Arriving on Time [Riley]

[Mali]

Ana didn't understand why Riley had said that they needed to part ways. She had believed that he wasn't happy with her company at first which was why he would have said such a thing. But she didn't want to believe that something like that would be the answer. She knew that something was wrong though. Riley had something that he needed to do and for some strange reason, he didn't want her to be around when he did it. She wanted to ask him what was up, why they had to separate, but she knew that he wouldn't answer her. Ana also knew that this was for her sake. Whatever it was that he had to do, it would better their lives.

Sometimes, Ana wondered if it was because he had met her mother that he had decided that they needed to separate. It had been a little awkward between them, her mother and Riley. Her mother had been skeptical about what Riley said he did for a living. He had lied, he had to because if he had told her the truth, she would have judged him based on it. And Ana didn't want that. Riley wasn't a bad person just because he had been a mercenary at one point in time. He was a kind-hearted person. Sure, he had killed people before, but there was a reason for it all.

Ana walked off the boat and toward the rider camp. Thinking to herself, she wondered if Riley would be happy to see her or not. She sure hoped he would. He had told her that when he was ready, he would come back for her. But Ana was impatient and couldn't wait at her forge forever. So she had decided to take action into her own hands and took off after him.

Asking one person if they knew of a Riley Wolfsbane, she soon received an answer and headed off toward his tent. He had a tent, was that something she would realise was important? Or was it that everyone had a tent? Should she have a tent then?

Pushing aside the fabric of the tent, she found the area to be empty. Riley wasn't here at the moment. Having no idea where he would be on the island, she decided that she would stay here and wait for him. Surely he would return sooner or later. Sitting down on the bed, Anaria felt a yawn come over her and looked down at the cot-like mattress. She should nap. Riley shouldn't mind, right?

Laying down on the cot, Ana let her eyes close as she drifted off into a light slumber.

[Riley]

Riley had been in practice with magic all morning, then the first part of his afternoon had been spent in meditation. After his meditation, he had started practicing swordsmanship with the other human recruits. However there, he helped instruct several of the more inexperienced recruits. During all of this, Riley kept his mind connected to Taesi's while she was receiving her training. His brain felt like mush when he went to the river to bathe and soothe his sore muscles. He sighed as he relaxed, something tugging at the back of his mind and his palm itching lightly. Brushing the thought aside he finished his bath, then got up and got dressed. Pulling his sword belt back on he started scratching his palm, it wouldn't stop itching. It wasn't even bad, the itch was really more of a faint tingle.

Riley decided then to return to his tent, he didn't like his palm tingling like this. Taesi easily kept pace with him, looking up at him and nudging his elbow with her snout. "What is it Riley?" He shook his head, looking down at her and scratching her head. "I don't know, I have a strange feeling, nothing bad.. in fact if I'm thinking right this is going to be a very very good day." The dragon glanced up at him, then went back to watching their way to their tent. "After all the training we've been through, I wonder what could give you that thought." Riley couldn't help but let out a chuckle as they neared his tent, Taesi suddenly stopping and smelling the air.

"Riley! Someone is in our tent!" Taesi growled lightly, Riley started pulling his sword out of it's sheath. Stretching his mind out to the tent, gently touching the mind of the person laying on his cot. A wide smile spread across his face and he sheathed his sword again, "Don't worry, she's my-" Taesi cut him off, reading his mind and his memories about Ana. "Ah, so she's Ana... She smells nice, but what is she doing here? I thought you said we were going to meet her when I was big enough." Riley knelt down and looked at her, scratching her head again. "I don't know, I think she must have missed me as much as I missed her."

Riley let his mind wander for a few moments, his smile changing very slightly. "Let's have some fun with her, stay out here and I'll call you in... Besides we don't want to scare her." After Taesi nodded, Riley went inside the tent, his breath catching as he saw Ana laying on his cot, asleep. Staying very quiet he went over to the cot, knelling down by it and gently brushing hair off of Ana's face. "Ana.." He whispered softly, leaning in and kissing her on the lips, his hand gently cupping her cheek.

[Mali]

Ana had no idea why Riley was here. What could be possibly have to do on an abandoned island? Well, from what she had seen today, it wasn't abandoned anymore. Ana thought about this fact faintly as she slept. Why were there people on the island now? And where did they come from? Most of the population she had seen had been elven. That fact alone should intimidate her since she didn't speak the ancient language. But there was a decent amount of humans on the island as well. It didn't make sense to her. The humans and elves lived peaccefully together in some areas, but she had never known this to be one of those areas.

Positioned on her side, her wings resting out behind her back, Ana smiled in her sleep as she heard her name and the gentle kiss to her lips. Mmm, that felt nice... Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Riley kneeling beside her. Smiling wider, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back in for another kiss. Her lips were soft and gentle against his, her tongue lightly running across his bottom lip before she released her hold around his neck, breaking the kiss. Ana smiled wide to him as she felt happy to see him. She wondered if he had missed her as much as she had missed him. Surely he couldn't have been too busy that he would have forgotten about her.

"Riley," her voice was soft and caring. Covering her mouth as she yawned, Ana slowly sat up on the cot. The cot wouldn't be big enough for both of them, as it was a single sized bed. They would both fit easily, but it would be cramped and hard for both to move about.

"Hi," giggling to him, she brushed her hand behind her ear, pushing her hair out of her face. "I know I said I would wait for you, but it's been so long, I couldn't wait." she smiled to him before a thought hit her. Why had he come here in the first place? He had never told her the reason why, but what if it were because something were wrong? What if he didn't want to help her anymore? What if he didn't want to see her again? Pushing that thought aside, she knew that couldn't possibly be the answer. They loved eachother. There was no way that he would suddenly not want to see her again.

"I wanna know, why did you come here? You wouldn't tell me when you left... It's been nagging at me lately," Placing her hands on the cot, she let her feet hang over the side of the cot as she looked at Riley expectantly.

[Riley]

Riley put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her into a deeper kiss, Gods he missed her. He almost didn't let her pull away, wanting to keep her close to him. He looked in her eyes as she pulled away, a wide smile spread across his lips. "Hi Ana." He couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle as she giggled, "No, don't be sorry. I was just getting ready to send you a letter telling you to come here. I missed you too much Ana." He moved so he was sitting on the cot next to her, taking her hands in his and thinking carefully about his answer to her question. He was careful to keep his palms faced down, so she couldn't see the silvery Gedwey Ignasia on his right palm. "Well, I do owe you an explanation."

Riley smiled at her, gathering his thoughts and thinking quickly, "Well, Vroengard is the new home of the Dragon Riders. After humans were accepted into the pact, the Queen of the elves kicked them out of Du Weldenvarden, and Ilirea was sacked. So the Riders came here." Riley reached up with his left hand and cupped her cheek, gently running his thumb under her eye. His smile widening as he gazed at her, "I came here to offer my services and see what I can do to help in any way, to see what I can learn to help us. And I got my answer, there's someone I want you to meet, she's very very important to me. She's changed everything Ana."

Riley glanced at the tent flap, his hand still on Ana's cheek, "Come in now Taesi." The violet dragon slowly entered the tent, and Riley raised his right hand from the cot, slowly opening his palm to reveal the diffused silver oval on his palm. "Ana, I'm the first human Dragon Rider." He smiled at her, his hand moving down her cheek to her chin, "Ana, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Riley has told me much about you, I am glad you are here now. Maybe he will stop talking about you so much now." Riley playfully swatted at Taesi's head.

[Mali]

Ana couldn't help but smile as he said that he was going to send her a letter telling her to come. So she had predicted correctly. He did miss her as much as she missed him. That was reassuring to hear. As Riley moved to sit beside her on the cot, taking her hands in his, she noticed something off. His one palm felt slippery and like silk. At least, part of it did. Maybe he was holding something? But that wasn't important right now, she should be focusing on what he was saying to her.

"Wait! Ilirea was sacked? Just because the elves allowed humans to become riders?" she was shocked. As far as Ana knew, the elves and humans lived peacefully together in Ilirea. Sure, the city was mainly populated by elves, but there were quite a few humans that lived there. For the Queen to do such a thing, that was bad.

Ana continued to listen to what Riley said. She knew that he was a decent person with a kind heart. It only made sense when he told her that he came here to offer his help to the riders. The riders had put her miracle worker away and she owed them a great thanks for that. Did Riley feel that way too?

Her face fell though when Riley mentioned that there was someone special he wanted her to meet. She had changed his life? Ana felt hot tears sting and prick at her eyes. What was Riley trying to say here? He still loved her, didn't he? He couldn't have changed his feelings toward her for someone else. He had kissed her in return and told her sweet things about how much he had missed her. There was no way that he could have found someone else.

Turning to look at the tent flap, to see who this Taesi was, she was shocked. Wait, what? Anaria looked at the dragon before her for a moment longer before looking over at Riley. Now she felt really bad. She had doubted him and thought that he had chosen another over her. Looking down at his hands, she now knew why his hand had felt different.

It was then that Ana felt Taesi enter her mind. She had forgotten to keep a barrier up, so when Taesi entered her mind, she jumped. Her hands reached up and she wiped at the corners of her eyes and wiped away the beginnings of tears. She didn't want to embarrass herself by crying over something that wasn't even a problem.

Looking back at Riley, then to Taesi, she wondered if it would be alright to speak aloud to Taesi. She wasn't wel versed or able to speak mentally yet. "Nice to meet you too Taesi. I have to admit, I thought that Riley was talking about another woman when he had said that you had changed his life," she chuckled and then gave Riley a slightly dirty look. But then she smiled to him showing that it was fine. He really should have chosen his words more carefully.

