She shook her head slightly "I'm a light sleeper." Jaycel's reaction puzzled her- especially how he was avoiding her gaze... had she done something wrong??
"Bad dreams?" She asked quietly, noting the hurt that showed plainly on his features.
Still not meeting her eyes he nodded, his gaze fixed instead on the still-glowing embers of the fire. He smiled faintly. "I suppose you could say that."
"Jay," She said softly her eyes clouding with disquiet "You can tell me about them... you can trust me... can't you?" She moved her hand to catch his, and held it lightly, gently trying to dispell the memory of his dreams.
Reluctantly, almost against his will he looked up, meeting her eyes. Slowly, hesitantly, he began to speak. "I... I was twelve, when it happened." He stopped, as if unwilling to go on, then continued. "They were stronger then. My village... they raided it, burned it... Set fires to houses with people locked inside..." Shaking his head with another of those strange, twisted smiles he chuckled under his breath, a chilling berserker chuckle that had sent chills up the spine of many a man before a sword had run them through. "My mother told me to find my brother and get out while we could, but they found us and pulled us back, then they... they killed my parents, and my brother, right in front of me." He bit his lip so hard that he drew blood, and swallowed. "I went crazy... I actually managed to kill one of them with my bare hands before another knocked me out and left me for dead."
Keely listened without a word. His laugh had startled her, almost chillingly so, but she listened. When he finished, she dropped her head staring at her lap. Keely withdrew her hand, refusing to touch him, just for a moment as she recalled his murmerings, "Mik... Mik was your brother, wasn't he? You called out his name."
He noticed her pulling away and shook his head slightly, drawing his knees up to his chest. "Mikeel. He was... My twin brother, actually." Lifting a hand he indicated the scar across his cheek, and then pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing an ugly, twisted rope of scar tissue. "They gave me these... and scarred me more than that." His voice trailed off has he repeated. "Oh, so much more than that."
Keely's vision has hazy- obscured both by the curls that fell in front of her eyes, and anger. "Monsters." She muttered, shaking her head. Falling silent, she lifted her hand, her fingers trailing down the scar on both face, and arm. Her expressions were masked again, and she looked up, leaving her hand to cover the scar on his arm. "I'm sorry." She said helplessly. "I'm sorry."
"So you see why... Why I find it difficult to trust anyone." He continued, his face once more blank and expressionless. Brushing at a strand of hair he absently covered Keelys hand with his. "But somehow I trust you, Keely, and I don't know why that is."
He blinked, and suddenly his eyes were warm, the hard line of his jaw softened in a smile. "Though, thanks to them, I'm a demon in battle." He said almost cheerfully, but his tone was tinged with bitterness. Mentally refusuing to tell her what he meant unless she asked, he stared resolutely at a pebble on the ground. Berserkers were usually found as wanderers up for hire, and most were afraid of them. He didn't want that.
She turned her hand, linking their fingers. "Aye, I see." She said, a sad smile on her face "I was like that too." She gave his hand a light squeeze of acceptance- they were alike.
A demon in battle? She shrugged a little, planning on dismissing the notion, but it bothered her. "What do you mean, a demon in battle? Fer sure, all of us have our demons, and some show in times of anger, or hurt, or fear..." she trailed off, looking up at Jaycel, questioing in her eyes.
He froze, he hadn't bargained on her actually asking him. Pulling his fingers away he dropped his head into his hands, thinking. Finally he sighed, looking up and gazed distantly towards where dawns first light was tinging the horizon. "I'm a berserker, Keely." He admitted with a rueful chuckle. "Get me somewhere where I can fight... properly, mind, and I'll kill anything that comes within reach." He smiled slightly. "I don't even know my best friends when I'm like that. It's the only thing they left me with."
"A Beserker." She echoed softly. She felt a qualm go through her- he was potentially dangerous. With a small, soft laugh she said "Best not to cause a fight with you then, aye?"
It was her way, of telling Jaycel she understood, that she would not run.
He looked at her, eyes slightly widened in surprise, then that chuckle started up again. Soon shaking with hysterical laughter he got up and leaned heavily on the nearby tree, breathing deeply to calm himself. "Oh, Keely..." He sighed. "You have no idea how good that makes me feel." Managing to get a firmer grip on his sanity he shook his head, hands behind his back. "Just... it's probably better not to tell anyone... agreed?"
Keely grinned in reply, her own laugh starting, bubbling over the deserted battle field.
