Breaking a few hearts (attn Andular, Serena, and Aran)

[Eqwina]

The room was still dark when Thera’s eyes opened; her caramel eyes blinked trying to adjust to the dim light that poured under the rough wooden door. The whole room was well aged wood that had gotten only the barest lick with whitewash sometime in the past.

 

The room was simple, and a far cry from what she had been used to in the Tower, but it was dry and it was her own. Stretching to loosen the tension of muscles still half asleep Thera threw back the covers. The air still held a little bit of lasts night chill but Thera did not bother to get dressed. She padded around the room lazily going about her morning routine. She chose her most comfortable breeches and well fitting boots that laced to her knee. Thera planned on doing a lot of working today and comfort came first. She chose a pale green linen blouse and a tan coat with ivy embroidered on the sleeves and lapels. At the last minute she tossed the coat aside, she would look silly dressed to work out with a fancy coat. Serena really had addled her brains.

 

Thera left her sword propped against the wall and left her room. She started off with a few laps around the yard. The light was beginning to bounce off the towers and the trainees were out in force. They ranged from short to tall and skinning to plump; there were even a few that were off an age with Thera. She eyed them all with interest but she saw no one that made her heart beat faster.

 

Tired of running Thera went to grab a practice blade. She found one that was of a weight with her own sword and set off in search of a secluded spot where she could observe while she worked her forms.

 

As the sun climbed higher Thera began to sweat. Her toned muscles strained as she flowed from form to form. She pushed herself harder, trying to lose herself completely in her work. She was the flame.

 

When her arms were too weak to hold a sword, she tossed it aside. Her body did not stop its movement. Thera flowed from one kick to another until her knees had turned to jelly and her breaths came in labored pants. She found a shady spot under a tree and emptied one of her water skins over her head. As she lifted her head her eyes caught sight of someone. His face looked distorted as she peered through her soaking wet curls, but it was him. Thera leapt to her feet spraying water in every direction. Quickly she grabbed her towel and ran it hastily over her head. Thera’s curls were still wet and they dripped when she moved, and her skirt clung to her with a combination of water and sweat. A thin layer of dust covered her boots and the faint smell of sweat hovered over her, but there was nothing she could do about that now.

 

When she looked up he was even closer and he was headed her way. Attempting to appear nonchalant she reached down and took back up her practice sword. She placed herself in her starting stance and after balancing a moment she began flowing from form to form. All the while her mind raced! She had not spoken a word to him since the day she bonded to Serena and she had even managed to avoid seeing him until now. Thera’s heart began to race and all of her long buried passion and desire crept back to the surface. 

 

[Andular]

Stretching Andular stepped out of his office into the training yards.  The day was warm and bright with the smell of dust and sweat filling the air as men and women trained and sparred.

 

Having spent the last half a year along the blight border scouting trolloc movements the Warder had only arrived back in Tar Valon the night before.  He knew he should be documenting his findings so he could deliver them to the Master at Arms but he was restless. 

 

Strolling through the yards shouting greetings to comrades he had not seen in many months brought a smile to his face.  It was good to be back in the yards and he hoped he could manage to avoid leaving again for at least several weeks.

 

The clash of wood and metal surrounded him and he drank it in and savored every minuet.  Just as he was passing an old oak tree that he had rested against more times than he could count his eyes fell on a familiar face. 

 

Thera sat under a tree pouring water over her head causing her dark curls to glisten as the sun beat down on them. 

 

It had been a long time since he had seen her and even longer since they had spoken.  A familiar stirring rose in his stomach at the site of her and he began to walk over.  Thera was on her feet picking up her practice sword.  Andular knew she had seen him and was obviously trying to pretend she had not. 

 

His smile grew wider as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her spinning her about to face him.  She had only an instant to begin to voice her irritation before he kissed her hard full on the lips.  “Well met Thera.” 

 

[Eqwina]

His firm hands felt like heaven wrapped around her waist, but she schooled her face to stillness. Too many years had passed for him to treat her this way. Thera had given him her innocence and her heart and he had cast it aside. His soft lips and chiseled body were the root of all her issues; and still she allowed herself to fall into his embrace.

 

It still surprised her that a touch so tender could come from a man so hard. The feel of Andular’s hands and the softness of his lips took her back, and she could feel her heart flutter as the memories of her lost innocence flooded back. It would be so easy to fall back into how things were; but she was a different woman now. With great reluctance she pulled back from his embrace and placed her fists on her hips.