"I'm shocked though. The first human rider? Really Riley? That's amazing, but now I'm worried. What does this mean?" she looked at Riley, concerned that this would literally change things between them. Looking over at Taesi, she smiled weakly. "I mean, no offense Taesi, but I kind of had a plan in my head. If Riley is a rider, won't that make things impossible for us? Like, dragons and their riders are supposed to be paired so intricately and deeply that the connection cannot be matched..." Ana was trying hard not to offend the dragon. She didn't want to come across as needy or anything of the sort in front of the dragon. But she had concerns now. She wanted to have kids, settle down and raise a family with Riley. And now he was a rider. That meant he was constantly in danger, didn't it? When would she be allowed to see him? Would he have to fight in any wars? What if she lost him?

Looking down at their joined hands, Ana thought for a moment. This was tricky, wasn't it.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley felt bad at once, reaching up and holding her face gently in his hands. "Ana, I'm sorry I phrased everything like that. Just know..." He hesitated here slightly, realizing he'd never said aloud what he was about to say to her. It had always just been implied. Smiling softly, he leaned in and kissed her lightly, leaning his forehead on hers gently. "I love you Ana. I always have, I always will." Riley smiled at her, locking his azure eyes on her soft caramel eyes. Smiling again he leaned back slightly, keeping his eyes on hers. "I love you." He then thought about everything that was going through Ana's mind, he didn't need to read her mind to know what she was thinking.

"It won't be easy Ana, but I can have a family. I'm going to be busy, but we can be together. I made sure of that Ana." Riley smiled at her, holding her hands in his again, squeezing them tight. "The bond between dragon and rider is complex, Taesi's feelings toward you will be influenced by my feelings for you." Taesi snorted lightly, looking up at the two of them. "If he loved you any more, I'd be trying to climb up in that bed myself." Riley let his head drop, his chin touching his chest as he blushed. "There's no room for a dragon up here." Taesi shot a small puff of smoke up into Riley's face, which Riley quickly shook away with his hand.

"If you'll still have me Ana, if you'll accept all of this.." Riley motioned around the tent, then showed her his Gedwey Ignasia again, and motioned at Taesi, "I want to spend my life with you." It struck Riley how little he had to offer her at the moment, being nothing more than a trainee still, but he still wanted to be with her. "I don't have much right now Ana.. But everything I have is yours, I'm yours."

[Mali]

Ana smiled when she felt Riley’s hands on her cheeks, glancing up at him from under her lashes. As he spoke, she waited patiently. Sure, she had been worried that he had found someone else to replace her, someone better and stronger, but she wasn’t angry with him, not at all. She had just been worried and wanted him to know it. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything about it, but she did. And besides, he should know he had worried her. It was cruel of him to imply such a thing. Even if that wasn’t his intention at all.

When he paused, she looked at him completely, trying to figure out why he was pausing. Was something wrong? Why did she keep assuming that something was wrong? He was the first human rider, how could there be anything wrong with his life right now?

As soon as he said it, Anaria felt her heart melt. She had no idea why, but hearing him say those words warmed her. She felt gooey and tingly inside and wanted to know why. She knew that it was partly because she loved him too, and it was nice to hear him finally say it, but she hadn’t expected to feel this way once he had said it.

“I love you too Riley,” she would have continued and made the motion that she would continue to speak but stopped herself. What else was there for her to say? She had said that she returned his feelings, was there anything else she needed to get across?

Nodding her head, she looked down to their joined hands, missing the comfort his hands on her cheeks had brought. When he went on to explain the bond between rider and dragon, she couldn’t help but feel awkward. Of course the bond between a dragon and its rider would be strong. It had to be. If one were to die, the other would go insane, that’s how strong the bond was between the two. So, if she were to get involved with Riley, more so than she already was, wouldn’t it interfere with their relationship?

Hearing Taesi snort, Ana looked down to the dragon before she heard the voice in her head. Blushing like mad, Ana averted her eyes from both of them and tried to calm herself down. At least Riley’s comment toward the young dragon set her mind on the right path. It wouldn’t be happening anytime soon, and it would never happen. Swallowing hard, Ana tried to clear the thought from her mind, and mumbled quiet gibberish to herself.

Her blush soon disappeared and she turned to look at Riley as he spoke, motioning around the tent, to his scar and to Taesi. He didn’t have much to offer her. Being a dragon rider wasn’t the best thing at the moment. They were hated by virtually everyone now. Would it be a good thing to associate herself with him? She wouldn’t leave him so easily though. She was in love with him after all.

