Arden

The rain made quick work of the fire, and I directed my men to help move the family whose house had been struck to a nearby barn, where they could stay for a couple of nights until we could repair their house. They finished quickly, and with a nod, I dismissed them to their drinking and debauchery for the evening. The revelry in the town square would be done for the night, but the tavern was still open. My men would be hung over, but they would all report for work in the morning.

I headed to the edge of town and up the hill to my headquarter where I usually slept. Lt. Ford caught up with me halfway there and fell into step next to me.

"Fun night for the boys," he said, by way of greeting.

I nodded in agreement. "So long as they're at work in the morning."

He nodded in return, accepting the reminder. We walked together through the rain in companionable silence.

"You and Sadice seemed to be having a good time," he finally ventured.

"We got caught up," was all I offered.

"Old friend?"

"We met at the beginning of the war. I was stationed in her town."

He nodded. "Does she know?"

I stopped and looked directly at him. He faced me.

"She does not… exactly. Spit it out." I glared mildly at him.

He didn't back down, but met my glare with the open look of a trusted friend. "She deserves to."

"That's hardly your place to say," I told him stiffly.

He nodded again. "As your second, you're absolutely right. As your friend, it's my duty to say it. I've watched her over the past weeks. It's clear she has a thing for you and, your pardon, but it's clear you have a thing for her as well."

I opened my mouth to tell him to stay out of it, but he spoke quickly.

"This war has taken something from all of us. You have been given something back. Not all of us have that. I think she can handle it." He smiled. "She's tougher than she looks."

I glared. "Are you done?"

He looked up at the sky as if contemplating. "I could be. Are you going to see her tonight?"

"I wasn't."

"You should." And with that, he turned and went back toward town.

"And you should tell her everything," he tossed over his shoulder, as he walked away.

I watched him go until I was sure he was really leaving. Then just stood there in the pouring rain.

I couldn't tell her everything. It was more than I could deal with on most days. I wouldn't inflict that on her. That wouldn't be at all fair.

And yet, I found myself wanting to. She had been there when this war started. Despite my silences and withdrawals, she had always sought me out, drawn me close, and kissed away my nightmares. Why couldn't I let her do that again? Why couldn't I just be with her, and let that be enough? Why couldn't I just be?

No. I shook my head and started walking again. Eight years was a long time. She didn't deserve my pain.

And yet, instead of going to my own quarters, I soon found myself standing in front of her door. It took me a full ten breaths to dredge up the nerve to knock.

For long moments, nothing happened. My heart pounded. Just when I had about given up, she opened the door.

My heart smote me when I saw her face and the redness of her eyes. I had done this. I had made my love cry. Before I could move, Sadice grabbed me by my shirt front and pulled me inside, slamming the door behind me, and shoving me against it. She held me at arm's length with both her hands gripping my shirt. Her eyes bore into mine, and fresh tears fell onto her cheeks.

"Why are you here?" she asked. Anger and hurt made her voice tremble.

I didn't know what to say. All my reasons suddenly seemed very selfish and ill-considered.

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" She pounded my chest with her fist twice, then three times. She glared at me, but as I just stood there, unable to speak, her anger melted into hunger, and without warning, she pushed herself against me and kissed me. Her breasts heaved into mine, her strength of emotion making them swell against her night shirt. I kissed her back, hard. All the longing I'd locked away so tightly gave way like a dam, sweeping through me, igniting all my senses.

Sadice jerked me to the bed and, without a word, demanded I satisfy her. We made love, but it was aggressive, harsh, even brutal. I fought to keep the fire at bay. I'd never seen this kind of passion from Sadice, and it was intoxicating, threatening to undo all my hard-won control.

When we were done, I lay panting beside her, my fists clenched, and I could almost see the steam coming off them. Sadice didn't seem to notice. Slowly, as my heart rate slowed, control came back, and my hands cooled. I relaxed.

*****

Sadice slept with her back to me. Before, she had always snuggled against me, tucked into my arm, so I knew she was still mad.

Fair enough. I had put her through fresh hell since arriving. My fault.