"Agreed." she nodded, slightly breathless "As long as no one finds out that he was here." she motioned towards Belac's body, a slight glaze shadowing her eyes for a moment. Shaking it off, gently- in mind of her arm, she looked up at Jaycel, for she was still on the ground and asked "Help me up?"
With a lopsided grin he nodded, walking over to her and taking her good arm at the elbow, putting the other arm behind her back and lifting her to her feet. He whistled, then gave a low nicker, and with a snort Nevyn yanked his tether, the knot coming undone. Jaycel winked. "I taught him to do that." He informed her, stroking the stallions neck as he trotted over. "Did you walk here? Or did your horse bolt?"
"Clever." She said with a smile, stretching a little. Her hand, as usual slipped to her sword hilt, and she pet it in fond appreciation.
With a bashful sort of laugh, she looked up abruptly at Jaycel and said "Neither... I ran."
He raised an eyebrow. "You ran?" Suddenly, in one fluid motion and before she could protest, he caught her around the waist with both hands and lifted her onto the saddle, pushing her upright with one hand before squinting up at her. "How's the view from up there!?" He called, jesting, then grabbing the gear left on the ground he stuffed it into the saddlebags before swinging himself up behind her. Catching hold of the reins he made a few small noises in his throat, twitching them. Nevyn danced backwards a couple of steps then set of at a steady trot, nervously avoiding the bloody body on the ground then speeding up, heading homeward. "Are you alright, Keely?" He murmured close to her ear, keeping his eyes fixed ahead.
Keely gave a small shriek as he hoisted her up into the saddle- the horse was huge! She had peered down her nose at him at his jest, replying with a curt "Fine, thank you."
She felt elated up on the horse, with Jaycel, and she nodded enthusiastically at his question. "I am... just fine." She said, a little breathless, whether it was the effect of the horse's speed, or the closeness of Jaycel, was something only Keely was able to define.
Leaning back and uttering a wild sound from deep in his chest, Jaycel urged the horse on and laughed as the regular jolts blended into a smooth rhythm. He always felt so free when riding, and he closed his arms around Keely as the ground sped under them, letting out a child-like whoop of delight.
Soon enough, the base of the barracks came into view and Jaycel slowed the horse to a walk, breathing in deeply. "You still alive up front?" He laughed, his body seeming to be in tune with Nevyn as he rose and fell with the horse.
She nodded, leaning back against him, sighing contently, a smile bright on her face.
She'd been caught up in giggles, Jaycel's laugh infectious. "Aye." She said, "Aye, I am."
She was undoubtedly glad to see the barracks- "I didn't think I'd be back here." She said quietly, barely above a whisper, and mostly to herself
"Excellent." He chuckled. His eyes still facing forwards as he twitched the reins every so often. Catching the whisper he frowned slightly, unconsciously tightening his grip on her. "Don't ever scare me like that again." He murmured.
Je t'aime...un peu..., beaucoup... passionnement... pas du tout
The Beginning
Keely and Jaycel
Keely stiffened a little, a scathing reply on her tongue, 'Scare you!? I ran for fear of my life! Would you rather have me dead by the hands of the man that ruined me!?, but she bit it back, knowing that she was blowing it out of proportion. 'Settle, Keely Maria!' He cared for her, and she for him- very much so... maybe even loved him, she was not sure yet.
She placed her hand atop the arm tight around her waist lightly, relaxing back into him. She was comfortable here, she realised lazily, smiling a little. She closed her eyes, stars dancing beneath her eyelids. She was tired, and her arm throbbed with every heartbeat. She was suddenly feeling a little queasy- shock, she suspected, but she wasn't at all sur if she'd be steady once on the ground.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, they rode into the training grounds. Jaycel slipped off as they drew near the stables, landing lightly on soft-shoed feet, and looked up at Keely. Giving a short bow he tilted his head, then glanced around as if checking to see if anyone was stirring. "Need helping down?" He enquired, his eyes twinkling, resting a hand on the stirrup.
Keely shook her head, peering down at him. Swinging her leg over the saddle, she then slid down to the ground. She looked at him, blinking slightly at the black dizzy splotches in front of her. "See. I can do anything." She said with a small laugh, before her knees gave way.
"Whoops!" He darted forward, catching her before she hit the ground. Holding her close to him he caught Nevyns reins with one finger, leading him into the stables.
That accomplished, he walked back out, slowing a little due to the young womans weight, then set her down in a patch of sunlight, grinning. "So... can you walk now?" He asked, folding his arms.
Keely let out a whoop as he lifted her, and seriously considered kicking and stuggling.
When he put her down, looking down at her she went a furious red colour, and she glared at him a little. "I'm fine." She said quietly, her lips pursed.
"Well, that's alright then." He sat beside her, his expression not showing that he'd noticed her displeasure. Pushing up the sleeves of his shirt he scratched absently at the scar on his arm before sighing, looking up. Squinting he kept his eyes on the sky, which was half shrouded in cloud. He drew his knees up, wrapping his arms loosely around them. "I guess... you know everything there is to know about me, then." He admitted, shrugging ruefully.
Keely relaxed, and smiled " I don't think so." She said, giving him a funny, shy sort of look. "I don't know your birthday, nor do I know your favourite colour, and nor do I know your favourite food." She paused, and then continued, her accent thickening "I don't ken what books y like, or even if ye lke reading books." She shrugged, and smiled, "There's still a lot I don't ken about ye and a lot ye don't ken about me."
"True spoken." He nodded. "Well, for those answers, my birthday is in four days, my favourite colour is red, and my favourite food... Well, I haven't yet found any to beat the bread made in this guild." Smiling he breathed in deeply, eyes flickering around the grounds. "And I'll read anything I can get my hands on, to be honest. But no, there isn't a lot I know about you." It wasn't an invitation for her to spill out her innermost secrets, just a simple statement.
She smiled, mentally catalouging the information as he told her. 4 days... red... guild bread...
Gently pushing curls from her face, she lifted an eyebrow, and then mumbled "Today, green, apple, and poetry." She quirked a smile up at him, and then looked off towards the guild, caught up in her own little world.
"Today?" He looked taken aback, surprised even. Seeming to be deep in thought he frowned, eyes on the ground. "I wish you'd said something."
Keely shrugged a little. After living so long without anyone to wish her a happy birthday, she no longer felt the need to celebrate her birthday. Dismissing the notion with a small wave of her hand she said softly, "It's not that important."
Jaycel made a small, inarticulate noise, smiling slightly, then nodded a little. Crushing a few blades of grass under his hands he glanced at them, rubbing at the stains, then sighed. "Well, happy birthday, anyway." He said quietly, lying back and putting his hands behind his head.
She nodded a little, a shy smile appearing. "Thank You."
She stole a look at Jaycel, the memory of last nights kiss plain in her mind. Was it out of pity...? No... not pity... he said he was maybe in love with her... but what then?
An air of unease washed over her- she was no longer able to stand on her own. Tiredness, pain, emotional stress, it all came crashing down on her in a heap, and leaning back on the fence behind her, she felt her eyelids become very heavy.
Je t'aime...un peu..., beaucoup... passionnement... pas du tout
The Middle
Keely and Jaycel
In the Middle of Nowhere ...
The sun felt good on her skin, she had decided, laying back into the long wavering wildflowers. Her cloak rolled up and placed strategically beneath her head as a pillow, Keely turned her face towards the warmth of the sun, a tiny smile lighting her face.
She was conscious of how edgy she had been in the last few days- so much had happened! With a yawning breath, she closed her amber eyes; fingers as always, wrapped around the cool metal of her sword hilt. It was not long before she felt all her muscles relax, and feeling languid she let herself fall into a soft sleep.
Wearing soft riding shoes, worn brigga and a loose shirt, Jaycel rode Nevyn through the forest towards the clearing that marked Ladesina Meadow. The dappled sunlight falling on him warmed his browned skin and he smiled as he noticed the trees thinning out, kicking the horse into a gallop towards the meadow.
He gave a shout, more of surprise and shock that any real fear at Nevyn shied and jumped, dumping an unprepared Jaycel on the ground before moving off, nibbling at the tall grass around the bases of the trees. Jaycel sat up with a low groan, glancing around to see what might have spooked the war-horse enough to have him jump over it. He grinned when he saw Keely. "Well, my Lady." He said, laughing slightly. "I would have hoped to make a rather more dignified entrance into your presence than that, but it can't be helped."
Keely was startled into wakefulness as she heard the thump of Jaycel nearby, her face ashen and her stomach sick with the sudden transition. Lurching up, sword drawn, she glanced over.
"Oh, it's you." she said with a half smile, laying the weapon on the ground beside her. Running a hand through her tangled curls she gave him a quirky look. "What are you doing here?"