“It won’t be easy, but I can’t leave you Riley, I want all of you so badly,” smiling, she leaned in and kissed him again. It was while she was kissing him that another thought occurred to her. “What about other things? Will you two be able to know what the other is doing at all times?” she was of course, asking and referring to when they would eventually have intercourse.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley couldn't help but smile as she said that she loved him, he knew she loved him, but it was still amazing to hear it said. He happily kissed her back when she kissed him, his hands moving to her cheeks, pulling her closer to him. He was still smiling when she pulled away from him. Riley locked his eyes on hers, "I'm glad you're staying." He listened to her next question, his face turning beet red. Taesi looking at him, examining the thoughts going through his mind. She started to ask him, before Riley shook his hand. "Um... we can separate our minds, but it's almost impossible to hide everything from her." Riley didn't want to lie to her, though maybe he should find ways to get Taesi to stay out of certain parts of his mind. He'd have to look into it.

Riley stood after a few more moments, reluctantly letting go of Ana and crossing to one of the chests by his bed. "I know I have it in here somewhere.." He muttered, opening it and shifting through it, muttering more to himself. Taesi looked up at Ana, getting comfortable on the ground. "As far as the two legs I've met goes, you are very beautiful Ana." Of course the dragon didn't think she held anything to a dragon, but then, no one did. Riley continued shifting through the trunk, not fully listening to the dragon. "Ana, are you Riley's mate?" That managed to catch Riley's attention and he hit his head on the trunk as he jumped up.

Riley rubbed his head, shooting Taesi a look, "Do you remember that conversation we had about running questions past me first?" His face was red as a tomato, he stood up holding a cloth covered rectangular object. "When I started my training in magic again, I was asked to make this to help focus my thoughts. This was a good start, but it wasn't quite up to par." He sat back down on the bed, then unwrapped the bundle, setting the cloth aside. He held up a fairth, a magical picture he had made. On the picture was a perfect image of the two of them together, Ana held in Riley's arms, looking at each other and smiling. The background was blurry, and difficult to see, but the two of them were in perfect focus. Riley held it out for her, a small smile on his lips. "I've been keeping it safe, so I could share it with you. I'd hoped we had a better home than a tent.."

Riley then got an idea, and merged his mind with Taesi's borrowing some energy from her and taking a few deep breaths. He held up one finger, silently asking Ana to give him a moment. He then started chanting in the ancient language, for a while, nothing happened. Riley kept chanting however, not being bothered by the lack of action. Slowly however, the air in between Riley's cupped hands started to take form, slowly started to form together. After several seconds, and far more energy than Riley was willing to admit, but the ice started to form in his hands. He continued his chanting, the ice taking form into a single rose, the light inside starting to shift first a deep violet, then every other color of the rainbow.

Riley slowly held his hands out to Ana, cutting off the spell, and smiling, being far more tired than he was going to tell her. "Thank you Taesi, I couldn't have done that without you." Taesi sent a warm feeling to Riley, "I know how much she means to you, I am happy to help." Riley gently placed the ice in Ana's hand, "It will never melt, and will always change colors. Though, the purples will always be the most vibrant." Riley leaned his hand on the cot more, letting it hold his weight, Taesi curled her head into her body and seemingly went to sleep.

[Mali]

Ana smiled. She was glad that she was staying as well. But she didn’t have to tell him that, he most likely already knew that she was glad to stay with him. Watching closely, as she asked her next question, Ana was a little shocked to see Riley blush as bright as a beet. Was he that embarrassed to speak of such things? She hadn’t outright said that they would have intercourse, he obviously understood what she was implying and hinting at. Which was good, but then again, why would he turn such a shade of red? Did that mean that he didn’t want to pursue such routes with her?

Frowning for a moment, she nodded her head as he finally answered her question. Looking down to Taesi, she wondered just how much she would know about. Would she know the exact moment that they started to do something? Would Taesi be able to feel when Ana kissed Riley? This was intriguing, she wanted to know to what extent everything would work out in this new relationship, but she was also saddened. She didn’t know how she felt about having another party participating in her relationship with Riley.

Her eyes followed Riley’s back as he stood and moved over to a chest before she heard Taesi in her head. Looking over at the dragon on the ground, she smiled to her. “Thank you Taesi. You are a magnificent creature,” Thinking that that was the end of their brief interaction, Ana’s face fell when Taesi asked if she was Riley’s mate. That was a tricky question to answer. They hadn’t mated before this point, but she was his partner and wanted to be with him. Did that count?

Glancing over at Riley as he told Taesi to check with him before asking questions, Ana couldn’t help but giggle. “We haven’t mated yet, but yes, I am his mate,” Ana looked over at Riley, knowing that this would make him stop and think, or blush an even darker shade of red.

When he came back to the bed with a cloth-covered item in his hands, Ana grew curious. Gasping when he finally returned to the bed, she took the fairth from him and turned it from side to side as she looked at the image. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her at all while he was gone. It was reassuring and heart warming to know that. “It’s beautiful Riley,” she wasn’t able to tear her eyes away from the image.

