The Good And Bad And All In-Between

[Artigas]

Artigas knew that he wanted a future with Mariahya, that was the only thing that he was certain about in life and he knew that he wanted her family to like him. If they didn't then it wouldn't be the end of the world, it would affect how he felt for her and he hoped it wouldn't affect the way she felt about him but being accepted by her family would mean a lot to him especially when he knew how much they meant to her. Artigas was fairly confident that he own parents would love Mari, he didn't think that they would care that she was not Trikru and the only thing that would matter to them was his happiness and he hoped that they could see how happy Mari made him when he eventually got to introduce her to them.

As she bit her lip he found himself wishing that he could see inside her mind, wishing that he knew what she was thinking. He was grateful when she helped him readjust his grip on her and as he leaned his forehead against hers and their eyes met, he smiled back at her as he saw a smile appear on her face. Artigas was a naturally confident man, he'd never been eager to admit to being afraid of something and those that knew him knew that he was fearless when fighting in battle, but something was different with Mariahya. She made him feel weaker than he'd ever felt before, his heart raced when he touched her, the palms of his hands felt sweaty. She made him nervous and when he was around her it felt like all of the confidence had been drained from his body.

He felt her freeze in his arms and her eyes locked with his as he told her that he loved her and for one awful second he thought that he'd said the wrong thing, that maybe she didn't feel the same way about him as he did about her and then she smiled and all of the worry that he felt evaporated and he knew that he was wrong to doubt her feelings for him. I love you. Those three words made his heart rate pick up once again, even if he'd been the one to admit them first. A relieved smile appeared on his face as she leaned forwards and he felt her lips on his again.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Don’t let me slip away…I need you here till the very end…so stay here with me.. Artigas Mari watched how Artigas reacted to her words and her smile only grew. She never imagined that at age 21 she would have found the man she could say I love you to and actually mean it. For years she feared that she would be married off for power or riches or weapons. Married off for all the wrong reasons. But when she met Artigas, she felt something different for the first time in her life. She felt hope…She felt like maybe, whether it was him or not, there was someone out there who was meant for her and only her. When he finally came back into her life, she knew that he was the one that she had been waiting for. The one she had been hoping for. Feeling his lips on hers again made her heart take flight. It was a feeling that she never wanted to go away. She brought a hand to his cheek as she continued to kiss him and pressed her palm gently against his skin. He was so warm and for the first time she truly felt like she was in the right place. Being in his arms made her feel safe despite her more than capable abilities to take care of herself. Being in his arms made her feel like a woman, despite the fact that she was clearly a woman. But fighting for all these years, people only viewed her as a leader…a leader who fought with weapons and killed when necessary. But with Artigas, he stripped all of that way from her and she was just Mariahya…a young woman who was in love with a man she shouldn’t love. Being in love with this man scared her…but it wasn’t something she was going to run away from. Mari broke away from his lips and kept her forehead rested against his, her eyes locked onto his own. “I don’t really know….what to do from here?” She said softly, a quiet laugh as a blush crept up her cheeks, as she lowered her eyes from his. She didn’t want to be embarrassed around him, but she wasn’t experienced in this. She knew he wasn’t either…but she had to be honest with him if they were going to get anywhere.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

Artigas knew that his life probably wouldn't be the same ever again now that he had found Mariahya again, but strangely he didn't mind. Not when it meant that he got to be with her, some might think it foolish for him to leave everything in Trikru behind just to chase after a girl, but Mari was different and he truly believed that he loved her. He felt relief more than anything else that she reciprocated his feelings, it meant that they could truly be together. They were in love and nothing would persuade him to think otherwise.

As he kissed her, he felt her hand on his cheek and he smiled through the kiss. It was the little things he loved, like the way it felt to feel her hands pressing softly against his cheek. He couldn't believe that he'd found this amazing woman and she loved him. If he'd stayed in his own territory that day instead of breaking all of the rules to explore, they never would have met and he wouldn't be in her room now. That was a scary thought, maybe rules were meant to be broken if it led him to amazing discoveries like Mariahya.

As Mari pulled away from him, ending the kiss and rested her forehead against his, he smiled at her. He noticed the blush on her cheeks and at her words, he slowly released his hold on her and lowered her so that she could stand once again on the ground. "We'll take it slow" he promised her, he was just as inexperienced as she was and that also meant that he was understandably nervous. He didn't have the first clue about what he was doing and that was a scary thought but he trusted Mari, he trusted her enough to be more open than he was with perhaps anyone back in Trikru.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Don’t let me slip away…I need you here till the very end…so stay here with me.. Artigas Mari felt Artigas slowly drop her back to the ground, her feet hitting the carpet by her bed. She thought that maybe this was it. Maybe nothing was going to happen between them because of her words. But she was happily surprised at his words. She wanted to take it slow. She wanted to experience it with him and only him. Her heart was beating rapidly at the thought of being with him again never mind in this way. She smiled when their eyes met. Taking one of his hands, she placed it over her heart where he could clearly feel it beating against her chest. She took his other hand and brought it around the back to her waist where her dress was tied. One pull and it could be disposed of. She rested his hand there letting him know that he had permission when he was ready. Mari was his. She loved him with everything she had to give and this next step for them was something she wanted. She leaned back up on her toes and met his lips again, not afraid of what he was going to do. Sure she had no idea what to expect or what would happen, but she knew that with Artigas, it wouldn’t matter. He would love her and treat her kindly and make this perfect for them both….

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

Artigas held Mari's gaze and smiled slightly when she placed his hand over where her heart was and he could feel it beating frantically within her chest. His smile faltered as he felt her guide his other hand behind her to where her dress was tied, but this was more out of nerves than out of an unwillingness to take the next step in their relationship. He didn't want to screw anything up with Mari, he didn't want to do something that might change the way she felt about him, he didn't know if that was possible but the possibility of it was enough to make him even more nervous than he already was.

His nerves seemed to evaporate as she leaned back up again on her toes to kiss him and the moment her lips met his, he pulled on the place where her dress was tied and allowed it to fall away. Artigas had never seen a woman wearing so little clothes before and he wasn't sure how to feel about it, part of him felt like he should feel uncomfortable, but another part of him wanted to close the gap between them and finally take the leap that he'd been too afraid to make before.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Don’t let me slip away…I need you here till the very end…so stay here with me.. Artigas Mari saw his smile waver when she put his hand on her waist. She could tell he was nervous, but she too was equally as nervous. This was new for both of them. Neither of them had the upper hand. This was just something they were going to have to figure out together. She had no expectations and if he had any, she hope she met them. She was afraid he wasn't going to continue, but when he kissed her back, she knew that he as slowly becoming less nervous.  She felt the ties on her dress come loose and as she heard the soft material hit the floor, a chill ran up her spine as she stood before him in nothing but her undergarments. She crossed her arms over upper body, subconsciously. Even though she had already been shirtless in front of him before back when they first met, this was different now. She was about to do something with Artigas that she only ever wanted to do with him..no one else.  But Mari knew that he wasn't going to hurt her. She knew that no matter what happened in these next few hours, it could only make them stronger. She dropped her arms from covering her body and stepped close to him, his body heat keeping her warm. She looked up at him, her tiny frame anxious for what he would do next. She slid her arms up his chest, her fingers caressing his muscles as she went. Finally resting her arms around his neck, she leaned up to meet his lips once more...capturing them in a heated kiss.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION