toward the river bank and their tents.

Isla and Isaac were both lounging on the grass near the river’s edge, bathed in the amber light of sunset. It turned Isla’s fair skin to pure gold and cast glimmers of red through her dark locks. The man beside her was bare chested, only his arms and face tanned. As Alysander descended the hill, he noticed that Isaac’s hair was wet. He must have gone swimming. The weather is nice and that water looks clean. I wouldn’t mind a swim myself.

The two of them were chatting amiably, enjoying a conversation that seemed much more relaxed and unguarded than any he and Isla had shared. Why was that? Did she have her guard up, or did he?

“Do you like teaching people math and science?” he heard Isla ask the strange man that had somehow become their companion on the road to Skye. “Would you teach me? Maybe even a little bit? You can say no. I would not be upset if you did not want to take the time but I have never heard of them before now and would like to know more.”

Why did she want to know math and science? She was returning to the sea, where surely such things would have no use to her. Even Alysander had never formally studied, though he could read a little and sign his name.

“Of course,” Isaac replied, lying back on the grass. “Although I’m not sure where to begin. You say you don’t know any math? Hmm. I’ve never taught anyone the basics.”

Alysander dropped the bundle of wood on the ground near where he wanted to build the fire, and the sound was much louder and more abrupt than he’d intended. “Sorry,” he apologized, and knelt down, looking away from them. He made a pile of the tinder and kindling, then sorted the wood according to size so he could build the fire. With the flint from his bag and the dull side of his knife, he sparked a flame that lit the kindling, helped along with a gentle breath to coax the flame. In a few minutes a small but steady fire crackled, lighting the dim evening and the space in front of the two tents.

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:20 pm

Isla shook her head. “When and where would I have learned such things. It sounds almost like you have made them up but I am curious.”

She shrugged a little watching him laying on the grass.

Isla jumped as the wood hit the ground. Her eyes were wide as she looked to Alysander. A smile replaced the surprise. She pushed herself up to stand.

“Isaac took a swim and he will teach math and science. They sound very..unusual.”

She liked the idea of learning something. He could not help her with emotions but this was something he could help with.

Isla moved nearer to Alysander as he built and lit the fire. As its flames rose she crept closer, letting them warm her.

Her eyes moved over Alysander and she tried to figure out what it was she felt when she kissed him.

Some people go by what they see....some by what they feel...Well that is of no help. Maybe if I explain it to Isaac he can help me figure out what the feeling was.

She knew Alysander had not shared the feeling since he questioned why she kissed him the second time. She had been searching for an answer and result to the riddle of Nicholas’ kiss compared to Alysander’s. Her eyes moved to Isaac and she frowned. I wonder if Alysander could tell me what love is or how someone might know...later, when we are alone.

The thought made her smile a little and Isla sat down by the fire.

“We have a lovely fire. Thank you Alysander.”

She looked over at Isaac. "Is it not nice?"

Isla tucked her knees up under her chin and smiled to herself as she stared at the flames.

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:44 pm

There was no pot for the stew he’d hungrily envisioned, he remembered with a frown, and stood to retrieve the bag of dried provisions, which was dwindling. He sighed, looking over what was left. Enough for the three of them that night, perhaps a bit left over to break their fast in the morning. Hopefully they’d find a town the next day, though he knew the countryside was wide and the road they traveled often bare. Going to bed hungry won’t kill any of us, but it’d be better to find a town with a place we can stay.

He returned the fire where Isla was warming her hands with a soft smile. He unwrapped each of the small packages and laid them out before himself and Isla. Isaac wandered over a moment later and sat next to Isla. “Do you have anythin’?” he asked the other man, gesturing to the food. “That’s all I’ve got left.”

Isaac shook his head. “No. I have a little money though. Would that help?”

Alysander gave him a sharp, irritated look. “D’ye see a merchant round here?” His eyes rolled upward in annoyance. He regretted inviting Isaac along. It had been better when it was just he and Isla. She seemed oddly content, however. Her chin was propped up on her knees, her dark eyes reflecting the flames like mirrors.

“We have a lovely fire. Thank you Alysander.”