Ana was still staring at the fairth when she saw Riley hold up a finger to her in the corner of her eye. What was he doing now? Looking away from the fairth, she watched intently for a moment, confused about what was happening. Riley began to chant something and Ana could only become even more curious. The air in the tent seemed to tingle around her, the coloured light in the room changing to a violet and then every colour she could imagine. It was beautiful, that is, if this was what Riley had intended to happen. She had been so enthralled with the display that she was shocked to see something form in his hands.

When he handed her the ice rose, she felt like she might tear up a bit. She wasn’t sure why, but Riley was overwhelming her. With his words, with gifts and actions, it was all so sudden. She had expected to come here and see Riley and stay with him until he left. Now he was showing more affection for her than he ever had before and was presenting gifts that she could never compensate for.

“It’s amazing Riley. But you didn’t have to you know,” smiling sheepishly, she looked down to the rose. She would hate to break it by accident. Picking up the cloth that had been wrapped around the fairth, she wrapped up the rose slightly before placing it down on a small table beside the bed.

Seeing his hand on the cot, Ana leaned in, letting her body mold to his leant over form before she raised her hands to his cheeks. Staring at his lips, Ana leaned in and kissed him gently. Pressing her lips to his for a moment longer, she initiated a deeper kiss. She had forgotten that Taesi was even in the room and already she was kissing Riley as if she wasn’t there at all.

Wrapping her arms around Riley’s neck, she gently pushed him down onto the bed before kissing him harder. Her wings were perched atop her back, sticking straight up in the air as she continued to kiss him in this position before she closed them against her back.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley looked at Ana and couldn't help but smile when she said that she was his mate. It hit him when she said that, making him consider what she said. By elven standards that made them married, and he was sure he had told her that at some point. He was glad that she liked the fairth, he had made it with her in mind. Though he had wanted to hang it in a proper home, not a tent. "I know I don't have to, but I want too." He wanted nothing more than to make her happy, make her smile. That was all that mattered to him. Riley put slightly more weight on his arm, smiling at Ana as she delicately wrapped around the ice rose. She then set it down on the stand by his bed, Riley watched as she leaned in to him.

Riley's free hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He happily kissed her back, pressing himself closer to her. As she started pushing him down, he willingly laid back, his arms wrapping tighter around her. His fingers traced a line up her back, right in between her wings. His tongue slipped out of his mouth and ran across her lips, pulling her tighter to him. His fingers moving to the back of her neck and pulling her closer to him. His hand gripped the back of her shirt lightly, trying to keep himself from going too far. His muscles tensed, holding her close to him his breathing started coming in pants.

Taesi looked up from her place on the floor, her head twisting to the side and studying the color of Riley's thoughts. This was something that Taesi couldn't understand just yet. She stood, going to another corner of the room and hiding her head with her wings. Then separated her mind from Riley's, giving the couple more privacy. Then went straight to sleep, keeping her mind walled off from Riley and Ana. The dragon might have been old in thoughts, but there were some things that she was still too young for. And this was one of those things. However, Taesi was going to have many questions for Riley when it was just the two of them next, and she was not going to go easy on the Rider at all.

Riley ran his fingers through Ana's hair, he reluctantly broke the kiss, kissing her cheek and down to her neck. "A-Ana.." He muttered, barely managing to pant it out. His arms wrapped around her again, holding her close to him. His lips found her neck again, kissing up her neck he found her lips again, kissing her deeply.

[Mali]

Closing her eyes, she could feel his hand running up her back and in between her wings. It felt soothing and calming, but that wasn’t what she was going for tonight. She had told Taesi that they were mates, and surely that meant that they were ready to go to the next step. Even though Riley had blushed like a maniac when Taesi had asked, Ana had agreed. She was definitely ready for it and she loved Riley immensely. There was no other person that she would ever want to spend the rest of her life with.

Feeling his hands clench the fabric of her shirt, she smirked. He was trying so hard to stop himself. It was alright though, she had just finished a few things and knew that she wouldn’t get pregnant should they do anything tonight. Her mother told her that it was highly improbable to get pregnant immediately after feminine issues took place.

“Riley,” she smirked to him before pressing her entire body closer to his. She entered his mind tentatively before brushing against it, rubbing her mind against his. She wanted him. Pulling away from the kiss, but not his mind, she looked over to see that Taesi had moved to the other side of the room and was hiding under her wings. Did that mean that she gave them her blessing to continue?

Ana turned back around in time to slowly start unbuttoning her blouse before gently sliding if over her shoulders and her wings through the holes in the back. “I’m ready, that is, if you are,” She smiled anxiously to him. She couldn’t wait to get started, but wanted to hear from him that he was ready as well.