And yet I found myself grinning into the blackness. Eight long fucking years of bloody war, and here I finally was, lying next to the only woman I'd ever loved, her soft skin pressed against mine, her hair brushing my face, her soft breathing soothing in its calm rhythm.

I rolled toward her back, and wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close. She sighed in her sleep and pressed closer to me. I smiled again.

Maybe it would work out after all.

*****

Sadice

Moans and jerks roused me from the best sleep I'd had in years. It took me several breaths to remember where I was and that Arden slept against my back. A warm glow suffused me, and I snuggled back into her. She was still here.

A low growl and violent twitch surprised me to fuller wakefulness, and her hand fell against my skin, almost burning it. I gasped and pushed her hand away from me, but she didn't wake. Another moan and jerk.

"Arden." I twisted to face her and flinched again as her white-hot hand bumped against my skin. I lay her arm down her side, and her fist clenched. I shook her gently.

No response. Another convulsion. Her hands fell to the cot, and smoke began to rise from the canvas. I started up in surprise and shock. Flames began licking up from the bed, and Arden still didn't wake.

"Arden!" I yelled, and fell out of bed, grabbed the bucket of water, and emptied it onto her.

She leaped all the way to her feet in one fluid motion and crouched against the wall in a fighter's stance, growling. I stayed on my knees on the other side of the bed and watched her with wide eyes.

Slowly, slowly, she seemed to wake up. Her legs gave out, and she fell onto the floor and retched. I crossed the small room, and approached her cautiously, avoiding her hands, but placing mine on her forehead, and pulling her to me. To my relief, she didn't resist, but leaned into me. She put her head in her hands and rubbed at her face.

"I'm sorry," she said, through her fingers. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's ok," I said, not sure if it was. "I think you were having a nightmare."

She nodded, and lifted her head, but didn't meet my eyes. "Did my hands burn you?"

I blinked. "I don't think so. But they were hot." I wished she would look at me. "Why were they so hot? Why did they set the bed on fire?"

She stared at the far wall so long, I didn't think she would answer. When she shivered, I stood to tend to the hearth. While my back was to her, her husky voice reached me.

"We were all going to die at Dragon's Mountain. We knew it before that last battle started. I didn't think we would last the day, but when the sun went down, we had made it to the Dragon's Den and were able to regroup just outside it. There were so many of them, so few remaining of us. So many friends dead."

She stopped. I poked needlessly at the fire and waited.

"We charged in, led by the king himself. Half of us were gone in that first wave."

She stopped again and swallowed loudly. I would've brought her water, but I'd thrown it all on her and the bed. And I didn't want her to stop talking.

"A rumor had been making the rounds the night before. That if you drink dragon's blood, you gain their powers. The men were betting against each other, wagering which of them would be brave enough to do it. Turns out none of them were. Not even the king."

I had heard that rumor too, and, like the rumors of dragons, had shrugged it off. Now I wondered if I had been wrong about that too. I felt numbing ice crawling up my limbs, even though the fire was burning pleasantly now.

"Only I was dumb enough to do it," she said in a whisper.

I turned to look at her, and she met my gaze, her eyes black, her hands glowing red hot. Flames started to lick up her arms.

A knock pounded against the door, startling us both.

"Captain Arden? Is Captain Arden here? Healer Sadice?"

I glanced at the door, and then back at Arden. The flames were gone, and her hands had returned to their normal tan. I tossed her shirt and pants at her and pulled my nightshirt over my head. In a moment, she was dressed and at the door. She jerked it open as Lt. Ford raised his hand to pound again.

He saluted quickly. "Sir, reports just came in of Kantians attacking Sangita. They counted fifty, but there could be more."

Arden nodded. "I'll be up there in a moment."

Lt. Ford nodded briskly, cast a quick, knowing smile at me, and turned to leave. Arden closed the door, and stood there for a moment, her hand still on the handle.

I went to her, running my hand up her back. She shivered, and I flushed with pleasure, realizing Arden was here, present, mine.

Mine. And dragon-touched. What did that mean for us?

She turned to me, uncertainty clouding her face.

"You have to go," I told her, thinking she didn't want to leave me here. I knew she would come back. She had stayed. She had told me her secret. She trusted me.

She nodded, but the uncertainty didn't leave. And she didn't move.