Alysander nodded with a slight flush of embarrassment. “‘s nothing,” he murmured, then gestured to the dried provisions. “That’s all we’ve got left, but help yerself,” he told her, and led by example. He was hungry from their long day riding. He finished his share quickly, then stood and went to where his belongings were stowed. He removed a change of clothes so he could swim and bathe in the river. The spare shirt was almost identical to the one he wore, but he had only one plaid. He would wash it, and while it dried the following day he would wear garb that was slightly less common in the highlands, though sometimes more practical: he had a pair of trousers, almost the same as Isaac wore.

“I’m goin’ t’ the river fer a swim,” he told Isla, clothes under one arm. “Can I leave ye with him?”

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:08 pm

She did not notice the irritation in Alysander’s voice, she was too captivated with the warm flames dancing in front of her.

Isla looked up, still smiling as Alysander gestured to the food. She watched him quickly eat his food and stand. He was leaving again.

“Yes.” She nodded. "Isaac can tell me more about math and science until you get back."

Isla looked at Isaac smiling and then turned back to Alysander.

“Perhaps I will go after you then.” The idea of washing up and feeling the water around her was extremely appealing.

Her eyes went back to the flames and she ignored the food briefly.

It was several more minutes before she ate lightly. Isla noted how little there was and only picked lightly. He needs the food more than I. Her eyes moved to where Alysander had gone to the river.

“I did not bring my own food either. How have you travelled so long Isaac without provisions?”

Isla looked over at the other man. The fire cast a glow to his skin.

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:32 pm

“I did not bring my own food either,” Isla told him, watching the fire. Earlier she had seemed enraptured by the flames, and he’d enjoyed the way her eyes sparkled and her lips pulled up at the corners. He had thought Isla carried a sort of sad dignity, but now she exuded happy calm. He found he was not sure which was more captivating. “How have you travelled so long Isaac without provisions?”

“Wha- ?” His mind had wandered and he felt oddly flustered. “Oh, erm, that. You see, Bill was kind enough to offer to carry my foodstuffs for me. He even offered to carry my wallet, but it wasn’t very heavy and I told him I felt foolish asking him to carry something so light. When we parted ways, I completely forgot to ask Bill for my things back. He had all of my provisions, a few books, my map... Why, even a few odd items I’d been bringing with me to the school, such as soap from England and a candlestick holder my mother had given me.” He shrugged, embarrassed. “I’m quite absent minded sometimes.”

He smiled at Isla earnestly. “How did you and Alysander come to be traveling together?”

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:56 pm

Isla was staring at Isaac. She noted the fact that something had made him flustered. Her eyes softened and looked back at the fire.

His story drew a frown to her brow. “How unfortunate that he did not remember to hand you back your things. He seems absentminded. Though I do not know why he offered to carry them in the first place but I was not there. It is sad that you will be missing so much for your journey.”

At his question Isla’s face changed. “I arrived on the shore near his home. His cousin looked after me and now he is helping me as I search for something lost, something very important to me.”

Her tone was sincere. If he had asked her only that morning it would have been a slightly different tone to her story but now, now that Alysander knew the truth and believed her she knew her words to be true. He was helping her.

“We will travel and he will find his kin and then we will find what I am looking for.”

She played with a few loose strands of her hair.

“When Alysander returns I think I would like to take that swim”

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:12 pm

Isaac turned his body so that instead of sitting beside Isla, he faced her. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he sat cross-legged on the grass. “You two strike me as a peculiar pair, but it seems as if the arrangement is working out for you both. Still, I’m very glad you’re not married.” He smiled shyly, eyes cast sideways.

“We will travel and he will find his kin and then we will find what I am looking for,” Isla told him, determination and surety in her tone.

“What is it that you’re looking for?” he asked, watching with interest as Isla toyed with the strands of her hair. He had to swallow hard against the lump forming in his throat, and his hands fidgeted in his lap in an attempt to resist seeing if Isla’s hair was as soft and fine as it looked. He’d never touched a woman’s hair before, not purposefully. He couldn’t even remember wanting to before that moment, yet suddenly he wanted to run his fingers through her locks, and wind a lock of it round his finger to see if it would spring back or hold a curl. I’m having very strange thoughts. I wonder if I’m coming down with something...

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:27 pm

Isla looked over as Isaac shifted and faced her. He leaned forward. Something about the way he spoke to her and the way he looked at her cause a blush to creep up her cheeks. She looked down shyly.

