Agápē – Unconditional Love
Character: Aath
Nickname: Aath
It was still in the early hours. No later than 3am … She had waited until his breathing had taken on the regular tempo of sleep, punctuated only by an intermittent snore. He slept on his side, facing her, pressed against her hip. Relaxed in his sleep.
Once she was sure he was resting soundly, she slowly rolled onto her side, remaining close. Resting her head on a curled arm. She does as she does on many nights. She lays there simply looking at his face, drinking in his features, never tiring of the exercise.
He had been her first … Her first real love. Certainly, not her first lover. She had been close to loving at least two other humans. She had at least been in lust, but had a genuine friendship for these two. Had they had more time this may have indeed turned into love. Alas, this was a time before she knew who she was, let alone what she was. They had both died unnatural deaths and she still grieved.
Aath was uncertain if Brean knew she would watch him for hours as he slept. To be fair he probably did, and it was a measure of his trust in her that he could sleep peacefully with her lying by him. Lords know she trusted him unquestioningly.
Her thoughts go back to when they first met.
Aath had taken to only … liaising … with those who were stronger. Those who were more tolerant of the drain that loving her could result in, if she were not careful. And then came Brean.
Over time they spent more and more time together and very soon became inseparable. They talked for hours and shared their true natures with each other. Neither bound the other to this solitary love. They each were free to share with others. However, they always returned to each other.
Their trust in each other grew and more and increasingly private things were shared. The fact is these details failed to scare either of them off. These facts turned into a reagent that bound them together tightly. This bond was recognised by many of their friends, who sometimes light heartedly teased them with the name Braath.
She had initially been inwardly terrified, as all those she had taken as long term lovers and had loved in the past, had perished. She had become Matriarch of her family at a very early age and was surrounded by those who loved her. But they were subservient, her word was law. Brean was different. He loved and he was vitally strong, but was in no way subservient to her, her word was only law if it made sense … or if she pouted enough.
They were effectively twisted about each other’s little fingers.
He expresses his commitment to her overtly and has never caused her to regret any of her past deeds. He has moderated her homicidally mediated conflict resolution strategies and was the one who changed the way she viewed humanity. She now knew they had far greater value than just a resource.
She rolled her head a little to look at one of the demonstrations of his love and commitment to her. Their bedroom. With the assistance of their allied Fae and some input from the Aesir he had created this masterpiece.
The room seems larger than it should be. The bed itself is at least eight foot square and built of a mahogany-stained oak frame, foot and headboard. It has four pillars that appear to grow out of the floor, each nearly a metre thick, living trees. There are no sharp edges.
Living branches reach out from the pillars to form a canopy. The bed itself is covered with Celtic and Norse knotwork, zoomorphic and runic designs. Seemingly formed naturally, not having been carved. The footboard shows a scene of the Norse and Wabanaki fighting the Sun Worshipers. The headboard shows a Celtic themed scene. Draoithe and frolicking revellers about a huge tree. The branches of this tree reach upwards and entwine with those forming the canopy. The branches of both reach higher, forming into a full tree towards the ceiling.
Anima can be felt pulsing through the wood and when you lay down and look up, there is a window that appears to look onto a scene in deep space, a stellar nursery deep in a nebula where stars are being born as you watch.
The walls of the room seem to be made of natural stone, but smooth and straight slabs of a green-grey mountain granite shot through with veins of dark, jade-hued green. The wall by the bathroom has a small waterfall running down its face. Looking about, you become certain that the room is now larger than the whole of The Barn.
Dark now, but when the lights are turned on the ceiling overhead is a mist of soft clouds and natural light. Where the light fixtures were diffused to give the impression of gentle morning sunlight filtering through the last of a misty morning dew.
The day he presented her with this is the day she knew she’d given her heart to him unconditionally. He had returned this and they now have five children. Never before had she had someone who she could lean on, depend on, be able to share her fears, her concerns. She basks in the almost overpowering sense of fierce love and protective drives he gives her and the children.
She glances down and gives a soft, contented sigh.
If what she could now feel pressing against her was just a suggestion he may have woken. It was confirmed when she felt his hand dance up her thigh, drift along her side and then to the rise of her breast before his fingers started to massage her own excitement to the fore.
Smiling, she closes her eyes when he gently kisses the tip of her nose. Softly he whispers “Tá mo chroí agat, mo ghrá…”* The kisses descend slowly until his mouth takes over from his fingers. Inhaling sharply she catches her lower lip in her teeth as his tongue starts to make promises to her breast. These promises are made good as his hand slides down. Her back arching as his light touches tease her torso. She exhales a fevered moan when his fingers pay homage to the gatekeeper before entering heaven.
(*“You have my heart, my love”)