He grinned. "I was riding, but Nevyn..." With that he cast a disgusted glance at his horse, who seemed to sense his masters displeasure, putting his ears back. Jaycel chuckled. "He has better eyes than me. He jumped over you, I didn't see you and ended up being thrown off."
"Sorry." She smiled, definately not sorry at all. She stifled a yawn, and eyed him curiously. "But you know, for one to be effective in protecting himself from any type of distraction, whether it be an onslaught of furious soldiers, bent on pilliaging and destroying, or a harmless maiden sleeping amongst the flowers, he must watch at all times every area he passes." She laughed good naturedly "That incudes the ground he travels upon."
Smiling, she shuffled over to him, still trying frantically to tame the wild curls about her face. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"
Not answering, Jaycel had paled considerably as she had said an onslaught of furious soldiers, bent on pilliaging and destroying, but as she finished and asked him a question he shook his head lightly, managing a brief smile. "Naught, my Lady. I was just enjoying the fine weather we're having." He replied quietly, watching as she attempted to calm her hair.
She frowned, finally capturing her wayward curls and tucking them behind her ears. Inwardly she punched herself for mentioning soldiers, and forced herself to think of other things.
"It is lovely, isn't it?" She smiled, a slight blush in her cheeks.
He grinned, sitting up and leaning back on his hands, squinting up at the sky. "Beautiful." He sighed, glancing at her. Of course, he didn't mean the weather, but he wasn't that bold. Taking a deep breath he cast his gaze to Nevyn, grazing nearby, then looked around the meadow.
Keely sighed a little, mirroring his actions. It had been sometime since she'd come to the Meadow, and she loved the peacefulness of it. But now that Jaycel was here, she was feeling rather distracted, and all hopes of resting diminished.
He noted the sigh, recognising it's meaning as he made that noise often enough. Standing he ran a hand through his hair, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can go, if you like." He offered, striding forward a few steps and catching hold of the worn leather of his mount's reins.
"No!"
Keely leapt up, struggling slightly to stand straight from sitting. She was wearing a gown- a very rare occasion indeed. It was a deep green, the front panel criss-crossed with gold braiding. She looked slightly out of place, but the dress in no way held her back.
Taking a few large steps, she put a hand on Jaycel's as he took the reigns, looking up at him with pleading eyes. feeling bashful, and slightly stupid, her hand slipped down to fall limply at her side.
"I mean, you don't have to go..."
Jaycel's eyes widened momentarily as she called out, and he gave her a confused look as she touched his hand. "Erm... alright." He said hesitantly, dropping the reins and giving Nevyn a pat on the neck, looking warily at Keely. Thinking that she had wanted him to go he looked bewildered, and noticing the look in her eyes only confused him more. Women!
"I thought you wanted me to go?"
Keely frowned "I never said that." And she hadn't had she?
With a sigh she ran one hand through her hair, and placed the other on her hip, putting weight on one leg. "If I'd wanted you to go, I wuold have said so. I... I was enjoying your company." Her tone turned a little shy, and she looked up at him her eyes- which were often so carefully mastered, showed that she was telling the truth.
"Oh."
His gaze softened slightly, and he raised one eyebrow. "Oh, well... alright. You just seemed... uncomfortable with me there." He explained with a shrug, meeting her eyes briefly then looking away. He rubbed the scar on his cheek then froze, smiling a little. "But if you want me here..." He trailed off, feeling uncomfortable.
"I wasn't uncomfortable, so to speak." She said slowly, thinking as she talked "But... just... unsure."
She took a deep breath in, feeling the tension between them, and wishing to get rid of it. "Jaycel," She started, holding her hands infront of her, chewing on her lip nervously "You said... back at... with .... when you came for me... that you thought you were falling in love with me..." She looked up at him, questioning in her eyes, "Did you mean that?"
About to give a straight answer to whatever question he thought he heard, he pulled up short when the question sank in. A small frown creased his brow and he looked down, chewing his bottom lip. Finally drawing in enough breath to answer he paused a few times, then nodded.
"Yes, I meant it."
Keely nodded, a pleased flush lighting her face. "I thought so." she said smiling, and then walked a little way away, and sat back down in to flowers. Picking one, she studied it carefully.
This however was a guise- her emotions threatened to betray her, and she would not let Jaycel see. How long had it been since someone even mentioned love to her? Eight years ago, when her mother left her. She ducked her head, hair covering her face, as she plucked petals from the flower in an absent-minded game.
Jaycel didn't move, instead standing and looking rather bemused. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, watching her, leaning against Nevyn, who stood solidly beside him. "Why did you ask me that?" He enquired with a questioning smile.
"I just wanted to know." She said quietly. Her heart felt like it was in her throat, and she hated the way she was reacting. She dropped the flower and smoothed the wrinkles from her gown, frowning in concentration.
"I think I'm falling in love with you too, Jaycel." She said, still not looking at him, but staring hard at the ground instead.
He nodded slowly, as if not quite beliving what he was hearing. "Oh." He said simply, another small frown flickering across his face. Drawing in a deep breath he smiled slightly, moving to her side and sitting beside her he kept his gaze fixed determinedly on the grass. "Well..."
"Well." She repeated, looking over at him. Her face was practically glowing, her confession finally made, but her eyes were unsure, nervous. Her fingers itched to touch her sword, but she kept them firmly clenched in her lap.
Suddenly she burst out laughing. The sound reverberated around the meadow, filling it to overflowing. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she bent over double, groaning between fits of laughter because of her aching stomach.
"I..I'm sorry." She gasped, turning to Jaycel and wiping her eyes. "I.. sorry."
He grinned, watching her laugh, and drew his knees up to his chest, folding his arms across them and resting his chin on his hands. "No need to apologise. I quite understand." He stammered between supressed chuckles. Shifting position he returned to his previous pose, leaning back on his hands, closing his eyes and turning his face up to the suns heat.
The giggles subsiding, Keely turned to watch Jaycel. He looked peaceful sitting there, face towards the sun. She was suddenly struck at how lucky she was, and flying on an impulse, she leaned over and kissed him lightly, a fleeting touch on his lips.
At first he thought he'd imagined it, and opened his eyes, squinting slightly against the sunlight. He gave a child-like lopsided grin as he saw her, then pushed himself into a sitting position, turning towards her. He smiled slightly, then kissed her back.
Keely felt shy and elated, uncertain and confident all at once, and a whole lot of other things. She pulled back, and looked at Jaycel, eyes searching his face intently, for what she didn't know, but she knew that she wanted to record every part of his face into her memory.
She lifted her hand to his face, tracing the mean scar, her mouth turned down a little. With a surge of tenderness so great she almost could not understand it, she kissed the scar and with a small smile asked "All better?"
He shivered, feeling chills going up his spine. Not answering, he meerly smiled slightly, dropping to lie on his back and looking straight up. With a small sigh his eyes glazed over a little, trance-like, while he mulled over what had just happened. No doubt there were feelings between the two of them, quite strong ones judging on what he knew about Keely's normal behaviour. His eyes flicked to her and he gave a brief smile, wondering what she was thinking.
She caught his smile, and returned it. Looking away then, her eyes seemed a little troubled.
'You're falling, Keely and you're falling fast. Be careful- sure he says he loves you, but you have to be careful.' She sighed a little as her throught ran away from her.
She flinched a little, hissing at the thought, but said nothing more.
"Something wrong?" Jaycel enquired, sounding a little tired. It was comfortable, here on the grass, and he could easily go to sleep. When he heard the noise she made he opened his closed eyes a little and spoke then sighed and shifted, plucking a small pebble out from under his back and chucking it away.
"No." Keely replied, turning back towards him. "i was just thinking." She smiled at his drowsy coutenance and commented on it as she shifted postitions, leaning bac on her hands. "You look tired. You should rest."
He blinked sleepily, grinning. "I am resting." He stated firmly, giving a small nod and stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. "Comes of spending all night in that damned library, I'm surprised I'm not nocturnal."
Keely laughed, remembering the library saga.
"did you find what you were looking for in the end?" she asked, laying herself down in the long grass, resting her hands on her stomach. She was wide awake, but she knew that if she stayed here for long enough that the warm sunlight would make her drowsy. She blinked, and then looked across at Jaycel waiting for his reply.
The young man's expression darkened slightly, and he shook his head. "No, no I didn't." He said shortly, plucking at the grass blades under his fingers. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly he kept his gaze fixed on the sky, watching a solitary wisp of cloud drift over them.
Keely frowned, just a little. Whatever he had been looking for had not be pleasant.
"It looks like a sword." She said quietly, pointing up at the cloud and staring at it intently.
He tilted his head, well, as well as he could lay flat on the ground. "So it does." He mused, but his voice was still coloured with the thoughts that mentioning the library had brought up.
Keely rolled over, proping herself up on her elbow, and resting her head on her clenched fist. "What's wrong, Jaycel? And don't tell me nothing, because I know better." She tried to add a little teasing into her voice, but it didn't work, so instead she took to the somber and solemn approach, her face turning comically blank.
