So here it is, the very last chapter, which admittedly is more like an epilogue, really. Bioware as always owns nearly everything. Reviews are always welcome. And most importantly, I'd like to extend a huge, huge thank-you to everyone who's read, reviewed and generally supported this story :)

Chapter Forty-Five – Spring

Afternoon sunlight streamed in between the open curtains, and through the lodged-open gap, Jaiyan could hear cart wheels against cobbles and the shrieking calls of seagulls and a horse running too fast. Stretched out lazily against Valen, she contemplated the virtue of never moving again. Her clothes were strewn carelessly across the floor, and she had little desire to yank on garments that still smelled of damp rock and dust. And besides, the spare sets at the bottom of her pack were likely creased and needing patching and in any case, the warm and drowsy tiefling beside her seemed in no mood to move anytime soon.

"Valen?"

His tail slid up and around her leg. "Mmm-hmm?"

"With you around, I think in the summer I may have to dispense with blankets altogether."

He laughed. "Does it get very warm here?"

"Warm but not very hot. We'll probably live."

"Oh, that's reassuring." Absently, he combed his fingers through her hair, teasing the tangles apart. "Does it feel strange to you, being back?"

"Yes, it does. Right now I want to do nothing but lie here with you, have an incredibly huge and lazy meal later, and decide that I never want to leave Waterdeep again. And then of course, probably in about eight days or so, I'll be clawing at the walls wanting something ridiculous and probably life-threatening to do."

"Bards call that wanderlust, don't they?"

"Or stupidity." She leaned into the gentle pressure of his hand. "Deekin just calls it our next crazy choice. You'll come with me, won't you?"

"In eight days? Is this at all flexible, or am I at my lady's mercy?"

"Funny man." She grinned at him. "I don't know when. Whenever."

"I've been thinking." He leaned up, his hair threading down the solid lines of his arm and shoulder. "Hear me out?"

She was slightly tempted to say something inane, but he was looking at her steadily from beneath lowered eyebrows, so she simply nodded, and said, "Course I will."

Valen curled an arm around her, drew her closer. "You know what I said, on the way back to Lith My'athar, about how I wanted to be able to give you something?"

"Of course."

"Well, I…" His blue eyes flicked away, then up to ceiling, before returning to her. "I wondered if you wanted…well, me."

She smiled and rolled against him, nuzzling under his chin. "I thought I just had you, didn't I? Twice."

"Well, yes, but…" His fingers slipped over her shoulder, tightened in her hair. "I was wondering if you wanted it to be a little more permanent? A little more official?"

Jaiyan extricated herself from under him so she could see his face properly. He looked…nervous? His whole frame was tense, and his eyebrows were still knotted. And did he just… "Valen, are you..?"

"Will you marry me?" he blurted.

Jaiyan laughed. "You look petrified, my tiefling."

"I was. And I still am. You haven't answered yet."

"Yes," she said, seriously, and without having to consider either way. "Yes. I will."

He smiled then, slow and shy. "I would like that. Very much."

"So would I. Being married to you, I mean. Not to me. I can't imagine why anyone would want to be married to me." She giggled, tried to suppress it, and failed miserably. "Sorry."

"Don't apologise, foolish woman. Are you sure?"

"What kind of question is that?" She flicked one his horns. "Of course I'm sure. I mean, who else is going to put up with me for the rest of my life?"

"Me, I hope," he said, low-voiced.

"Valen." She looked at him then, simply looked at him, her gaze lingering on the vivid spill of his hair, on the severe planes and angles of his face. "Always you. Only you."

He cupped her chin and kissed her, sweet and slow. "That pleases me, my love. More than you know."

"Oh, I don't know. I could have a fairly good guess, I think." She was laughing again, hard enough that her shoulders were trembling. "When did you want to do it?"

"What? You want details?" He grinned. "I just got over the terror of just asking. And it still didn't come out entirely as I'd hoped."

"Oh? Were you going to shower me in sparkling jewels and go down on one knee?"

Valen groaned. "You'd've laughed at me if I'd done that."