After hearing him speak, she smiled wide and leaned in, kissing him deeper than she ever had before.

~~~~~

Ana was peacefully asleep beside Riley on the small cot. She was curled against his side, her head resting against his chest, his heartbeat keeping her in a deep and peaceful sleep. She was naked, as was he, from their actions the previous night. There was a content smile on Ana’s lips as she snuggled closer to her mate’s body.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Riley]

Riley didn't even notice when Taesi pulled her mind from his and walled her's off, his attention was focused elsewhere. He felt her smirk into their kiss, wondering what was making her do that. That was the exact moment he felt her mind touch his, his mind almost went blank when he felt what she was feeling. Almost. Riley's mind was focused on the same thing as Ana's was, his eyes flicking to Taesi in the corner. He gave her mind a small nudge noticing that she was fast asleep. He focused more on Ana's mind, letting her feel what he was feeling, what was running through his own mind. She unbuttoned her blouse, sliding it off her body and letting it fall. His eyes moved up her body, his hands settling on her bare back and waist, pulling her closer to him.

"A-Ana.." Was all he could stammer out before he pulled her to him and kissed her, his calloused hands moving up her smooth back. His tunic and shirt joined her's on the ground, all of this was his answer to her, he let his actions speak for him. Riley was as ready for this as Ana was, he didn't want to spend his life with anyone other than Ana. "I... love... you..."

~~~~~

The first thing Riley noticed as he started to wake was something was laying on his chest, curled up at his side. The second thing he noticed was that the something curled up beside him was soft, and warm, then all the memories of the previous night flooded back to him in a rush. Riley's smile widened, moving to make them both more comfortable on the small cot, his arm pulling Ana closer to him. His other arm moved up and slowly started tracing up and down her arm, from her elbow up to her shoulder. The arm she was laying on curled around her, holding her side lightly. He was trying not to wake her up just yet.

Riley's eyes slowly opened and he looked down at Ana, his hand stopped moving up and down her arm, settling on her arm softly. He kissed the top of her head closing his eyes and smiling, laying back on the bed and conforming his body to hers, pulling the blanket up further over them both. Riley cupped Ana's cheek lightly, kissing her head again softly, then closing his eyes and sighing happily. This day was already starting off perfectly, it could only get better.

[Mali]

Ana hadn’t thought too much about the implications of telling Taesi that she was Riley’s mate. She knew what that officially meant but she wasn’t thinking too much on that.

At the current second, she felt something tracing up and down her arm and she started to stir a bit. It wasn’t enough to wake her up, but it tickled slightly. She turned her head a bit, her body moving closer to Riley’s with his help and she started to mumble quietly before settling back into sleep mode.

Things felt amazing right now. She felt a stab of pain as she tried to move her lower half to twine her legs with his and she hissed but remained asleep. That had hurt.

Why did it hurt though? And then Ana’s sleep induced mind remembered what they had done the night prior. A goofy grin slipped across her lips as she thought about it. They had mated, had intercourse, and were now official mates. Did this mean that they were married now? Ana couldn’t think about that right now in her sleepy state.

After a few more moments, Ana stretched against Riley’s side, feeling something soft against her forehead. Opening her eyes slowly with a wide yawn, she looked over her shoulder to see Taesi still sleeping in the far corner. Wait, where was her side table? And why was there a dragon in her room? Rolling back over, she saw Riley’s naked chest and then realised where she was. Another loose smile appeared across her features and she sighed.

“Good morning,” she mumbled, yawning again. Closing her eyes, she snuggled against him again with a content huff.

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[Riley]

Riley was careful to not wake up Ana up, when she stirred he was careful to move to make sure she was comfortable and stayed asleep. He held her closer to him as she slowly started to wake up, without even realizing he was doing it, his body moved with hers. He was starting to fall asleep again himself as she really started moving and waking up. Riley woke up fully in time to feel her stretching next to him, before she mumbled good morning and snuggled close to him again. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, sighing happily and pressing himself to her. A goofy grin spread across his face as they laid there together, he could get used to waking up with her for the rest of his life.

"Good morning my love." Riley said softly gently lifting her head up and kissing her softly on her lips. "How'd you sleep?" There was still a wide goofy grin spread across his face, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, then groped around for the blankets. Pulling them up over the two of them, he finally rested his hand gently on her side, noticing again just how smooth and soft her skin was. That must have been an improvement to his scarred body. But as long as Ana loved him and wanted to be with him, he wasn't going to worry about anything.

"You know.." Riley muttered softly, his smile softening slightly and becoming less goofy. "As far as elves are concerned, we're mated now. For as long as we want, and you're not getting rid of me anytime soon.. or ever." His azure eyes slowly opened and looked over at Ana, "I love you." If there was one thing in his life that Riley would never get tired of, it was hearing how Ana felt about him.