I touched her face. "It's ok. I know you'll be back."

She nodded again and then glanced at her hands. "I've changed, Sadice."

I couldn't breathe. Was she going to reject me again?

"I don't…" Her face reflected her anguish. "I don't want to hurt you."

I reached up, tangling my fingers in her hair, and slowly pulled her in, kissing her full on the mouth, savoring her taste and smell and essence. She moaned and pulled me in closer.

When she pulled back for air, I met her gaze. "Just don't turn me away."

Apology filled her eyes again, and I kissed her in acceptance.

"Now go," I told her. "You're needed."

*****

Three anxious days passed without a word from the west, where Captain Arden had gone to fight back Kantians. The first two days, soldiers who had been stationed in the eastern towns came through on their way to join Arden, but, of course, they had no word of the battle. None of them stopped.

On the fourth day, Private Goff and another soldier came riding back into town at a gallop. Skidding to a halt by the infirmary, where I was working, they both leaped from their mounts and met me as I came to the door.

"Captain Arden wants you to come with us," Goff said between pants. "You're sorely needed."

I didn't hesitate, but quickly packed some herbs and bandages, and followed them to three fresh horses that had been saddled in a hurry for us. The sun was high in the sky as we mounted up, but Goff scowled at it.

"It'll take us at least the rest of the day to get back," he said, kicking his horse. "Let's go."

We rode hard, alternating between a canter and a trot, as our horses needed a breather, and travelled faster than I ever had to the westernmost town in the valley. The sun sank below the horizon as we left the last town behind us. Then we were climbing up the mountainside to the pass, and as we crested, faint sounds of battle reached my ears.

"They've pushed us back," Private Goff snarled, and the other soldier, I still hadn't caught his name, grunt in response.

I peered through the trees, but didn't see anything. Goff nudged his horse forward, and down we went, almost to the river. The clang and shouts of battle got louder, as did the rushing of the river.

"Where are your wounded men?" I asked, pushing my horse up next to theirs. Looking down, I saw through the sparse trees into a large clearing next to the river, where men battled viciously. I couldn't tell who was who in the deepening darkness, but I did spot a glow that seemed to move as a man. The glow grew and then a part of the light left the glow and a fireball sizzled across the river and landed amidst men manning a small catapult. They scattered.

With a jolt of shock, I realized I was watching Arden form and throw fire. Horror washed over me as I stared, unable to move as I watched Arden, again, form a fireball and let it fly across the river, further igniting the catapult. 

"This way," Goff barked at me and nudged my horse along the back of the battle.

I followed him dumbly. Soon we were in a small clearing, a little further away from the fighting, and a small fire illuminated more than twenty men lying about in various states of battle wounds. I almost fell from my horse when I dismounted, but Goff was at my shoulder and caught my arm.

"Can you help them? We've almost fifty men out of commission." He motioned to the men lying prone.

I nodded, pushed my stabbing fear down, and knelt by the closest man. Goff went to the soldier's other side, and bent over him, as I examined the wounds. Deep cuts and a blow to the head had knocked him out. I could bandage everything up, and he would likely live, but I understood why Arden had sent for me. She needed men back out on the battlefield.

Touching the man's arm, I sent my magic into him, and let it close the wounds and bring swelling down, sending blood back to where it was helpful. With a gasp, he woke up and sat up, clutching at his sword. Goff grabbed his arm before the man could swing at me.

"It's ok, Doren! You're fine! Healer Sadice made you better." Goff patted Doren's shoulder until the man's wild stare settled on me, and he smiled in recognition.

"Healer Sadice," he said gruffly. "Many thanks."

He gripped my hand, and then lumbered to his feet, already heading back into battle. Goff nodded at me and then turned to the next man lying prone on the ground, clutching at his stomach.

And so the night passed, one man after another. It took me… I don't know how long, to make it through the group of men around that fire. I know my strength was waning long before all the men were healed. Goff stayed by my side, fed me, and helped me stand when my strength gave out.

When every man had been touched and sent on his way again, I collapsed by the fire and passed out. It felt like only moments later, Goff was touching my shoulder to heal another soldier being helped to the clearing. I healed him and passed out again.

