For a short while, Romulus had been touch and go with his unusual illness. His condition seemed to worsen some shortly after his encounter with the firefly entity, but gradually over time the strange crystal growths on his body began to lose their luster until one by one they fell from him like dirt falling from his coat. In their place were a few pink healing scars, but otherwise he was unharmed, slowly returning to his former self and none the worse for wear. Whatever it was that had infected him, he had proven stronger and overcome it. It rejuvenated Roman, gave him a breath of life back into his lungs, and he had wasted no time in going to celebrate his recovery with Lillith.

Rushing through the castle corridors once the last of the crystals had fallen from him and he was no longer forced into quarantine, Roman hurried to Lillith's bedroom door. It was still late in the night—although granted the days were pretty much nights now at this point—so he didn't bother to knock, instead quietly letting himself in and latching the door behind him. The young brute couldn't keep his giddy grin off his face while he moved swiftly and silently over to the bed, knowing Lillith would likely either still be awake with worry or sound asleep by now. Oh, he couldn't wait to see the glee in her face!

"Lil! Lillith!" he called in an excited whisper to her once he reached the bed. "Lil, wake up! Look! Look at me!" The young wolf bounced excitedly from paw to paw while he waited for his girlfriend to see him alive and well, crystal free and fully recovered. Finally he'd be able to be around her again, hug her and snuggle her, kiss her, everything he wanted to do with her now that he wasn't dying!

"Speech"

Lillith was indeed asleep after another long night of laying awake with worry over Roman. He’d sequestered himself and refused her company and beyond the anxiety over the potential of losing him her heart hurt. Distance truly made the heart grow fonder and Lil’s heart ached for her boy to get better. Somehow she made it to sleep, but that didn’t mean it was an easy rest. As Roman made his way into the room Lillith felt herself startled awake at the sound of the door latch.

Garnet gaze widened at the sight of someone approaching her bed, but all of her worries were soothed when Roman’s voice washed over her. He was dark. There was no more sickening glow, and the relief in his voice was as obvious as her own. He’d made it through, she wasn’t going to lose him. "Roman,” she breathed his name with relief as she threw herself over the side of the bed to wrap her arms around his neck and hold him in her embrace.

Then tears began to fall from ruby eyes with relief and joy and the emotions overwhelmed her as she wept into his silver slate fur. "You’re okay.”

"Speech"

The biggest smile he'd ever worn in his life spread across his lips when he heard the relief in Lillith's voice as she spoke his name. He opened his mouth, probably to make some sort of smart ass quip, but his words were cut off when the smaller fae threw herself at him from over the edge of the bed, taking him by surprise. He gave a soft "oof" as he caught her in his arms, holding her close and laughing with a combination of solace and bliss. He wasn't going to die! Crystalline tears began to pool in the corners of his steely silver eyes, hidden in the dark. There had been a point there where he truly felt lost, like he was waiting for his inevitable demise, and it had put his life into perspective. What was important, what mattered, what he'd done and what he wished he still could do... Life was so short and fragile; he wasn't going to squander another moment he could get.

"I told you I would be. An Armada always keeps their word," he replied, letting a big navy-toed paw stroke and rub over his girlfriend's back to soothe and comfort her. Of course that hadn't been true. He didn't know if he'd live or die, and he came very close to thinking he was on his way out. Fortunately, some divine beings saw fit to give him the constitution to survive—if not for himself, then for her. He turned his head to rest his cheek against hers, bringing his paw up to cradle her head while she wept into his fur. It was such a cathartic moment to know he'd been pulled back from oblivion. If he never saw another crystal again it'd be too soon...

Gently burrowing his snout into the fur on Lil's neck, he breathed deep her sweet scent, drinking her in in ways he couldn't until now. Her touch was soft, her body warm in his embrace, it made Roman realize just how good he'd had it with the Adravendi fae. Somehow he was going to show her just how deeply he cared for her and loved her. Already his sharp mind was working on some plans. "I bet I'm better to snuggle now that I'm not all spiky too," he said, the suggestion evident in his voice, as was the little grin on his face. It had been weeks since either of them had any sort of physical affection, and Roman was craving her love.

"Speech"

Romulus caught her life she knew he would, recovering still or not she needed his arms around her. There were no words to describe as she breathed him him through little sobs. Overwhelming relief spilling over as tears. His paw caressed her back affectionately as he reminded her that as an Armada he would always keep his word. She took a few deep breaths, stuttering through her sobs. He lay his cheek on hers and she could feel the damp of his own eyes on her fur.

