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“Here you are.”
He found her with her feet dangling in the sparkling blue waters of the Emerald Ocean with a book in her lap. She had managed to slip off without being seen but a carefully worded note had led him right to her. She closed the book with a thud and smiled up at him. “This is a surprise. Have your kingly duties ended early for a change, your majesty?”
He grimaced as he lowered himself to sit beside her. “If you start playing the “your majesty” card I’ll start calling you “Hero of Ferelden” in public,” he threatened but Cadhla’s laugh told him she didn’t consider that a real threat.
“I’m no more a hero than you or any of our other companions,” she retorted softly, opening her book up again.
“What are you reading?” he asked, leaning over to kiss her bare shoulder. He liked seeing her dressed in nothing more than a sleeveless tunic and some loose breeches. It was still a novelty after all the months on the road and formal occasions throughout the kingdom.
The blush that spread across her cheeks made him reach for the book, which she quickly held at arm’s length. “It’s nothing, really. Just something Sigrun found at the keep,” she said quickly. “Should we be heading back?”
“Oh no, I have plenty of time. You could even read out loud to me,” he teased, earning a glare. He took opportunity of her moment of distraction to snatch the book from her grasp. “Now what do we have he—oh…ohhh.”
Her blush deepened as he grinned. “Sigrun managed to find some pretty saucy stuff there. What kind of library are you running, Commander?”
“I found it that way!” she protested. “And it’s not very nice to tease your wife.”
He grinned and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. “But it’s just so much fun,” he replied, leaning in to brush his lips with hers. “And it’s not very often that I find you here reading a book like this while dipping your feet in the ocean with complete disregard to the sea monster that has been spotted nearby as of late.”
She looked up at him as her face paled. “There are no such things as sea monsters,” she said, trying to sound certain. “You’re just teasing me because you know I hate swimming and the like.”
Hated wasn’t exactly the right word. She was terrified of the ocean, had never learned to swim and was nearly inconsolable on sea crossings. The one relief there was that she didn’t suffer from seasickness.
He shook his head, “No, no, I’m quite serious,” he replied. She leaned in to yank her book back from his grasp and hoped he didn’t notice that she used the opportunity to yank her feet from the water. “Several fishermen have reported it. They saw it swimming here in the harbor in fact.”
The knot in the pit of her stomach grew and she scowled. “You’re…No. Just no. You’re having a go at me.” Her hair fell into her face as she shook her head. She had left it down for once but it had been getting in her way all afternoon.
His hand was warm on her neck as he drew her to him, letting his lips linger against her jaw. “What reason would I have to make that up?” he murmured into her neck.
“Every reason,” she whispered, not able to speak any louder due to the conflicting sensations waging war in the pit of her stomach. “But there’s no such thing as sea monsters. They are a fable; a mythical beast that parents tell their children so they’ll behave.”
His fingers were grazing against her arm when he replied. “Are you telling me that all of the crazy things we’ve seen haven’t proven to you that anything is possible? Is it so far-fetched that they could exist?”
When he put it like that the warm ball of pleasure in her belly disappeared as the one she refused to admit was fear, won out.
He pulled back, a smile lighting his handsome face, “See! Not so out there now, is it?”
She gave him a shove and to her absolute horror he toppled off the edge of the dock and disappeared with a splash. She leaned over the edge waiting for him to reappear but long moments passed and he never resurfaced. “Maker Alistair! Where are you?!”
There was only one course of action that her frantic mind would allow. In retrospect it wasn’t the greatest idea but reason was not her ally at the moment.
She dove in.
The water was surprisingly warm but it was the height of summer so she wasn’t really surprised. She took a desperate gasp of air when her head broke the surface and her arms shot out to flail uselessly. She squealed as something latched onto her middle. Monster! Oh Maker, what have I gotten myself into?! Where’s Alistair?! Sweet Andraste… MONSTER!
The monster in question came up grinning, his hands clamped on her waist. “You fiend!” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck so she could hold onto him for dear life.
He wrapped his arms around her and it was such a way that made her feel as safe as she could submerged as she was. “The water’s pretty shallow here,” he told her. “You may be able to stand.”
She stretched her legs down but felt nothing. Latching on tighter she shook her head. “No. I can’t.”
“I forget how short you are,” he teased. She wasn’t that short, just shorter than he was. He leaned in and his mouth was salty and warm. She could have reveled in the taste of him forever were it not for the water lapping around the two of them. He seemed to feel the same way. “You taste good,” he murmured into her mouth.
“I’d be happy to let you continue this taste test somewhere drier,” she replied.
He kissed her again, “I’m quite content here.”
“Surrounded by sea monsters and all that?” she asked. Even as the words came out of her mouth she knew it had all been a ruse. His lopsided grin confirmed it. She’d have to come up with something else; she’d have to come up with some other way to entice him. “Plus, I can’t read that book to you here.”
The book lay forgotten on the dock and they both looked over at it.
She squeaked as he grabbed her and tossed her up onto the dock in one fell swoop. “You win! Let’s go!”