“A seal skin. I cannot go home until I have it. It means a great deal to me.”

She stared once more into the flames, slightly hypnotized by their movement. “He promised me he would help me find it and I believe him.”

When I have it I will go home to the sea....go back to the way it was and visit....

A shiver ran through her. Isla pulled herself back to the present. Her eyes moved to the food. “I should put this away.”

Isla stood and walked to where Alysander’s pack sat. She neatly tucked the rest of the provisions back inside.

When she returned Isla sat back in her previous spot.

“Do you have a big family Isaac? Have you travelled far? Have you travelled with your friends the whole time?”

Once again Isla switched the conversation away from herself and to the man who sat nearby. Her fingers went back to playing with her hair. She braided and unbraided it slowly as she looked over at him.

“How long have you taught maths and sciences?”

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:49 pm

Isaac chuckled. “That’s a lot of questions! I’m not sure I even remember what all you asked me...”

His voice had lowered and he looked away, feeling strange. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling exactly, but it was similar to a stomach ache. Yes, the pit of his stomach certainly felt unsettled, but he was sure he wasn’t sick. He crossed his arms tightly over his abdomen.

Isla was plaiting one of the long front sections of her hair, and unable to resist he got onto his knees and shifted so that he knelt behind her. “Let me,” he said, taking the plait from her hand. He unwove the loose braid, then joined the strands with the rest of her hair. “I have a small family. Only one younger sister, who always needed help plaiting her hair. She taught me how. She thought it was funny for a boy to plait hair though.” He shrugged, nonplussed, and began to section off parts of Isla’s hair, starting below the crown. Her hair was as soft as it looked, he thought, letting a lock slip between his forefinger and his thumb.

“I’ve only traveled around England, Scotland, and a very small bit of Wales. The world is a very large and interesting place, I’m sure,” he told her, weaving a loose, five-strand french plait down her dark hair. “But I’ve no real desire to leave this little corner of the world. At least not yet.”

There was nothing for him to tie the ends with, so he let it hang loose down her back. The plait would loosen further and come undone as she moved, but he didn’t mind. He liked the way her hair looked when she wore it loose. He didn’t know very many women who wore their hair that way, but he much preferred it.

He shifted around so he could see how the intricate plait looked on her and nodded in approval. “Very beautiful,” he told her, not necessarily meaning her hair. “I hope you find the seal skin you’re searching for.”

His eyes shifted upward toward the large, dark figure approaching them. He was nothing but a shadow beyond the illumination of the fire, but he was impossible to mistake. “Welcome back,” Isaac told the other man, head tilted to the side. Isaac frowned, then glanced at Isla. They weren’t married, he’d said. But was there something there?

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Tue Nov 05, 2013 11:07 pm

Isaac shifted and moved behind her. His hands began working through her hair as he talked. Isla had never had someone to do her hair, not since she was a small child and someone had taught her. It was before she left home but it was too foggy of a memory for her to put a name to the face. Likely a step sister or sister in law she figured. Her mind tried to focus on that rather than the strange tension that gripped her chest as Isaac worked.

He was close to her but not uncomfortably so. It seemed simple yet the way he looked at her made her feel so shy.

Isaac moved once more, this time back to his spot at the fire. He looked her over and commented on his work. Isla blushed.

"Thank you..."

She let the words come out in a breath, barely audible. Her mouth had gone dry.

Isaac greeted someone and Isla looked over to see Alysander's shadow.

"It is my turn then?"

Isla felt flustered and oddly unsure as she slowly stood and moved away from the fire. She did not stop to wait for an answer from Alysander. Her feet carried her to where her pack waited and once there she steadied her breathing as she worked to find her chemise. It would have to do for the night and in the morning she could dress again.

Standing Isla smiled towards the men though she was not sure they could see her.

"I will not be long."

She walked to the bank and stripped in the darkness. The air moved over her bare skin and gave her goosebumps. Isla gracefully slipped into the water and relished the feel of it over her skin. It was not the sea but it helped to relax her.

The selkie swam and floated for a time, letting the dirt and dust of the road wash away. Eventually she walked back up onto the bank, wrung out her hair and donned her chemise and shoes. Her fingers worked through a few stray knots in her hair and the braid Isaac had put in had come free in her swim. She left the dark waves to hang loosely down her back.

Isla came back to where the packs rested, stashed her dress and slowly approached the fire. She could feel its heat as she approached. Isla stood by the fire. The flames casted light through her chemise and her body's silhouette could be seen. She held her hands out toward the heat.

"Well that was a nice swim. Feels better not to be so dusty."

She remained standing but a small yawn formed and then escaped her lips. One pale hand went to her mouth in an effort to stifle it.

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Thu Nov 07, 2013 8:21 pm

As soon as he’d arrived, Isla had stood, already leaving.

"I will not be long,” she told them both, and before he could offer to be nearby to protect her in case anyone should wander by she was gone. He watched her form disappear into the darkness, the words dying on his lips, and firmly closed his mouth. He’d half stood, but now lowered himself down from his crouch back onto the ground by the fire, feeling suddenly overtaken by a dark mood. Why should it bother him that she didn’t need or want his protection? He picked up a nearby broken stick and tossed it into the fire, watching the sparks it sent up leap up into the black sky.

“Alex,” began Isaac, sounding more cautious and reserved than usual. Alysander looked over at him, frowning. The man continued, fidgeting with his hands. “You said you weren’t married to Isla, but... Is there something between you?”

Alysander looked at him sharply, then turned to stare into the fire. Was there something between them? Isla wanted there to be, or she thought she did. She wasn’t taking into account the fact that she was a selkie though, and that her greatest desire was to return to the sea and her seal kith and kin. His own feelings were muddled. Isla was a nice enough girl, but he couldn’t say he felt any sort of real romantic feelings for her. There had been a few strange moments of lust, and he was growing fond of her, but he wasn’t interested in anything more than a casual relationship, and that would surely only hurt her. It was idiotic for them to be involved.

“No,” he finally answered, his tone more terse than he’d meant.

Isaac was silent for a moment, but his head was tilted to the side and one side of his mouth was tight, which Alysander took to mean he was thinking about something. After a moment, Isaac’s posture straightened, and it was clear he’d come to a conclusion.

“So you don’t mind if I... If I try to... you know...” Clearly he wasn’t sure exactly how to say what he meant. Perhaps he was having a crass thought that he couldn’t find polite words for, or maybe he just didn’t know what he wanted from the dark haired beauty.

“I do’na recommend it,” he advised. “But yer both free to do as ye like. I do’na own her. I’m just helping her find what she lost.”

They both heard scuffling and the sound of Isla returning, and by mutual silent agreement the conversation was dropped.

"Well that was a nice swim. Feels better not to be so dusty."

Alysander grunted, not looking at her, but across from him Isaac had straightened up, his eyes widening. His adam’s apple visibly bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Isla,” the man said, rather more breathless than usual. “I’m afraid I can see right through your chemise. Did you know?”

Alysander’s eyes widened in shock, and in a reaction he could not stop, he turned to look. Isaac was quite right. The firelight turned her thin white chemise almost transparent. He could see the gentle curves of her hips, the narrowing of her waist, the slight swell of her breasts. There was a thin sliver of space between her slim thighs, and as his eyes traveled upward beyond her navel, he could see the vague impression of pert nipples through the cloth.

Alysander sprang to his feet and grabbed for her hand, steering her away from the fire and toward his tent. “That man,” he was muttering angrily, and pulled the flap of the tent aside, urging her through the opening. Really though, it had practically been like seeing her nude...

He followed in behind her quickly and let the drape fall shut, and suddenly they were in total darkness. The memory burned against the back of his eyelids, and it didn’t matter that his eyes could no longer see. He now knew with some amount of certainty how the contours of her body formed a delicate hourglass. His heart raced, thudding loudly in his ears. His hand was around hers, and both had to stoop to fit inside the tent, though he had to stoop far more, and in his haste his balance was quite precarious. His felt himself overbalance and tip forward, then half caught himself on one knee, for a moment locked in a kneeling position. He had too much forward momentum though, and his free arm windmilled, then caught Isla’s shoulder, pushing her onto her back before he fell on top of her, barely catching himself with one arm from crushing the tiny female.

He froze, then scrambled to pull himself up and rolled away. He didn’t roll far, confined by the tent, but he was no longer on top of her, no doubt making her uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure what to say after Isaac’s true but thoughtless observation.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I wasn’a thinking.”