Lillith wouldn’t soon forget how much she worried over his life, trying not to think about what she would have done without him. Even though he hadn’t been in her life for very long it still felt like he belonged here at her side. Like he really was her soul mate. He hadn’t left his family seeking his roots, he’d come to find her, like his spirit wished. She couldn’t begin to say how much his recovery meant to her now.

The girl slowly slid the rest of her body off of the bed to get closer to the boy she loved. She didn’t ever want to let him go again, they were apart for far too long and she spent too much time thinking he would be lost to her. Lillith giggled through her tears as he mentioned how much easier he was to cuddle without the crystals sprouting from his flesh. "Much better.” She agreed as she lifted her head from his neck to nuzzle the side of her silvery muzzle against his.

Again she closed her eyes tight, scared that she might open them and find him afflicted once more. She blinked open her garnet gaze adoringly, finding his liquid silver eyes. He was her other half, her confidence and friend. The one she counted on, and the one that she wanted to kiss. "Better to do this too,” and she kissed him. With all of the missed passion and longing she felt while he kept himself away from her. Lil pressed herself against him and held on like she really wouldn’t let go.

"Speech"

Romulus gave another little husky laugh of utter relief and glee when Lillith slid off the bed to all but wrap her smaller body around his, capturing him in an inescapable embrace while she nuzzled the side of his face and neck. He murred under his breath, a low rumble of delight vibrating within his chest as he nuzzled her back, keeping her smaller, slender frame wrapped up in his strong forelegs. The sweet sound of Lil's giggle made Roman's heart leap in his chest; oh, how that had quickly become his favorite sound in the world! He peered down at her with a wide, loving smile as she looked up at him and nuzzled the side of his muzzle with her own. Molten silver eyes gazed deep into pools of garnet red, losing himself in the way her eyes glowed in the distant moonlight.

For what felt like a perfect eternity, Roman sat there, holding her while he gazed lovingly into her eyes. He adored Lillith in ways he'd never felt about another wolf before. He'd had a number of flings, one night stands, and crushes—but none held the adoration and passion he felt for the Adravendi girl. She had become a staple of his life; a keystone that held him together. He had come to Boreas to find his ancestral home and instead of finding his past, he discovered his future. It lay in ruby red eyes and snow and silver fur. In every smile, every giggle, every embrace, every kiss... Lillith had taken over his heart, mind, and soul. When he lay in bed dying, he'd thought of her more than he'd thought of his own family. So far from home, from everything he'd known and loved, all he could think of was her in his fading moments.

Lillith murmured a sultry comment, then leaned her muzzle up to kiss him. Roman was eager to kiss her back, murring against her lips as his pressed to hers with all the passion and desire and want that burned in his soul for the little alabaster fae. Large paws gripped at her lower back, tugging her slim body tighter to his, unyielding in the way he held her to him. He poured forth all of the love and longing he'd felt in the weeks he'd been isolated and alone. Gentle tongue flicked at her lips, savoring her sweet taste where he could steal it. Roman was ever cautious about overwhelming Lil, but gods, did he want her so badly! Never again would he hold himself back or deprive himself of what he wanted, not when he had come so close to losing it all!

With Lillith pressing herself to him the way that she was, it was easy for Romulus to loop his strong forelegs around underneath Lil's hips and hoist her up to gently toss her back up onto her bed. Though it did cause them to break their kiss momentarily, he considered it worth it, especially when he was able to hop up and join her. Grinning down to his beautiful lover, Roman collapsed to the soft mattress beside her and wrapped her back up in his arms, rolling so he had her resting on top of his chest before cupping her cheek with a paw and guiding her mouth back down to his, kissing her with resumed passion as if they had never stopped.

"Speech"

There weren't many words to say before they became obsolete, and both wolves just relished in the other one’s presence. After being apart for so long and believing that she might not ever get him back Lil could ignore everything but Roman being in her arms. Their eyes met and after everything they had been through that perfect moment was everything to Lillith. Being able to gaze into those vibrant silver eyes meant the world to her, there wasn’t another wolf that meant more to her than the man before her. She adored her family but now more than ever Lil was certain Roman was her other half. He helped her blossom, to see the world, he encouraged her out of her shell.