 

“You’ve a lot of nerve Andular Rojvas! Her words carried disdain and her eyes shot daggers. “I am no longer twined around your little finger as you can see” She took a step back and twisted her hips as if to demonstrate. Thera was trying hard to ignore the feelings that pulsed within her, but every moment she stared into his eyes she got further from her goal.

 

With a flourish of her practice blade she assumed her beginning stance. If he wanted to speak with her it would have to be as she worked. Andular’s eyes felt like daggers as he watched her work the forms; it was if she could feel his lust in every pore. When her forms brought her facing him she could see his hunger and she stumbled, her face turning as red as her hair. Thera had left her room that morning with the intent of finding a man to settle her urges, but she had not expected to encounter him.

 

“Maybe a short break would do me good. To what do I owe the pleasure of this..visit? I thought you had lost yourself completely in the scouting the blight”

[Andular]

Crossing his arms Andular admired her as she worked the forms.  He had taught her well as she moved with grace from stance to stance.  There was no doubt that Thera resented him for what had passed between them in the past and for that he did not blame her.  At the same time he did not regret what had happened and held a fond place in his heart for their time together.

 

When she spoke to him he smiled and winked at her.

 

“I have only just returned from the Blight Thera and I cant tell you how lonely it is out there with nothing but Trollocs to look at.”

 

Thera shot him a warning glare and he held up his hand chuckling. 

 

“Peace Thera I saw you in the yards and though I might convince you to go into town with me and let me buy you a drink.”

 

He had more than that in mind but a drink was a good start.  Thera gave him a suspicious look and set her practice sword down.

 

“A drink and my company is all you will be getting Andular.”  She shot at him agreeing to accompany him into Tar Valon.

 

Smiling he gave her a slight bow and took her arm in his and led her out of the practice yards.  The two talked of their lives and what they had been doing since the last time they saw one another.  She had grown much as a person and had seen many grand adventures it seemed.  For his part he told her of his duties along the Blight border and in the borderlands. 

 

Slowly Thera warmed up to her old mentor and by the time the took a table in the common room of the Green Woman inn she seemed at ease.  Andular order them drinks and picked up Thera’s hand and kissed the back of it.

 

“You have been sorely missed Thera it is good to have your company once again.” 

[Eqwina]

Thera’s eyes and her heart both lit with fire when Andular suggested a drink. Apparently he caught the warning in her stare because he took a step back. Sweat had made Thera’s shirt cling to her in a most revealing way, and she could not help but flaunt herself for the man that had once held her heart.

 

Since Andular had left Thera had come into her own. The baby fat that had concealed her now high cheek bones had melted away and her sword belt and tight pants accentuated her womanly figure. With out her coat she was able to flaunt to full advantage. Thera knew she could never allow the man and his chiseled body into her bed again, but there was no harm in allowing him to observe what he could no longer have.

 

As they walked toward the gates into the city Thera found that she had to fight to hold on to her resentment for her former mentor. His comments and advice regarding the last several years of her life seemed genuine and sincere. It was hard not to see him in a new light,… and yet for what he used to be.

 

The Inn Andular had chosen was of moderate size, but the walls had been freshly whitewashed and the hard wooden floors were swept clean. The low ceilings had been painted a dark midnight black and only a few lamps lit the room. Only one word could describe this room..intimate. A familiar fire lit with Thera, making her head feel as if it were floating. Andulars soft kisses stoked the fire that burned within her and in the blink of an eye her resentment had faded. Desire had replaced her hate and suddenly the fire with in her was a raging inferno.

 

…Thera felt that if she had closed her eyes she could still feel his hands squeezing tight on her thighs, as his body pressed down firmly onto her…

 

A sudden surge of furry burst like firework inside her mind and Thera’s caramel colored eyes bulged wide. To feel such rage at this distance, she must have been lightening hot. For a moment Thera pushed Andular’s chiseled abs and strong arms from her mind and she took the part of her that was Serena and wrapped in a tight bundle. With feigned casualness Thera reached out and took a swig of her ale. “ So tell me, will I be privy to one of Tia’s tantrums for being seen here with you?”

 

[Andular]

Andular could feel the conflict radiate off of There at just being in his presence and he had to supress a chuckle.  He let his eyes drink in her figure not bothering to hide the hunger and desire he felt rising within his core being.  At the mention of Tia he sighed and drained his mug.

 

“Tia Sedai no longer holds my bond Thera.”  A look of confusion crossed the woman’s face and he fought down the anger and regret of what had become of Tia.