The night seemed to go on, and on. During a longer break, I woke up on my own and found Goff standing with his back to me, staring out toward the battle.

"We need to be with them, don't we?" I asked, sitting up stiffly.

He turned to me. "We could do more if we were down there."

I nodded, trying to find the strength to stand. He gazed at me.

"Captain Arden found a good one, I think," he said.

I squinted up at him. "A good one?"

"You." He nodded. "We don't talk about what happened to the Captain, because when we do, most folks freak out, and want to hang her as an abomination."

I swallowed. I wouldn't go that far, but seeing her use the dragon's magic had shaken me badly, more than I would ever admit.

"She saved us all back at Dragon's Mountain," he went on. "None of us thought to drink the blood. It was only a rumor, after all. A silly tale. But she did." He paused, remembering. "She turned into a raging fire. Burned the dragons to death she did, but not a lick of flame touched any one of us. And we were all packed in there, all tangled up with the dragons."

He heaved a sigh. "I don't know how she did it, but she did. Saved us, the king, the kingdom, and everyone one of us would die for her a thousand times if she asked us to."

His gaze returned to me. "It's clear she thinks the world of you. And here you are, saving us like she did. Offering to go out there." He motioned to the battle. "And you saw her doing her fire thing, and didn't even flinch."

I kept still. I was pretty sure I had flinched. Shame filled me. What was I afraid of? Arden had already demonstrated she could control the dragon's magic. At least when she was awake.

I gathered my shreds of courage to me and stumbled to my feet. "Let's go, then."

Goff took my elbow and pulled out his sword. "Stay close to me. If I say move, move."

I nodded, fear suddenly giving my limbs strength. We crept toward the fighting, and soon sounds of battle were all around us. I stayed as close to Goff as I could, trying not to crowd him so much he couldn't fight if necessary. He unerringly led us to a fallen soldier, and I knelt by the man. Tom was his name, and he grinned up at me with bloodied teeth as I bent over him.

"You doing house calls now, Healer?" Tom asked, and laughed, then coughed, blood foaming at the corners of his mouth.

"Easy there, Tom," I said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Leave the jokes for Goff. He tells them better."

Tom snorted, and coughed again, turning his head so he wouldn't spray me with his blood. I sent my magic into him, setting things to right, and as I leaned back, he pulled in a deep breath and smiled at me gratefully. He wiped at his face with his arm, smearing blood and sweat in all directions. He grinned again, jumped to his feet, and lumbered off.

Goff grinned fiercely at me. "That's how it should've been," he said, motioning after Tom. "Would've cut the war in half."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and led me to the next fallen soldier.

Goff kept me away from where the fighting was fiercest. We trailed after the ebb and flow of the battle, finding those who had fallen and reviving them, retreating when the fighting came back toward us.

I caught glimpses of Arden, from time to time. She was always where the fighting was, going up and down the line, shouting orders and encouragement, leading charges. The night became a blur of bleeding men, clashing blades, and stumbling from one spot to the next.

Finally, a cry of victory lifted into the night air. Goff stood from where he had crouched next to me, and lifted his fist, echoing the cry. I didn't join him. The man I bent over was almost dead, and I didn't have enough power left to bring him back. Tears stung my eyes. Relief the battle was over, exhaustion, and frustration that I couldn't save this man, all vied for a share of my emotions. My hands braced against his chest, and tears ran silently down my face, falling to his armor. Goff continued to holler and pound his chest. More men were joining him.

Footsteps came close, and Arden was suddenly kneeling across the body from me. Her hand covered one of mine, and power tingled into my hand and up my arm until my whole body pulsed with a strange magical power. Closing my eyes, I touched the man's bare neck and released our combined magic into him. He stiffened and gasped, then relaxed, and I rocked back on my heels.

The man blinked up at us. "Captain?" he asked, confused.

Arden smiled and clasped his hand. "We prevailed."

He grinned up at her, and she pulled him to his feet. She slapped his shoulder and sent him to join his squad. Then she turned, and reached for me, pulling me to my feet and into her arms.

"Thank you for coming," she said against my head. I nodded, but couldn't speak.