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Thu Nov 07, 2013 8:45 pm

“Hmm?”

It was all she managed to get out before Alysander came at her, grabbed her hand and pulled her to the tent. She looked back towards the fire for a moment but whipped her head back to look at the dark figure of Alysander. They were heading to the tent. She was confused and startled by the whole thing.

What? What did I do? What is going....

She ducked a little as Alysander urged her into the tent. His hand still held hers. Then in a blink of an eye she was grabbed, pushed down and on her back. She was not able to clearly make out the fact that he was falling, all she knew was Alysander grabbed her by the shoulder and was now on top of her. He was right above her, Isla could feel his breath on her face. He stayed there a moment, not moving. Isla stared wide eyed into the darkness.

Then he was gone.

Isla could feel him next to her. He muttered an apology. She laid there next to him unmoving. It was then that she realized her heart was pounding and her breathing was incredibly fast.

It took a great deal of time before she could find the words to say something.

“What happened? Why did you grab me? Why did you...why did you?” She lowered her voice as she spoke.

Isla rolled to face his form. She could make him out a little in the darkness. “Alysander?”

Her hand went out towards him and laid on his chest. He had scared her by pulling her from the warmth of the fire and pushing her down but there had to be a reason. He did not want her the way Wallace or Nicholas did. She knew that, he had made it very clear.

“I know you were not trying to force yourself on me as Wallace had.”

Isla whispered it to him. Her fingers spread on his chest and she moved a little closer. She propped herself up on one elbow. “Why did you pull me away like that?”

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:00 pm

Alysander peered at Isla through the darkness. He felt his heart begin to return to it’s slow, steady rhythm. He sat up, but felt her hand on his chest. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to dispel the image in his mind of her standing there illuminated by the fire, gown turned to nothing. His body was responding in ways he didn’t really want it to, and it was making it hard to concentrate.

“What happened? Why did you grab me? Why did you...why did you?” Isla’s voice was soft and low. She didn’t sound mad, she just sounded confused. “Alysander?” she asked again, rolling toward him, propping herself up on her elbow. “I know you were not trying to force yourself on me as Wallace had.”

Alysander felt her fingers spread, her warm hand still on his chest. She wasn’t helping much with the reaction his body was already having, but she was a selkie. She didn’t realize, he tried to tell himself. She was almost completely inexperienced and knew very little about men. She didn’t know that was she was doing was only adding to the frustration that was already welling up in his body.

“Why did you pull me away like that?”

Alysander looked at her, his eyes slowly adjusting. “Did you no’ hear him?” he asked. “Isla, the firelight shone right through yer shift. It was like we could see ye naked. I was tryin’ t’ get ye away from his pryin’ eyes.”

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:14 pm

“Oh.”

Isla went very quiet. She laid down on her back beside him. She let her hand slip from his chest.

Isaac had said that some know love based on physical attraction. Was Alysander trying to keep Isaac from having feelings for her?

“I am not something to be desired or loved because of what I am? Are you protecting me from Isaac or him from me? He said....”

Away from his prying eyes.

“Thank you. It is probably for the best that you did that. It would be better if he could see me the way you do.”

Isla turned, rolled so that her back was to him though she could not go far. Her hands tucked under her head to act as a pillow. She laid there quietly. Isla felt sad and confused.

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:21 pm

Brow furrowing in confusion, he watched as Isla rolled away. There was sadness in her voice, and he wasn’t sure what she meant. It would be better for Isaac to see her as he did? What did that mean?

“Isla,” muttered Alysander, exasperated and confused. “I didn’a think you’d want him t’ see through yer shift. If ye do’na mind, of course ye can go back out there. I was only tryin’ to protect you.”

What was going on with her? “I do’na know what ye want. Hell, Isla, for all I know maybe ye want t’ experience things other women do. If that’s so, go on back out there. He’d be happy t’ learn with ye. He loves ye, after all.”

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:36 pm

“No, no it is better. He could not tell me why he thought he loved me. I did not know you could see me but I have learned that being naked sends the wrong message. It means men can take what they desire. You are protecting me in case he wanted to take something he desired, assuming that he desired my body.”

She frowned at the darkness.