 

“It is a long story and one I really do not want to relive at the moment.  Suffice to say it is not a pleasant memory and one that a welcome reunion such as this could do without.”

 

Thera reached over and placed her hand on his squeezing it in sympathy the hard edge in her eyes softening. 

 

“I am sorry to hear that Andular.”  Her eyes betrayed her however and he could see the old passions and desires he knew so well begin to flame within them.

 

Calling for another round of drinks Andular turned back to Thera and placed a hand on her knee.

 

“You have grown from the young woman I knew and blossomed into a beautiful and deadly warrior Thera.  I would lie if I did not say a part of me is very proud at how far you have come.”

 

They spent the next hour talking of their lives and where their travels had taken them.  Thera spoke of her bonding and the experiences she had gathered since accepting it.  Andular did his best to avoid any mention of Tia the pain still too raw and fresh to dwell on it. 

 

Several drinks later with his head pleasently buzzing he leaned over and kissed Thera once again.  This time she leaned into it and kissed him back biting his lower lip softly with a soft moan.  Sitting back quickly she blinked and laughed softly. 

 

Draining his mug once more he sat back and laughed with her realizing winning her affections anew was going to be a challenge, a challenge he would accept and relish.

[Eqwina]

A head filled with Ale seemed to be Thera’s constant state these last few months. Often times as she watched over the yards she daydreamed of the flask tucked away in her drawer. Now, sitting here across from….him, she felt as if she were flying and Thera was sure it had little to do with the ale.

 

In the years since they had been apart much had changed in Thera’s life, she was no longer a lost trainee in search of acceptance. She was a warrior and a woman and; light bless her she was still in love. As that thoughts crashed into her mind Thera turned a brilliant shade of red, dark enough to match her curls. She was thankful for the dim lights. 

 

It had been hard to hide her shock and delight at hearing that Tia was no longer an issue, but she tried her best at a comforting word. As much trouble as Serena had turned out to be Thera did not know if she would last the night if Serena annulled their bond.

 

As they talked the years they had spent apart seemed to melt away and those dangerous emotions crept close to the surface. So close, that before she knew what she had done her lips pressed to his and she sank her teeth gently into his flesh. The explosion of passions that came with this embrace was overwhelming and Thera pulled back, unable to do anything but laugh. In a voice hardly above a whisper she said. “It seems that some things never change”

 

The night wore on with several more mugs of ale passing through them. Thera found herself telling Andular how Serena Sedai had broker her heart, along with a whole slue of things she had never before verbally expressed. Thera tried to make her voice light and her comment a joke but the lust she was feeling shown through. “ I still can’t seem to control myself around you, even after all these years I am still a victim to your charms” She tore her eyes away from his and focused herself on draining her mug.

 

It was full dark and the tavern had begun to fill with people, a young girl sat on a stool on a table playing the dulcimer and singing softly. In the middle of the room a small space had been cleared and people were beginning to dance. Thera had never known her former mentor to dance, but if she could entice him it would be away for her to be in his arms without…..

 

She leaned over and nibbled gently on his ear before speaking, her voice pitched to carry over the growing noise. “I’ve never known you to dance but I know you have rhythm and balance, how about a dance?”

 

[Andular]

A shiver went up Andular’s spine when Thera’s teeth scraped against his ear and a soft moan escaped his lips. 

 

“It would be a pleasure to dance with you my little minx.”

 

Standing he held out his hand and helped Thera to her feet and led her toward the dance floor.  A few others were dancing but the space left plenty of room for the two of them.  Putting his right arm around Thera’s waist he pulled her close to his body as the music played.  She felt good this close to him and he could not help to give her bottom a firm squeeze causing her to flinch.

 

“You should not stay away from the yards for so long Thera I have missed our talks together.”

 

Thera chuckled and flashed him a mischevious smile letting him know she knew exactly what he had missed about her. 

 

Flowing across the dance floor he hoped their parting did not go as badly as their last meeting.  He truly enjoyed his former trainees company on many levels.  As the music ended Thera tilted her face up to his.  Raising a hand Andular gently caressed the lines of her face and leaned down and kissed her hard on the mouth.

 

Another song had started but he had no desire to dance any longer and led Thera back to their table and ordered another round of drinks.

 

The drinks went down easily as the two scooted their chairs closer together and talked in hushed whispers. 

 

“What can I do to convince you to stay with me tonight Thera?”  He asked putting a hand on her knee and caressing her leg.