#cralen

[aradiamegido]

college au ialantha/cralen is so funny to me

she immediately drops his class and confronts him either at a party or during his office hours

“i thought you dropped my class?”

“i did because i want us to fuck and i didn’t want to have any breach of ethics or whatever”

“i. what”

[aradiamegido]

The First Time

Cralen rose from the table. "I'm afraid I must go meet with my advisors. If you are in want of anything, ask one of the servants and it will be provided."

"Alright, I will." Ialantha stood and kissed his cheek, then pulled back. "Love you."

There was silence as she realized what she just said, and with a snap of her fingers she rendered herself invisible before turning and fleeing from the dining room. She took every turn she came across until she found a dead end, then went inside a nearby chamber and locked the door behind her.

/Well, shit./ As her concentration on the spell faded, her body began to regain visibility.

She hadn't meant to say it so casually like that; in fact, she hadn't meant to say it at all. Now that she had said it, it begged the question: did she love him?

Ialantha leaned against the door, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. Sure, he made her feel special in a way she had never felt before. He was kind and attentive and a wonderful lover. There had been mornings where she'd woken up and wished to stay in his arms for an eternity.

But did she love him?

A soft knock interrupted her erratic thoughts. "Ialantha?"

Her heart leapt into her throat. It was Cralen.

"May I come in?"

She slowly got to her feet, then turned and unlocked the door, opening it. To her surprise, he almost looked nervous, a contrast to his usually stoic features.

"Cralen, I'm sorry--"

"For what? You did nothing wrong." He stepped past her into the room. His hands were clasped behind his back as he faced away from her.

"I shouldn't have ran away. The truth is, I... I do love you." Ialantha swallowed. "But this is the first time I've said it to someone who isn't family and meant it. And it scares me."

Cralen let go of his hands and turned to her, brows creased. "Why?"

"Because I've never felt this way about anyone before. Before I met you, I thought my future would consist of me playing sets in taverns until I grew too old to play. But now I wake up in the morning and wonder what it would be like to wake up next to you every day, to fall asleep and wake up in your arms always." Her cheeks red, she looked off to the side.

As though he were afraid she might run away again, Cralen slowly approached her, then took her hands in his. "Ialantha, please look at me."

After a moment's hesitation, she did so.

"Before we met, I, too, had a vision of what my future would be. I would continue to be king, perhaps find a way to break the curse that's been placed on the city, and either be killed or die in my sleep, alone." He gently squeezed her hands.

"You've brought a richness to my life that I didn't think was possible. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, all I need to do is think of you and my day is brightened. For perhaps the first time in my life, I feel at ease. I finally feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be."

"Cralen..." It came out barely above a whisper due to the sudden lump in her throat.

He let go of one of her hands and brushed away the budding tears in the corners of her eyes with his thumb. "I love you, Ialantha Morrel."

"I love you too, Cralen." A tear fell down her cheek and she laughed softly.

He smiled at her and cupped her cheek with his free hand, softly pressing a kiss to her lips. After a few moments, he pulled away.

"I told my advisors to call off the meetings for today. I want us to spend as much time together as possible. Is that alright?"

"It's perfect."

And in that moment, it was. All she needed was him, and it was more than enough.