A/N: Hey all! I'm back after the bug! This songfic is to James Taylor's 'How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) and its dedicated to two different people: Jessica, for her birthday! Happy birthday, you little WLDian dearie! And also to Carly, who begged and begged for an Aly/Nawat Cheers to you, dearies!
-- -- -- -- --
How sweet it
is to be loved by you I needed the shelter of someone's arms, and there you were How sweet it is to be loved by you (feels so fine)
How sweet it is to be loved by you
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs, and there you were
With sweet love and devotion
Deeply touching my emotion
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
-- -- -- -- --
Alanna brought her sword up against the man's dagger. She deflected and turned to avoid the next stab with the second dagger.
"You know," she said, trying to keep her voice from betraying how out of breath she was, "I know this man, and he's no stranger, mind," she brought the blade level with her stomach as the man made another pass, "George is his name, and he's always been there for me."
The blades disengaged and the fighters circled, each waiting for the other to make a move, "We met long ago, when I first came to Corus, he knew me as Alan before I whispered to anyone that my name, my birth name, was Alanna," she called over the distance between them, "And it seems like he's known me longer than anyone, even with one of the palace guards boasting to his friends that he changed my diapers."
The man made a lunge in, and the Lioness moved her blade to keep him from coming with both his daggers at once. They fought for a minute, metal clashing and ringing, both moving like lightning.
When she next had chance to breathe, Alanna continued, "This man, was the kind who could slip into shadows, go unnoticed in any situation, but he chose to let me catch glimpses of him. He became my friend, protected me," Alanna was forced to step back and away as the man came at her with quick stabs from opposing sides, one after the other. To evade being cut, Alanna took the offensive and brought her sword high, in a chopping movement. He blocked her with one of his daggers and she swiftly brought her sword to his side. He blocked her again and was forced back as Alanna flew at him.
"After a while, he openly admitted his love for me, but I was afraid to say anything back. Partially because I thought myself in love with the Prince, but also-" She parried her blade in and out, weaving through his defenses, "because I was convinced that being in disguise and keeping up any other life as a woman in society would be too much. I told myself I was foolish to be in love. That being a knight would be all I had ever wanted," She blocked the man's one free dagger as it came toward her, let his arm go past, then grabbed and twisted his arm until he was forced to drop his weapon.
The man disengaged, backing away, letting his eyes rove for any way to retrieve the dropped dagger. Alanna took the chance to breathe evenly again, "And through it all, he still loved me. He let me live my fancies and whims and continued to protect me, to be everything I needed, no matter how I backed away, no matter how far I ran." Alanna quickly jumped as the man crouched, grabbed his fallen arm, and took a swipe with both arms at her legs.
"And," Alanna said, once she regained her feet, "He always let me win," bringing her sword body-to-body with the man once he had straightened, her blade barely being held against both of his crossed knives. The man was not looking at all surprised to be held back against someone of her stature.
The man smirked as he leaned forward a little, "True," he said, eyes twinkling with mirth, "But you never said I played fair." And with that, George Cooper leaned all the way down to kiss his wife squarely on the lips.
-- -- -- -- --
I close my eyes at night
Wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore
Everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
-- -- -- -- --
Neal sighed, "What would've happened to me without you?" he lay on the far side of his bed, on his back and speaking as if to an empty room. He shifted the blankets around them, wrapping them around his body more securely against the cool night air.
He had been reevaluating his life. Going through memories, laughing with his friends, debating, arguing, punishment work, friends, enemies, court beauties long gone, thinking of everything he could. He was having trouble, though, taking his mind off her.
"I remember once something Cleon said, 'my life is a desert drear without the light of your eyes,' except he didn't feel the way that I do now. He may have been joking with Kel, but my life really was empty without you." He closed his eyes, thinking about his life before; the Stump, excruciating and endless training he went through in his page years, as a healer, and as both with his knight master Alanna. Everything he had known before seemed monochrome in comparison with the way she lit up his life.
The room was silent for many minutes, then the body next to him shifted and turned over. Yuki looked up into Neal's face in the moonlight, and slowly raised a hand to touch his cheek. "Yes," the quiet Yamani said simply, "But I'm here now."
Neal smiled to mirror her, "And I thank the gods every night for that," Neal said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him.
-- -- -- -- --
But you brighten up for me all of my days How sweet it is to be loved by you (just like sugar sometimes)
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
-- -- -- -- --
'This is the life,' Aly thought, leaning back and relaxing.
She lay in the grass, propped back on her elbows, finally enjoying a day off from spymaster duties. Trick was still around her neck, in case of any emergency, but she had told the darking not to disturb her otherwise. She opened her eyes slowly, taking the scenery in and letting her Sight view all the spells for protection -raka or luarin- around the palace. She smiled seeing layers of magic shining in her vision.
She gasped suddenly as she felt the weight of two hands link around her neck. Turning so she rested on one arm, she faced this stranger- only to meet the dark eyes of Nawat Crow.
"Hello," he whispered softly, with a grin equally as soft gracing his features.
She smiled widely, pleased he had decided to join her, "Hello yourself."
He sat cross-legged behind her, arms now loosely around her neck as she readjusted her legs and kneeled before him. She felt his hands move slightly, then the cool contact of metal met her skin. She looked down to see the gaudy beads and over-polished stones of the necklace Nawat had gotten out of his wager with the Trickster.
She picked it up in her hand, still slightly appalled by the necklace itself but pleased with the gesture he meant by giving it. "Why?" she asked curiously, fingering a small, green bead.
"To remind you that, god given or no, you mean more to me than any pretty bauble," the once crow-man told her, tracing a hand down the side of her face.
Aly smiled, heart swelling with emotion for this man, "Thank you," she whispered, while covering his hand with hers, and leaning up to him for a kiss. She was quite certain that, despite the unfashionable appearance of Nawat's gift, she would be keeping this token close to her for quite some time.
-- -- -- -- --
You were better to me than I was to
myself How sweet it is to be loved by you (it's like jelly baby)
For me, there's you and there ain't nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you (just like honey to the bees, baby)
"I don't know how you put up with me," one confessed, "You were kinder to me than I would've been," The woman began to trail off, "And after the way that I treated you…"
The man laughed, "It did frustrate me. You had me all frazzled up and turned about, Kel, I didn't have sense coming or going. All I knew was that I wouldn't lose you again." Dom went silent for a few seconds, slowly considering his words, "Though I must admit," he said, with a jovial twinkle in his eye, "I'm surprised I didn't turn to ice and freeze from all of those glares you gave me."
Kel made a noise of outrage then struggled to turn herself in Dom's arms. "You!" she cried when she broke free and swatted his arm, "You're horrible!" She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms at him. Slowly, a wide, laughing smile took over his features. Kel was unable to stop from joining him, the smile was infectious and melted any trace of anger from her.
Dom's hands crept back to reclaim her waist as he whispered, "I know," with the same seductive smile on his face.