To the Mountains

By the time they parted from the knights, it seemed that every knight knew her name. Sirona almost couldn’t help but float around the camp. Arawn watched from afar. Most didn’t interact much with him and he was fine with it.
Arawn watched her with an odd fondness. He thought back to his first days as a young god and his fascination with human lives. He remembered once wanting to be a god of the people. He’d become a warrior god and so many different things to so many people who had been lost to the turns of time.
Had things been different between him and Anu, he wondered what sort of deity he would have been now.
Sirona waved the knights goodbye and they headed back into the forest. She beamed at him, floating alongside him.
“Patron of war,” Sirona gushed, “I never thought that would be something attached to my name.”
Arawn grinned, “Ironic. Maybe you’ll be a patron of revenge one day too.”
Sirona considered that and nodded, “I think… I would like that more, actually.”
“Oh?”
“War affects so many people who often have no control over the situation… At least, revenge is far more direct.”
Arawn chuckled, “I suppose that is a way to think of it.”
Arawn stepped into the air with her and floated through the forest. They chatted aimlessly as they traveled and headed toward the floating mountains.
“Where are we going?”
“To see the dragon.” He said, “You didn’t think I forgot, did you?”
She smiled at him, warmed as she shook her head and followed him up the slope. Arawn took her hand.
“You’ve never flown this high,” he said in explanation. “Once we get closer to the path, we’ll walk.”
She tightened her grip on his hand. Something cawed nearby. She turned her head at the sound of something flapping its wings. It sounded a lot bigger than an eagle.
“What was that?”
“Probably a monstrous bird,” Arawn said absently, “Don’t worry.”
Considering that she’d fought a large den of snakes that regenerated, she supposed that it was a fair statement, but her stomach churned with anxiety as they reached the lower cloud barrier and broke through it.
Seated around the area on nearly every piece of floating rock was a bird at least the size of a house. Some were much bigger.
“Time to show you a bit of what you can do,” Arawn said conjuring a circle of light in the air with the wave of his hand. Sirona gasped as the circle expanded sharply to at least five times its size then doubled and shot forwards.
Some of the birds screeched and tried to fly away. Those that couldn’t escape screeched as they burst into flames and turned to ash on the wind.
The remaining birds began to circle the area, glaring down at them with glowing gold eyes. Arawn spun her around in the air to face the birds. He pulled her back against him and lifted her hand.
“Imagine a circle,” he said against her ear, “A circle of your power and will to destroy them.”
She did as he asked and slowly, he moved her hand to trace the circle in her mind until a neat glowing blue circle materialized.
“Good. Now make it bigger.”
She pushed more of her power into it and it jumped, expanding to twice its size.
“More, Sirona.”
It grew large as she poured more power into it. “More.”
She poured more into it and gasped as the blue began to grow darker as it grew larger until it reached the size of the largest bird flapping its wings over their heads.
“Now push it forward.”
She shoved it out and watched it vanish every bird it passed. The largest one had enough time to give out a shriek of terror and try to fly away before the circle cut off its tail and vanished the rest of its body.
With the birds gone, she could see all the stone and wood buildings settled on the floating rocks.
“What are those?”
“Temples,” he said. “They’ve been here for as long as I can remember.”
He led her to a walking path and coaxed her to set her feet on the ground. Immediately, she gasped. A flash of the temple Druid had taken her to wen through her mind.
“Shall we?”
He led her forward up the winding road and across the bridge that was made of floating slabs of stone and no rope.
“What are these made of?”
Arawn hummed, “I’ve never asked. I suppose you can ask him when we get there.”
“Him?”
“Taran. He’d know.”
“You wouldn’t?”
Arawn shrugged, “He’s older than me.”
Her mind was boggled. How old was this dragon? They crossed several bridges before they reached a stone building that was almost a replica of the temple Druid had taken her to. There were no animals around, but it felt just as old, if not older, than the other one.
“Let’s take a rest here,” Arawn said with a grin, “I’ve always liked this one the best.”
“Why?”
He chuckled and nodded ahead, “The accommodations.”
Sirona followed him curiously. The air grew warmer then heavy with moisture as they walked further into the temple. Water bubbled and gurgled nearby and she gasped at the sight of the glowing, bubbling pools of water. Arawn crouched beside the water and dipped his hand in.
“Nothing like a hot bath after a battle,” he said pulling his jacket and shirt off. “A long time ago, before Berth, this was common practice.”
“W-What was common practice?” She stared at him as he toed off his boots and pulled off his socks.
“Bath. Specifically hot soaks in springs like these.”
She turned her head as he started to strip out of his pants.
“Surely, they didn’t let men and women bath naked together.”
He laughed and she heard the water splash as he slipped into the water.
“Depends on what you mean by let,” he said. Sirona chanced glancing at him as he lounged against the edge of the pool. He smirked, “Won’t you join me?”
Sirona worried her lip, “I don’t know if this would be appropriate.”
He chuckled. “That’s probably a tenant of Anu’s cult, but it’s not the same here.”
There wasn’t much that was the same on this side of the river. She wasn’t sure about it, but she decided that it was best to be a little daring when it came to being with Arawn. He was or had been involved with the queen of the country, who knew what he was used to?
She tried to undress as quickly as possible, but it was impossible knowing that he was watching her. She got into the pool quickly and sighed as the warmth enveloped her. She tilted her head back and gasped as she felt Arawn drift closer to her.
His gaze was heated and she trembled thinking of the night that would have ended with sex if the village hadn’t been attacked. He pressed a bit of his magic into her palm as he took her hand.
“Sirona,” he said drawing closer and grazing his lips against hers.
She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his.
He groaned and wrapped his arms around her, pushing her up against the stone wall to fit his hips between her legs as they kissed. She was nervous a bit as his hands roamed her body, but the steady ebb and flow of the magic between them made her moan into his mouth and cling to him.
His hand slipped between her thighs and she gasped as he stroked her gently.
“Just relax,” he said. “Let me take care of you.”
The water was hot, but he still felt feverish as he pressed a finger inside her. The stretch was a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn’t painful. He pressed his palm flat against her and sent a shock of pleasure through her.
Arawn groaned. The heat of the pools was nothing compared to how hot his blood was running. She sounded better than he imagined, soft and desperate for him. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he thrust his fingers into her tight, warm body.
If he didn’t get to have her, he might lose his mind, but there were no villages nearby and no creatures around to interrupt them.
Sirona shuddered and trembled in his arms, moaning into his mouth as he coaxed her closer and closer to her orgasm. He kept her pinned against the wall as the pleasure started to make her twist and strain against him. She was falling apart in his arms. He knew he’d be ruined for trying to sleep with Fedelm in the future, but he didn’t care.
He needed this. He needed to see her fall apart and know that he’d done it.
She threw her head back and shrieked, her entire body tightening around him. He pulled his fingers free of her gently.
“Sirona.”
“No more… please, I can’t.”
She was going to be the death of him.