"Well, yes." She traced the shape of his face, brushed her thumbs along his jaw. "It came out entirely alright."

"Oh?" His eyes glittered wickedly. "You've been proposed to enough times to know that, my lady?"

"Well, never by a tiefling before." When he locked his arms around her and pinned her, she shrieked. "Alright, never. By anyone. Apart from you. You didn't actually think so, did you?"

"No." He kissed her again before letting her sit up. "No one else would dare."

"You've got a nasty sense of humour when you put some effort into it, you know." She wound his tail around her wrist, idly stroked at the end. The space between them seemed suddenly, absurdly vast, so she burrowed under his arm and quite firmly attached herself to his chest.

He did not laugh, only let himself sink back onto the sheets, taking her with him. For long, lazy moments, they lay like that, wrapped around each other, listening to each other breathe. His hands trailed up and down her back, pausing occasionally to thread through her hair.

"Valen?"

"Mmm?"

"Are you still hungry?"

"Starving." He smiled. "If you want to go down and tell your kobold, you're allowed."

She grinned sheepishly. "Ah-ha. Was it that obvious?"

"In some things you completely lack subtlety, my love."

Jaiyan rolled onto her side, traced small circles on his chest. "You don't mind?"

"No," he said gently. Slowly, almost wonderingly, he ran his hands up her arms, clasped them over her shoulders. "Your shoulders are so small."

"You're noticing this now?" Slightly reluctantly, she disentangled herself from him. "Come and find me soon?"

"Of course."

Jaiyan dug around in her pack for a clean shirt, found one that was that washed-out grey colour all her shirts seemed to fade into. She noticed that one whole side of it was wrinkled, shrugged, and pulled it on anyway. She eschewed the leathers, and tugged on an aging dark blue tunic, buckled her sword on over the top. Lifting her head, she noticed Valen leaning up on one elbow and grinned. "If that's some fiendish plot to get me to stay in here with you, then I am for once immune to your charms."

He blinked innocently. "What plot?"

"You, being all deliberately seductive."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course not." She was in danger of collapsing into laughter again, so she grabbed his horns and kissed him. "Don't be too long."

Downstairs, she discovered the taproom almost deserted. Sunlight poured through the windows, and she could smell new bread and woodsmoke. She crossed the floorboards, and realised that her heart was still jumping madly. Well, he'd always said he wanted marriage in the end, hadn't he?

Yes, but he might've changed his mind.

Yes, but he wouldn't, because you know him.

Jaiyan blinked and shook her head briskly. Accepting a tankard from the girl at the bar, she approached Deekin's table, nestled in the corner, and smiled. He was writing, as she had suspected, his quill stabbing out his spidery, jagging writing on the parchment beneath. "Hey, Deeks."

"Boss?" He looked up, black eyes gleaming. "Deekin has some news."

"Really? So do I."

"Really? Boss wants to go first?"

She tugged her stool closer to the table. "Ah…I just got myself betrothed."

"Betrothed?" Deekin shot bolt-upright. "With Goat-man?"

"Who else, Deeks?"

"Deekin not know." He dropped the quill. "Just now?"

She nodded. "Just now."

"Boss be betrothed?" His teeth flashed in a broad grin. "So Boss going to have to be all grown-up now?"

"Very funny, kobold." She glowered over the rim of the tankard. "Look, Deeks. I just wanted to tell you because…well, I don't want it to change anything. Between us, I mean. I still…you know."

"Deekin knows. Goat-man good for Boss. Also good at hitting things for Boss." He tapped his claws together thoughtfully. "Uhm…Deekin now rather glad about his own news."

"Why?"

"Well, Deekin was talking with Dakesh. Dakesh be leaving soon, to travel." His gaze held with hers, steady and unwavering. "Deekin almost wanted to go with him. Almost. But…Deekin wants to stay. Want to stay even more, now."

"Oh." She stared down into the tankard, unprepared for the sudden sting of guilt. "Oh, gods. Deekin, I don't want to make you stay. I don't own you."

He tilted his head. "Sort of do, Boss. Like Deekin sort of owns Boss."