Hell, Isla, for all I know maybe ye want t’ experience things other women do.

Did she want to experience what women experienced? She had certainly been close to that with Nicholas and she did not think she would have regretted it save hurting Alysander more by completely destroying the image of a married couple.

She could be a woman for a while, live life that way but once she had her coat she could go back to the sea. Isla worried her lip. She remembered the way her father was, the way he talked of her mother and how he acted without her. She wondered if it would have been different if she had lived.

But would it have been just as bad if she one day took back her coat and left him? Perhaps she would not have left if she loved him. Maybe that was the key.

Isla rolled back to face him. She propped herself up once more and looked down at his face.

“Alysander, how does one know if they love someone? Can one have desire for another without love? I need to know these things so that I can figure out what I want of this form. How can you tell if you love someone?”

Isla knew what Isaac had told her but she wondered if Alysander might have a different take since he was not clouded by feelings for her.

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:04 pm

“No, no it is better. He could not tell me why he thought he loved me. I did not know you could see me but I have learned that being naked sends the wrong message. It means men can take what they desire. You are protecting me in case he wanted to take something he desired, assuming that he desired my body.”

“Isaac?” asked Alysander, resisting the urge to laugh. “Ye really think that one would force ye? I doubt it. Yer safe enough with him, I think. I doubt he knows what he’s doin’ anymore’n you do.”

Isla turned so they were face each other once more. He sat up a little straighter, then rested his elbows on his knees.

“Alysander, how does one know if they love someone? Can one have desire for another without love?”

The man raised his dark eyebrows in surprise. “Aye. Desire without love is called lust, and it’s common enough.”

“How can you tell if you love someone?” she asked him. He frowned in response and looked away from her.

“How should I know, Isla?”

SkullsandSlippers · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **SkullsandSlippers** on Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:21 pm

Isla sat silent. She stared at him in the dark.

“Y-you have never loved someone?

On instinct her hand reached out to him as she pushed herself up and closer to him. Her hand touched his leg, her palm on his thigh.

“You do not know how to tell if you love someone? Is that why you are not married?”

Marriage was linked to love, at least in everything Isla had come to understand though as Isaac pointed out mother’s love their children but children were a product of a marriage so the two inevitably went hand in hand.

“I wondered why you did not have a wife. You are handsome, strong and brave. You have a dedication to your kin...it seemed odd to me that you did not have a woman at your side.”

Her hand gently caressed his thigh. There was no pity in her voice. She was being honest and her sadness came as a result that she could not fathom how a man like Alysander had not experienced love.

“I know why I do not know or understand love but I cannot see a reason why you do not. It...”

Her hand still stroked his thigh and Isla slipped closer. Her head found his shoulder and rested there.

“You would love with a great intensity. Like you do everything else.”

Isla stated it with a sure tone. She could not place love or understand how she might recognize it but she was sure of this.

She went quiet again. Her hand still moved on his leg, the motion and closeness comfortable to her yet unthinking, as if it was just natural.

“Is it not alright for a man to see a woman, as Isaac saw me or is it because we are not married? or is it because I am not human? And desire without love is lust. So it is possible that like Nicholas what Isaac feels is lust, not love....but I have no way of knowing if that is what either man feels or felt or what to call what I feel....”

Isla shivered and snuggled in closer to him. “That is why you did not like it when I kissed you. I was looking for answer, a why to tell what I felt and I had hoped if you felt something you would be able to tell me, to help me but you felt nothing, neither love or lust without those it is not alright.”

She realized how close she was to him, how she was touching his leg and with a frown she began to pull away. “I am sorry. I should not...I should not make it complicated.”

Now she felt even more confused. What was okay and what was not? A kiss was not but he had hugged her back when they were on the horse. He let her sit close but maybe now it was not alright since they were not on the horse and she was not upset.

“I do not understand how any of this works.”

Isla sighed softly.

LockandKey · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LockandKey** on Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:50 pm

Isla didn’t even fathom how personal the questions she asked him were. He bristled in the darkness. She had no sense of privacy. Did the creatures of the sea hold no secrets? She was frustratingly clueless, yet he knew it was wrong to be angry with her.