We stood there in the cold night air, and I found myself relaxing into her warmth. This was my Arden, strong, stubborn, and a hero. Her dragon's magic didn't change who she was. She was still mine, heart and soul.

*****

Arden led me up the small rise to her Captain's tent, and inside, a blanket hung down the middle, partitioning the tent into two halves. On this side was a small chest and cot, and I peeked behind the blanket to find a shallow pit the size of a bed dug into the ground.

I stared at it, trying to figure out its purpose. Arden gently took me by the shoulders and turned me toward the cot.

"You'll sleep there," she said, pointing at it.

I turned to face her. "What about you?"

She gestured to the back half of the tent. "I sleep there."

I protested. "Why?"

Arden glanced at her hands. "I don't control it as well when I sleep. You saw it. I almost burned your house down."

"Then I'll sleep there with you." I moved toward the hanging blanket, but she caught my arm and pulled me back. Looking into her eyes, I saw her regret. And exhaustion.

"I have to sleep," she said. "And I won't be able to if I'm afraid of burning you."

"Then I'll stay awake," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"No," she shook her head. "You need to sleep too."

She propelled me to the cot. "Lay down. I'll sit with you for a while."

I refused. She did something with her foot and arms, and before I could blink, I was looking up at her from the cot, and she was drawing a blanket over me.

"Hey!"

"Sleep." Arden put her mouth on mine, owning me, and all protest died in my throat. When she pulled back, her breathing was ragged.

"Sleep," she said again, took my hand, and sat cross-legged next to me.

I gave up and just gazed at her until my eyes would no longer stay open.

*****

A kiss, and a familiar hand copping a feel of my breast under my shirt, woke me the next morning. With a groan, I lifted a hand and caressed Arden's face. Her kiss deepened, and her hand slid down my stomach, slipping under my pants, and finding that sweet spot. I gasped and arched up toward her, but she didn't surrender the kiss.

Her tongue against mine, her fingers sending heat and shivers up and down my body, I wrapped my arms around her neck and pulled her closer to me. Too fast, sensation pooled in my groin and then exploded, and I cried out against Arden's lips. She kept her mouth on mine, muffling my ecstasy.

When my breathing calmed a little, she pulled back, and I opened my eyes for the first time. In the dim, grey morning light, her steel eyes twinkled at me, and her mouth lifted in a quiet smirk.

"That wasn't nice," I told her. But her fingers still caressed me, and small sighs and gasps escaped my lips. Her smirk widened to a grin.

"Did you not like it?" Her eyes turned devilish. "Maybe this will be better."

She slipped two fingers inside me, and I gasped, and arched my back, clutching at her arm in an attempt to not cry out. With quick pumps, she brought me over the edge again, and her free hand clamped over my mouth to keep me quiet. A tiny part of my brain remembered we were in a tent surrounded by her soldiers, and my hand held a death grip on her wrist, keeping her hand on my mouth.

"That's not fair," I complained breathlessly when I could trust myself to speak quietly. "I want to make you squirm, too." I pulled weakly at the leather armor she already had on.

She caught my hands and grinned down at me. "Some other time, I promise."

I gazed up at her, suddenly overcome with relief, and love, and longing. Tears gathered in my eyes, and I pulled Arden down for another kiss. Deep longing consumed me, and need for her touch left me gasping. She gathered me in her arms and held me, rocking gently back and forth until my trembling eased. I breathed in her scent, and relaxed.

She kissed the top of my head. "Better?"

I nodded, and she let me sit up. There was more light in the tent now, and I could see the worry and exhaustion etched in her face.

"Did you sleep at all?" I asked her.

"Some," she nodded. "Waking you up was best though." She quirked that half-smile at me.

I smiled back. "Yes, well." And couldn't think of anything else to say. Despite my feeble protests, she could wake me up like that anytime, and I wouldn't mind.

*****

Arden

We spent the morning overseeing the breaking down of camp and reassigning squads to cover scouting duties. Rebuilding would be set aside until this threat was dealt with. A messenger was dispatched to update the king, and request more troops.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, most of the camp had disbursed to carry out their orders. Sadice, and I, and one squad made our way back to town.