[Mali]

Looking up again, Ana couldn’t help the smile that widened across her lips. She liked the sound of that, ‘my love,’ it sounded nice and calming. It reassured her in a comforting way. Not that she needed reassurance or any sort.

“Amazing,” Ana moved to sit up slightly against Riley’s chest and winced once. Looking down at her legs, she chuckled lightly. “Except for that of course,” she giggled. Resting her head back down against his chest, she sighed, her hand coming up to trace patterns across his scarred chest.

Looking up at Riley, her eyes landing on his chin since he was lying down and she couldn’t see his face clearly, Ana smiled wide. “I know, it would seem that the elves are very loose about that. I know I told Taesi that we were mated and now we are, but I still wouldn’t mind having some kind of ceremony,” Ana returned to looking at her hand moving across his chest and to his shoulders.

“I doubt you could shake me off Riley Wolfsbane,” Giggling again, she closed her eyes, relishing this moment. It took her a moment to think of something before she looked back up again. “I know you go by Wolfsbane, but what’s your real name Riley?” she stared at him hard, hoping to get the answer out of him. She would tickle if needed to get her answer.

[Riley]

Riley smiled at her, his had moved down her side to her hip. He sighed happily with her, letting her trace her fingers over his scarred chest. His breathing slowed as he relaxed with her, she was the only person who could relax him like this. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her up to him and kissing her softly, a smile spreading across his lips. He sighed again as she started tracing patters on his scars, just the way she had been calmed by him saying 'my love' he was calmed by her tracing patters on his scars. He did need a little reassuring on that front however, he was rather self conscious of his scars. Ana was helping this however, and soon even he wasn't thinking much about it.

Riley smiled at her when she said she wasn't going anywhere either, and when she said that she wanted a ceremony, or that it would be nice, he smiled wider and nodded with her. "I have to agree Ana, a ceremony would be very nice. I'll make sure we have one." He knew that she would have more than enough involvement in it, she would probably end up planning most of it, but he had one thing in mind already that he kept carefully hidden from her. This was something he would try his hardest to hide up until the day that it happened. That would give the best reaction he thought. Now they just had to tell their families...

Riley lifted his head to look at her when she asked him his real name, he was sure he had told her at some point, but he did mostly go by Wolfsbane. That tended to be what he preferred these days, it had been the best name for his former line of work. He only continued to go by it because he was the name he was known by, and he wanted everyone to know he was a Rider. More than that, he wanted everyone to know that Ana was protected by him. "Cypher. My name is Riley Cypher." Riley smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her, pausing just before his lips touched hers however, his azure eyes locked on her caramel eyes. "Anaria Cypher." He whispered softly, giving her a smile he always reserved just for her.

[Mali]

Ana couldn’t help but smile to him as he agreed that having a ceremony would be nice. She knew that for most humans, it was called a wedding. Usually the families or the bride planned it. However, since Riley was a rider, things would be a bit different. He would most likely follow the elvish ways. Since they just had a mating situation with no real ceremony to it, Ana couldn’t imagine their ceremony being as extravagant as a human wedding would be. But that didn’t bother her. She would have to find something to wear though. She couldn’t just have a ceremony to celebrate their mating in her regular clothes. She would have to find something suitable to wear and she had no idea where to look. Maybe a dress of some sort.

Cypher. That was an odd name. She wouldn’t say that to Riley though, she just thought it was odd because she couldn’t figure out where it originated from. Her family had been Smith a few generations back and it made sense since they were blacksmiths. So where did Cypher come from? Surely he wasn’t some human noble sort. That would help with telling her mother that they were mated, but it would make her feel weird. She wasn’t worthy to be a noble even if it was by marriage. Then again, maybe she was over thinking this. It could just be a regular name that his family received years back and that could be all there is to it.

When Riley leaned in, his eyes locking in on hers and he whispered her new name, Ana couldn’t believe it. Her eyes widened slightly. She had already become Anaria Cypher and she hadn’t even told her mother that it was a possibility. Now she felt bad, it was like lying to her mother. Even though she knew she would have a ceremony and her mother would be there to attend, as would Riley’s family hopefully, it still felt like she had lied to her mother.

“I like the sound of that.” she smiled to him, leaning in closer to finish the motion of a kiss that he’d started. Letting the kiss linger for a second longer, she pulled back and bit her lip. “It kind of feels like I lied to my mother. I’m already Anaria Cypher and I hadn’t even told her that could be a possibility.” she sighed, her hand resting against his chest. Looking up at him from under her lashes, she couldn’t stay sad when she was with Riley. He always made her laugh and smile. She knew that he would be able to cheer her up easily.