“Not everyone is like Rhiannon n’ Garreth,” he told her, somewhat coldly. “We do’na all meet the love o’ our lives and know we want t’ marry them from th’ very beginning. And do’na make the mistake o’ thinking being married means bein’ in love. They’re two completely different things. Marriage is a commitment and a promise, it does no’ always mean ye love the person, or that ye’ll always love the person yer wed to.”

He looked over at her, a frown on his face. “Why does it even matter? Ye said ye want t’ go back t’ the sea. That’s why we’re doing this, right? If ye want t’ stay on land and be in love and have a man look at ye naked, ye do’na need a seal skin t’ do so.”

If that was what she wanted- a man she could fall in love with- she already had several vying for her attention. If she wanted an academic, Isaac had made it plain he was already head over heals for her. It had been love at first sight for the strange Englishman, yet Alysander couldn’t doubt that his intentions were good. On the other hand, if she wanted riches and a comfortable life, she could return to Laird Lochcarron. It would probably be a marriage of passion, if the man wasn’t deposed or killed by his cousin.

Perhaps she envied Rhiannon and the simple yet happy life his cousin led. Alysander couldn’t blame her for that- he was often envious himself. If she wanted a simple life, she’d no doubt find a man for that as well. She’d have her pick almost anywhere she went. She was strange and she was irritating as all hell, but she was a bonnie lass. She’d probably make most men happy, once they got past her cluelessness about normal, everyday occurences and the emotions associated with being human. He was sure that if she stayed on land that as time went on she’d adjust. She was more than half human, after all. Her father had been human, and her mother a Selkie who had adjusted to human life herself.

But who would look after her? he wondered, gnawing at his lower lip. She didn’t even realize when she put herself in danger. Her first trip onto their shores, she’d wandered around naked, and that hadn’t exactly ended well for her. Tonight, though she’d been unaware, she’d incited lust from two men. He knew neither he nor Isaac would harm her, but what if she’d accidently exposed herself around less scrupulous men? Women raised in the Highlands knew better than to wander around half-dressed. If they did, it was intentional, and the attention they received was met by a husband or lover willingly. Isla had no experience to base her decisions on. There were countless was she could endanger herself, or make a bad impression on people. Even if she wasn’t harmed... What kind of a name would she make for herself continuing on the way she did? Who would protect her not only from others, but from herself? Someone needed to look out for her, and teach her with utter patience and love and care...

Could Isaac do that? He would love her, but he couldn’t protect her, and he was equally as clueless. Worse, he was gullible in a way that Isla wasn’t. At least she had sense. Isaac was living in a world of his own.

What about Laird Lochcarron? The man was twice her age, but that gave him more experience. Maybe such a thing would be good for her. On the other hand, if she was the wife or mistress of such an important man, everything she did would be scrutinized. If she embarrassed the contested laird, what would he do? He might send her away and keep her hidden, a prize he partook of only when it suited him. Isla deserved better than that.

Her hand was on his leg, stroking his thigh in a way he would have enjoyed if he hadn’t been quite so torn. She was doing it without thinking, he knew. She continued talking, oblivious to the impact she was having on him physically. He was glad for the darkness and let his eyes flit upward, thanking heaven for small mercies. Lord only knew how she’d react. Probably with a dozen questions.

“You would love with a great intensity. Like you do everything else.” She nestled closely against him, her hand still warm on his leg, her cheek against his shoulder. She moulded against him, soft and feminine, her body naturally yielding with its gentle curves. “Is it not alright for a man to see a woman, as Isaac saw me or is it because we are not married? or is it because I am not human?”

“It’s fine for a man t’ see ye, as long as that’s what ye want. I did’na think ye were exposing yerself on purpose to us though.”

“I was looking for an answer,” she told him. “a why to tell what I felt and I had hoped if you felt something you would be able to tell me, to help me but you felt nothing, neither love or lust without those it is not alright.”

Her hand stopped its course and she pulled away, withdrawing from him. He rubbed his eyes, wishing he could give her an easy answer for once. The questions she asked never seemed to have clear answers.

“I am sorry. I should not...I should not make it complicated.”

“I ken ye do’na mean to, Isla. I- look, Isla, I wouldn’a make ye happy. I’m not looking fer love, and I do’na think ye’d be happy with lust. I can’na give ye what ye want.”

“I do not understand how any of this works,” Isla sighed. Alysander sighed in agreement.

War and the Sea

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