"You know," she said, carefully, "If you want to, you could go with him."

"Deekin thought about. But then Deekin thought, what if Boss needs Deekin?"

She swallowed, almost painfully. "Deekin…"

"Deekin will look for Dakesh," he said. "In the future, when Boss gets eaten by monsters."

"Oh, gods above." Jaiyan glared. "Why are you always so adamant that I'm going to get eaten by something?"

Deekin shrugged innocuously. "Don't know, Boss."

She bit her lip. "Glad you're staying, kobold. I'd miss you."

"Deekin not going anywhere yet. Besides, Deekin wants to see Boss in a dress for a whole day. That be worth writing about."

"Very funny."

"It not be a joke, Boss. How you spells 'matrimony'?"

"I'm not telling you."

"But Deekin needs to practise writing it for afterwards." He curled a hand around his quill again. "Can Deekin sing?"

She grinned. "Right now? Go ahead."

He sighed, long-suffering. "Boss being deliberately awkward, Deekin suspects."

"Of course you can sing."

"Can Deekin write new song to sing?"

"Well, I was hoping you would. I don't think there are many in your boundless repertoire that are generally for use in weddings, are they?"

"Depends what kind of wedding, Boss," he answered sagely.

Jaiyan snorted. "Duly noted."

"Boss?"

"Yes, Deekin?"

"Deekin be happy for you. Boss be happy?"

"Yes." She found herself smiling again. "Yes. Very."

Deekin reached across the table and touched the back of her hand. "Good."

The day meandered into a cool, indolent evening. The cobalt glow of dusk brought a brief squall of rain, rattling against the panes. A merchant in fur-trimmed robes with a veritable phalanx of servants breezed in through the doors, demanding dinner and ale and rooms, stealing Durnan's attention. Idly watching as the innkeeper shouldered through the press, Jaiyan decided their news could wait. Besides, he's going to want to howl with laughter about it, so we might as well make sure he's not too busy at the time.

The door swung open again, and Dakesh glided in. He made it halfway across the floor before Deekin grabbed his wrist and hauled him over to the corner table, already chattering.

The mercenary tugged his hood down, revealing tousled dark hair and slight flush against his pale skin. "You're getting married?"

"Not right this very moment," Jaiyan answered mildly. She pushed a tankard across the table to him and sank back against Valen's shoulder. "How was the city?"

"Quiet."

"You sound suspicious."

He smiled crookedly. "Usually I am. No, it was…good." He lifted the tankard. "Where will you go next? Do you know yet?"

"Oh, we'll just see where the road takes us, I suppose."

"Yes," Valen muttered. "Because we all know how well that turned out last time."

"Yep," Deekin said, nodding. "But at least last time, Boss found a big red dragon."

"Big red dragon," Dakesh echoed. "Really."

"Yep. Boss saved the lady dragon's eggs."

Somewhere between the kobold's excited and unnecessarily complicated telling of the dragon and her eggs, and Dakesh's one-upping tale of fighting a legion of balors, the sky darkened. Another round of drinks were emptied, and the mercenary excused himself, murmuring something about wanting to be up early enough to see the dawn over the river. Deekin scooped up his lute, and wove his way through the crowd to the hearth. When he struck out a chiming, plaintive set of chords, bright and fragile even over the low burr of conversation, Jaiyan smiled. The notes that followed were light and delicate and inescapably sad. She nestled herself into the crook of Valen's shoulder and breathed in, enjoying the scent of soap and clean skin beneath his clothes. "It's his dragon song."

"Yes."

Absently, she picked up Valen's hand, twined her fingers through his. "Valen?"

"Mmm?"

"What do you want me to wear?"

He laughed. "Anything you want. Except riding leathers, and no chainmail."

"Picky tiefling." Jaiyan traced the chiseled shape of his hand, followed the faint trails of old scars. She glanced up, saw that he was looking down at her with a familiar kind of yearning in his face. She smiled, and murmured, "Any other rules, preferences or suggestions?"

"Blue," Valen said. "I like you in blue."

*The End*