1865-10-24: Cold Nights
Cold Nights
Summary: Perhaps Michael shouldn't have told Gabriel that Alina was "enthusiastic" about the idea of marrying him…
Date: 1865-10-24
Related: Bullish Cheer in Murnord (and previous Gabe/Alina logs)
NPCs: {$npc}
Players:
Gabriel  Alina  

Warning: Adult situations and sexual content. Viewer discretion is advised.

The wind is bitter up north, but those who have lived in this area have long learned how to set their tents and pavilions to ward off all but the bitterest chill. Technically, Gabriel should be sharing his pavilion, blue and silver in the colors of his house, with his brother and his squire.

But Sebastian had night watch, and Michael had yet to arrive from Murnord. So the fair-sized pavilion tent, which functioned both as a place for them to sleep as well as a meeting place for war councils (as, after all, they were of the line of the Duke) was a warm but empty place. The fire in the metal grating in the center kept the place warm, but it had long since died down to coals, leaving the tent's interior dim. Partitions allowed up for five knights or squires to sleep in relative privacy (what privacy could be allowed by heavy cloth) from each other and the main area of the pavilion.

And of course, the 'bed' (in truth, a knights bedroll over a heavy cloth much like what they tents were made from to keep the wind and water out) for each would have furs, warm, soft, and preferable to keep a man from frostbite when the weather turned truly cold.

There was snow falling outside, and gathering on the ground in heaps of light dust.

Gabriel had been sleeping quite soundly, but something had awakened him. A sound perhaps? Or maybe the increased chill due to the dying out of the fire. Shifting in his bedroll, he tries to go back to sleep, but after a few minutes of tossing and turning, he slips out and dons a cloak that has been stashed nearby. Throwing the cloak around him, he steps over to where the fire had been. With some time and some effort, he manages to stoke a flame back, bringing back light and warmth to the pavilion. Glancing around, he doesn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Shrugging to himself, he pulls his cloak tighter around himself and then pads back to his blankets.

The partition pulls aside slightly, and a slight form wrapped in a woven blanket slips in. "Is it always so cold up here?" Alina says softly, kneeling down beside his bedroll. Her hair is braided back in a less elaborate manner than usual, most of it hanging loose past her shoulders.

The middle of the night is likely not the best time to find the daughter of a duke in one's tents.

She draws the blanket around herself tighter. "How are your bruises, my lord?"

Gabriel stares at Alina. "… what are you doing here?" He hadn't heard that she was coming up north, did she arrive with the group of al'Sylenthar scouts? Certainly not, what the North was about to become was not something a woman like her should be experiencing. "Look, my bruises are fine, but you are going to have to go. I… I can come with you, I am sure we can find you suitable accommodations."

Suitable as in… not here, and more comfortable for a soft southerner like her.

Alina glances around. "These will suit for tonight," she says, dropping the blanket from herself to the ground. Underneath, she is wearing a dress quite similar to the one she wore for the masque… only this one is a soft blue, and entirely sheer. Where her dress for the masque hinted, this one offers freely: glimpses, in the firelight, of her curves visible freely under the thin, sheer fabric.

"Unless you think I should walk out in this?" That question is delivered in that teasing tone she so often enjoys taking with him. She leans forward, kissing him lightly on the lips briefly before settling back that he may get as much of a view as he wishes.

This will… wait what? Gabriel blinks and watches the blanket go to the ground. For several long moments he can't help but stare at her dress. What in the hell was the woman thinking? Did she realize how cold it was outside?

Sputtering, trying to think of what to say, how to say it. Gabriel finally shakes his head. "No no, you can't walk out in that, put your blankets back on around you, it is cold outside." He is about to bend down to pick up those blankets when she kisses him. He blinks at her dumbly for a moment, and then glances back down to look her over again. "Ahhh… Lady Alina, I am sure you will be missed by those sent to watch over you. Here, let me get your blankets." He blushes slightly as he bends over to take the blanket in hand.

"Don't worry about such things," Alina replies, drawing a finger under his chin as he straightens back up with her blanket. "It is cold outside, my lord. And I am quite sure you are capable of keeping me quite warm." And she kisses him again, sliding her arms around his neck.

Like the kiss back in his rooms in Alasce, it's gentle, exploring, and just a touch hungry.

When she kisses him again, his hand drops the blanket. At first, there is an urge to push her away, to break this contact should Sebastian or Michael actually step into the room and catch him with her standing like this, but something in the back of his mind makes him put his arms around her and pull her against him, returning her kiss, his desire evident.

Finally, when he breaks away, he murmurs. "Alina, why are you here? What is it that you want?"

"I want you, future husband of mine," she murmurs back. "I'm here for you." She nuzzles into his neck, leaving a soft trail of light kisses. "I want to be yours tonight," she says softly, looking up into his eyes. "And every night after."

She presses herself against him. "You were right. I need you to protect me, Gabriel. I want you to." And she leans up for another soft kiss.

Gabriel's eyes widen at her words, and for a long moment, he considers just walking away from her. She's not his wife, not yet. But… something about her pulls him forward, perhaps it was her plea for protection. A knight should never turn down such a plea from a woman. Certainly not a woman as beautiful as Alina. "Alina…" He murmurs, his voice soft. "Tonight, and every night from here on out, I will defend you. Come, let me wrap my arms around you, to make you feel safe." He removes his cloak, and drops it to the floor on top of her blanket, and then starts to motion her to his bedroll.

Alina slips into the bedroll with him, and as soon as they have the blankets wrapped around them, she snuggles up against him. "I'm glad," she says. "Your father signed the contract yesterday in Murnord. I came to you as quickly as I could… for," and she kisses his cheek, then his lips, "we will not wed until after the barbarians are settled. You will protect me," and she kisses him again, a bit more desire in it, "by protecting the north from these monsters."

She smiles up at him, blushing. "I wanted to tell you myself, first. And… to…" her hand traces over his chest, and she looks aside. "To be with you."

Gabriel smiles at her now, he likes the way she feels pressed up close against him like this. "He signed the contract? Oh, well then that… I, I am glad." He kisses her then, again and again. He had never considered what it might feel like to be married, to have a wife, but if contracts had been signed than she was as good as his wife. As they continue to kiss, he slips a hand down and begins to work at removing his smallclothes, his breathing starting to come faster as what is going to come next is something he is very much looking forward to with her.

And that is when Alina vanishes, and his world comes crashing down because he is being shaken violently. "Huh.. wha?" He swats at the hand gripping his shoulder, he feels groggy, and now awkward because of his state. A moment passes and then he hears his brother's voice shouting at him to get himself ready. Nodding, he glances at his sheets again. No Alina. It had been a dream… no… a nightmare.

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