A drabble that is slowly being worked on because I’m a college student with little to no time on my hands
Recovery — chapter 1
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A gentle light had begun to filter in from in between the trees and into the room they’d been given to stay in. A rather plain room, but no less homey. Thankfully there was a lock on the door, which allowed the couple a bit of privacy from the four children that had started to run quickly outside the door. It gave them a chance to rest between the home-spun blankets a bit longer than either had been expecting.
Elena let her eyes open slowly to the light, but felt no need to move farther than her husband's arms. Her cheeks heated slightly and a silly grin wound its way onto her lips. She’d only been calling him that for a few weeks, but it felt more natural than she’d ever expected. The small ceremony they’d shared with Mother Giselle in the gardens was still fresh in her mind and had her turning onto her back. Though her eyes were still hazy from sleep, she still tried her best to focus them on the golden man who was tucked closely to her left.
One arm was spread underneath her pillow and the other moved to rest on her abdomen when she rolled over. On the rare occasion that Elena woke before Cullen she marvelled at the sight that welcomed her. He looked younger when he slept; the stress lines disappeared and a peaceful expression settled itself over his face, letting him separate from the weight that rested so heavily on his shoulders in the waking hours. Between the peace she saw and the slightly thicker than normal stubble on his chin, Elena could feel herself falling desperately in love with him once again.
Small fingers lifted to Cullen’s jaw and stroked down his neck affectionately. Elena’s hand pulled back quickly when he shifted and inhaled as his eyes fluttered open. She allowed him a few moments to collect himself, admiring all the while. “Good morning, wife.” He whispered as the hand that had been on her waist came up to brush back a stray piece of auburn hair from her cheek.
“I don’t think you know how handsome you look in the sun like this, husband.” She whispered back quietly, reveling in the light blush that crept up his neck to his cheeks. He opened his mouth for what, without a doubt, was going to be an argument but Elena beat him to it. “And as the woman who happens to be proficient in the subject of Cullen Stanton Rutherford, you have no room to argue the matter.”
Cullen scoffed, his eyes rolling ever so slightly, and used his free hand to pull her closer to his bare chest. His lips pressed gently to the center of her forehead before he was pulling back to lay those amber eyes on her face. “Elena, I have to admit that I’ve found my nerves on edge about today,” he whispered.
She gave him an understanding smile, but wasn’t about to let those old insecurities take root in Cullen’s growth. “You do remember that the King and Queen of Ferelden gave you their full support, even asked you to stay in the country so that they could continue to support your efforts.” His mouth formed a line of hesitation and those eyes drifted towards the window until Elena guided his gaze back to her look of continued love. “This is only the first step towards something good. Something good that you are making happen.”
His eyes closed tightly as his jaw relaxed. “And if I fail? Again?”
“Cullen,” she whispered, “you won’t fail; you’ll be helping more people than I think you could even imagine right now, and I’ll be right beside you the whole way. Your family will be right beside you when you feel ready to tell them. I promise you that this is something good, love.”
She watched as Cullen sucked in a shuddering breath, not at all trying to hide the tears that were threatening to spill over. “Maker knows that I don’t deserve you.”
“Don’t do that, Cullen.” He shook his head, but Elena continued in a gentle voice. “I love you, I’ve only loved you, and I will only love you. You deserve happiness and peace, and if you find it in my arms then the Maker knew exactly what he was doing when our paths crossed. Now we will face what’s next together, starting with today.”
Elena let a smile creep its way onto her face as she saw the warmth flooding back into Cullen’s eyes. “Together then,” he breathed. His eyes slowly roamed over her face before he began to lean in.
Elena let her own eyes drift shut when his lips softly caressed hers. She moaned quietly when Cullen’s tongue stroked against her bottom lip, deepening the kiss. She shifted her body up a bit farther on the bed and let her new, prosthetic hand stroke along the strong muscles of his back, which were shifting as he started to roll them over. She pulled back momentarily, breathing hard when she whispered, “perhaps we can start the day a bit later though?”
A breathless laugh warmed her face as Cullen rested his hands next to her head on the mattress. “I will have to insist that we do.”
“Then don’t keep me waiting, husband.” She tempted while dark lashes brushed the tops of her cheeks.
His eyes darkened at the title. “I don’t think I could, even if I—”
A loud pounding on the door forced a shriek out of Elena and had Cullen all but jumping away from her in shock. They both froze when a surprisingly timid voice sounded from the otherside of the door. “Uncle Cullen?”
Cullen’s head landed on her shoulder and an unmistakably frustrated breath blew across the fabric of his tunic that she opted to wear to bed. Elena grinned, and let a hand ruffle the untamed curls at the nape of his neck. The moment was over, despite her disappointment, but she couldn’t bring herself to be angry when she knew that all four children were probably waiting outside their door for their long lost uncle.
The weight lifted off her shoulder as he dragged himself off the bed. Elena remained tucked on the bed, watching as Cullen pulled a spare shirt over his chest. She leaned her face into her pillow to hide her laughter at the way he all but stomped to the door. His shoulders rose and fell in a steadying breath before his hand unlatched the door and opened it.
Elena smiled when she saw four sweet faces looking up at her husband. The smile widened when he knelt down in front of them, patiently waited for some form of explanation for the interruption.
The oldest of the group, Ava, stepped forward. Her blonde curls were pulled back in two braids that rested on her shoulders, just as they had been before she had skipped off to bed. Her face set proudly, the same face that Mia had when she’d laid out a full meal before them after their arrival the day before. It also happened to be the same face that Cullen had when he’d pulled her up next to him to introduce her to his siblings. “Uncle Bran told us that you helped fight a dragon before.” It seemed that pride and bravery ran deep in the Rutherford blood.
Cullen shifted on the balls of his feet to look over his shoulder at her. Elena merely shrugged at him, one eyebrow raised. He turned back to the children. “Well, he was right. I have helped in fighting a dragon before, but Elena has killed ten of them.” Leo, Branson’s four year old son, pushed his way through the doorway with no hesitation and was crawling into the spot that Cullen occupied moments before.
That sweet voice gently warmed her heart as he hesitantly asked with gentle curiosity, “did they breathe fire?”
Elena leaned up on her elbows and smiled sweetly over the boy's shoulder where the other three were staring with wide eyes. “Well are you all just going to stand there, or do you want to hear a tale or two?”
A breathless laugh filtered through the room as Cullen was knocked back when Ava, Lucas and Owen rushed past him to join Leo on the bed.
Elena shifted on the bed and helped the children get settled around her, but she patted the spot next to her when Cullen finally made his way to the bedside. His hand rubbed at the new sore spot on his back, yet that easy grin was still in place, and he quickly joined them on the bed.