"It's nothing." He replied automatically, then shook his head slightly, turning towards her and copying her gesture, propping himself up on a clenched fist. "I was looking through the archives, trying to find out if I had any family left." He admitted. "They keep records of things like that." He looked down, plucking at the grass with his free hand. "As far as I can figure, myself and Mikeel..." There was a painful pause as he spoke his brother's name. " We were the last ones of my family, and now I am."
Keely stayed silent for a moment, contemplating what he'd said. It would be easy enough to say she knew how he felt, and she was the last of her family too, but she did not. She knew that his hurt was bigger than hers, for she had never shared the bond of having a sibling, let alone a twin.
"I'm sorry." She said simply, quietly, her voice sincere, and her amber eyes matching.
"Well, nothing I can do about it now." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "There must be a reason I survived, and I can live with the loss." He shrugged in dismissal of the subject, turning his eyes down so she wouldn't see the hurt reflecting in them. Looking back up he smiled briefly, rising to his feet and looking out over the meadow.
"Maybe," She said very quietly, barely above a whipser, laying back and watching the clouds again, "Maybe you survived to help me." She closed her eyes then, placing on hand behind her head, the other resting lightly on her stomach.
He turned his head, looking at her. "What?" He was sure he couldn't have heard right. What did she mean by that?
She pursed her lips, as if contemplating whether or not to repeat what she'd said. With her eyes still closed, she did indeed repeat it. "I said, maybe you survived to help me. I'm not thinking highly of myself, nor am I saying, even suggesting that I am the sole reason, but Jaycel," She opened her eyes, and looked up at him "You saved me from many things already. From myself, from my demons. From Death." She closed her eyes again, and turned her head slightly away from him.
A comically confused look frozen on his face, Jaycel frowned and tipped his head to one side. "What do you mean?" He asked, looking as if he was going to move towards her then seeming to change his mind, just looking at her curiously.
Keely sighed again, and shrugged- an odd motion, considering she was laying down. "Never mind." she mumbled, still not looking at him, and keeping her eyes tightly shut "It's not important."
"Yes it is."
Jaycel hurried over to her, kneeling beside her and placing a hand on her arm. "Tell me what you mean, before I start to worry about you."
She turned her head towards him, smiling a little. It was a sad smile, yet it held a promise of happiness, as did her amber eyes, which were normally so cold and hard.
"I suspect you have an idea of what it is to live in pain." She started. "That gnawing emptiness that threatens of over take you. You know what I mean, don't you?"
He smiled wistfully and nodded. "Yes, I know what you mean. Time doesn't make things like that easier to bear."
"No. Time doesn't" She agreed, with a small smile. " I was... not living wholly. I was a mess. You saw how jumpy I was... how badly affected I was from the things that happened in my past," She grimaced, remembering the training feilds, "But you've stuck by me. Made me see there is something worth living for."
" I had planned... at the battle field... to die. When Belac came" She gave a shudder at his name, "I thought 'well, this is it. You either beat him, and beat him good, or you die trying.' Before you came... I had given up. And I was so sorry, for you! The only thing that kept me hanging on... that kept me from floating off... was the thought of you."
He blinked, slipping to one side with a small sigh and leaning on his hand. "Wow." He breathed, looking shocked. "I mean... wow."
Looking at her he smiled slightly, wondering if she had any idea about how she had just made him feel. He tried to speak but just breathed out slowly, digesting what she'd just told him. "Wha...? Wow..."
Keely gave a bit of a half laugh, and said "That's what I thought too."
As if remembering something, she shuffled over, looking for something hidden inside the folds of her cloak. With a triumphant "Hah!", she extracted a rectangular item, wrapped in brown paper.
She moved back over to Jaycel, and held the package out to him. "Here." She said, suddenly quite shy. "Happy birthday."
In side, was a red leather book, with the title 'The Arts of a Knight' embossed in gold on the front cover.
He grinned. "Oh, you didn't have to." He took the package and opened it, laughing lightly as he saw the book. "Excellent." Leaning forward he gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled. "Thanks, Keely."
Opening the front cover he flicked through the pages, stopping every so often to look at a diagram or paragraph, then glanced up at her. "This is great." He told her with another grin.
Keely smiled widely, a pleased flush in her cheeks. "You're welcome." She said softly, running a hand through her curls. "I was hoping you'd like it."
In fact, she was elated.. he did like it!