[Riley]

Riley smiled at her, he thought she would like the sound of that name, however a thought occurred to him. The two of them were human, even though Riley had spent most of his time around elves, but he still thought there was something that Ana would prefer more. "You know Ana.. Why don't we make the ceremony a little more special. Even though we're mated now, why don't we have a wedding ceremony anyway. Actually get married." He looked down at her and smiled sheepishly at her, never thinking something like this would happen to him, not after the life he'd led. But here Ana was, happy with him, and wanting to spend her life with him. He wasn't about to complain about that.

Riley slowly sat up with her, being careful to not cause her too much discomfort. After sitting up he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him, smiling softly. "So I guess what I'm asking you here Ana is.. Will you marry me?" He already knew that she would say yes, but it was the principal of the matter, he still wanted to ask her. Riley wanted a wedding, with both of their families their, and Taesi, and anyone else Ana wanted to join them. His smile softened as he looked at her, holding her happily in his arms and being mindful of her wings.

Riley cupped her face in his hands, smiling and kissing her quickly. "I do believe my beautiful love deserves breakfast in bed, and maybe more time in bed." He winked at her, smiling and kissing her cheek softly before reluctantly getting out of bed and moving to the table, gathering a small platter of fruits and returning to the bed, sitting by Ana and holding the food for them. Elves were strict vegetarians, and while he could eat meat, he was choosing to respect their customs for the moment. Smiling he held up a strawberry for her, leaning back on the bed slightly and putting his weight on one arm.

[Mali]

Looking up at Riley, she thought about what he said. Have a real ceremony, but wouldn’t it be redundant since they were already mated by elven standards? She wouldn’t mind having a ceremony, she still wanted one for her mother’s sake. But to make it a real ceremony, that was different.

He moved, making sure that she didn’t feel any discomfort and then wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Ana looked at him with wide eyes as he asked her to marry him. They were already mated, so the answer was an obvious yes, but for him to ask her so spontaneously was weird. Riley didn’t usually do things without thinking about it first. That wasn’t saying that he thought about everything before acting or saying stuff. But he wouldn’t ask something so important out on a whim.

“No,” she grinned to him, letting the moment pass for a while longer before she started to giggle. She couldn’t lie to him. “The answer is yes,” she smiled and leaned in to kiss him gently. Her wings were still folded against her back but fluttered lightly as she kissed him.

Nodding her head to his suggestion of breakfast in bed, she watched as he climbed out of bed, biting her lips as he did so. She had never thought that she would admire a male’s anatomy the way she did Riley. Just looking at his naked form made her want to do more naughty things. But, they probably shouldn’t, as Riley would have to go to his training and soon, Taesi would be awake. It would be really unfair to her to make her wait again.

Smiling, she leaned forward and took a bite out of the strawberry whilst still in his hands before she couldn’t help the light laughter that escaped. He was feeding her. She had always thought that it would be degrading to be fed like this. And yet, she didn’t mind when it was Riley.

[Riley]

Riley couldn't help it, when she said no he was stunned, then she naturally retracted the comment and said that she would marry him. He smiled wide, not able to resist or hold back. He almost tackled her back onto the bed and kissed her, but he didn't want to hurt her. Aside from that if he had tackled her he knew he would have gotten carried away. Not that either of them would really have minded getting carried away he thought, but it was better not to hurt Ana. There was plenty of time to get carried away in the future anyway, a future they would spend together.

Riley leaned over to her after she took the bite of strawberry and smiled eating the rest of it himself happily, his own laugh sounding with hers as she giggled. He set the platter of food between them, his hand softly gliding down her arm to rest next to her's on the cot. His eyes moved up and down her quickly, taking in everything she was. The same thoughts that ran through her mind, ran through his, followed by a smile crossing his lips. His eyes moved back up to her eyes, he was wondering if he could find a way out of training to spend the entire day with Ana. Of course that wasn't fair to Taesi, she needed her training as well, and she also wanted to get to know Ana.

With a yawn and a stretch, Taesi started waking up, "Goooood morning.." She shook her body and stood up, turning to face the cot, her eyes firmly closed. "Is it safe to open my eyes?" Riley sighed, he had been looking forward to more alone time with Ana, but this had been bound to happen at some point. "Give us a moment Taesi." Riley leaned over to Ana and kissed her, his hand cupping her cheek gently. Reluctantly breaking the kiss, he picked up his own shirt and put it over her head, knowing the fact that he was bigger than her his shirt would cover her enough. Riley then pulled on his pants, before poking Taesi with his mind, letting her know it was safe.

Taesi opened her eyes and blinked a few times, "Good morning, Ana I hope you slept well." Taesi sniffed the air a few times, looking between the two before going to the opening in the tent, "I must hunt, it has been too long since I ate." With that she stepped out of the tent, a small rush of wind indicating that she had taken off. Riley started laughing lightly, then turned to look at Ana. "Sorry about her." He looked her up and down again, raising his eyebrow and smiling. "That's a good look."