Extra troops arrived in good time, and for two months, I did little more than eat, doze, and monitor patrols. The Kantians had retreated, falling back deeper into their own lands. They seemed to be content to stay there, at least for the winter.

Ten weeks after the first attack, I sent half the reinforcements home, but kept the other half in patrol rotation.

I didn't see much of Sadice during those weeks. As she had eight years ago, she sensed when my attention needed to be on the task at hand, and she didn't disturb me. She found ways to let me know she still thought of me. Winter flowers often appeared on my desk in the morning, and sometimes a note. I didn't deserve her.

One evening, shortly after the reinforcements had been dismissed, she appeared at the doorway of my tent. Lt. Ford and I stood as she entered, and she glanced quickly at Ford before she leaned across my desk and kissed me. It was a chaste kiss. Ford chuckled, tipped me a salute, and left. I stepped around the desk, but before I could take her in my arms, she placed a hand on my chest and looked into my face.

"You look horrid," she said, studying me critically.

I paused and looked her over. She looked better than she had the day we rode back from the attack to the west. I don't know where she had found the reserves to heal all those men that night, but it had taken a heavy toll. She had looked ill for a week after.

Tonight, though… tonight she looked refreshed and radiant, with her hair pulled back, and dressed in something green that matched her eyes and didn't hide anything. Her breasts pushed against the fabric, and her waist, and hips…

Sadice chuckled low in her throat, and I looked up to find heat in her cheeks, and her eyes sparkling and full of hunger. She ran her fingers up my face into my hair, and I closed my eyes. Her lips touched mine, and my hands found her face, caressing it, holding her to me.

She pulled back too soon. I think I whimpered. She grinned at me, and grasped my hand, tugging on it.

"Come with me. I have something to show you." And she led me out of the tent.

Two squads were camped around my tent, and their fires were burning brightly as we left, and started down the hill. Calls of, "'night, Captain," trailed after us, followed by chuckles.

Sadice ignored the men and led me down the gentle hill to her house. Pulling me inside, she closed the door behind us and waited. I looked around.

Her bed was pushed against the far wall, and in front of the hearth, stones had been laid in an open square three hand widths high. Dirt, soft and dry, filled the square, almost to the tops of the rocks.

My heart turned over, and I looked at Sadice. "Is this for me?"

She squeezed my hand. "For us."

*****

Sadice

The look on Arden's face told me I'd done the right thing. The heat in her gaze lit a fire between my legs.

Without a word, she lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around her. I took her face in my hands, and her mouth with mine, and kissed her until our breathing became ragged. She took me to the dirt bed, and laid me down, pinning me under her. Sliding my dress up, she slipped her hand up my leg, until her fingers reached that sweet spot, and I trembled violently as her thumb stroked my already slick swelling.

I pulled and tugged at her shirt until it came off and then did the same with mine, and our breasts slid softly against each other as we moved.

Gripping her hair with one hand, I slid my other down between her legs and under her pants until I, too, found her wet and ready warmth, opening to me like a flower. She groaned and pushed against me as I gasped, and panted, and writhed under her, desire and sensation pulsing and building as we lost ourselves in each other.

With helpless cries and uncontrollable shudders, we came together, our souls meeting in ecstasy.

We spent the rest of the night together, bringing each other to breaking and then release, over and over until, exhausted and spent, we fell asleep.

*****

I woke to sunlight leaking through cracks in the shutters. Arden was gone, but I knew she had stayed for a while. She had woken me once with her nightmares, but the bed worked well, and we weathered it without incident. I had fallen asleep again in her arms.

With a groan, I sat up and pulled clothes on. I ached all over, and I relished the feeling. Giddiness bubbled up, and I laughed softly to myself as I opened the door, and stepped out. Arden was standing a short distance off, sun glinting off her hair and arms. She turned when she heard me approach, and smiled.

I wrapped my arms around her neck and kissed her. Twisting in her arms, I clasped her hands in front of me and laid my head back on her shoulder.

"I could do that again," I told her.

She kissed the top of my head. "So could I."

I turned my head into her neck and closed my eyes. "I could do that every night for eternity."

She hugged me tighter and bent her head to kiss my lips. "So could I."

It was more than an agreement. It was a promise.