Her family were important, they were the cornerstone of her being, but Romulus was different. He stayed by her side and denied himself when he thought it would hurt her. He showed her over and over again that she was his priority, that he adored and cared about her like she never deserved. That a stranger could mean so much to her after only a few seasons of being together. Romulus carved a place in her heart and she never wanted him to leave it. She didn’t know what love really felt like before him, but she knew it was true with every fiber of her being.

She showed him in the way she kissed him now, and with no hesitation he returned her affection. Deep and longing, the result of denying their affections for so long when it felt like the harrowing end was coming. His lips pressed to hers like they belonged there and she fit against him in perfect fashion, as if he was made to hold her like this. He pulled her close, and heat flared within her as fiery passion ignited in her belly. Lilith was still nervous about being burned but it was all ignored because she finally had her Roman back.

She gasped for breath when he shifted, grasping hold of her and effortlessly shifted her back onto the mattress she had just left. Like she weighed nothing and he hadn’t just been deathly ill. Lil blinked open her garnet gaze as Romulus slipped in beside her and settled easily into the plush bed beneath them. Lilith grinned, feeling her stomach flip flop with nerves and excitement as he took hold of her again, and easily rolled her onto his chest.

Roman was warm and soft beneath her. Lilith relaxed against him, smiling even as his paw touched her cheek and guided her back into a sweet kiss. Garnet gaze closed blissfully as she descended against his lips, soft little hums of pleasure rising from her chest as he claimed her lips and she reveled in the savory taste of him. She couldn’t say how much relief she felt, the feeling was indescribable. He was everything she wanted and needed and the time apart had truly revealed that fact.

"I love you, Romulus Armada.” Lillith reminded him as she pulled away only just far enough to speak against his soft lips.


"Speech"

Fire burned through the Armada wolf's veins, coursing hot and sultry to every part of his being with each strong beat of his heart. There was a small part of him that was still nervous that there might be a bit of his illness still contagious within him, but after seeing how he'd recovered as had many of the other Hallows wolves, he could keep himself apart from his lover no longer. Lillith completed him, made him feel whole, made every moment feel like he was home. Romulus had always felt deeply—an emotional wolf as he was, he'd always felt emotions stronger than his siblings. Anger, joy, hate, love, all intense and all-consuming. Lillith stoked parts of him he'd felt stirring before, but never to the degree she provoked. She roused something deep inside his genetic code, his baser instincts longing for her like a starving beast. Her kisses fed him, her touch brought him to life. All he ever wanted was with her, now and forever.

Low rumbling hums of pleasure left the young brute's chest while he held Lillith atop his body, kissing her hot and heavy. His free paw roamed slowly up and down the curves of her slender form, his claws extended to just ever so gently prickle along her soft skin. When their lips did finally part, Roman gasped for breath, his lungs burning with that same fire. He grinned up at Lillith while he lost himself in pools of liquid rubies, her soft-spoken words making his heart leap against his ribcage. "I love you, Lillith Adravendi," he reaffirmed for her in his low, husky voice that practically purred with desire.

Ah, but he had to rein himself in. Roman had not soon forgotten the way he'd overwhelmed Lillith that first night they'd kissed, the way she'd had to push him away just to breathe. Even though every part of him was aching to continue and indulge in his wants for his beautiful fae, he had to stop. Romulus bit his lip with a frustrated grunt, closing his eyes while he took a couple deep breaths to tamp down the fire in his core before daring to look back into the smoldering gaze that set his body and soul ablaze. That roguish grin he wore so well slowly crept across his face, his paw still roaming over her body with delight, his other paw softly stroking over Lil's cheek and the back of her head. "You're so beautiful," he whispered in the silence of the night. He could have spent the rest of his life just staring at her, drinking in the beauty that she was and reveling in the love they'd built together.

Turning his head to glimpse the auroras that had appeared in the night sky, Roman said, "Looks like the northern lights came to find us. Maybe tomorrow night, we can finally go watch them together?" His hopeful gaze turned back to hold Lillith's, his heart racing against his chest at the prospects of what he knew could potentially happen if she agreed to his request. Their relationship had deepened and intensified so much over the past seasons, and now with his near death experience, both wolves seemed to be feeling the frisky vivaciousness of life, and he wanted to take full advantage of it.

"Speech"

She couldn’t have known the day they met that Roman would become such an important part of her life. He was irreplaceable and she didn’t want anyone else at her side. Maybe she was young and maybe everything had developed far too fast, but she knew deep in her heart and soul that Romulus was her soul mate and he was destined to be her partner in life. He was her everything, her future, her present, he helped her move past her past. He saw her for what she really was, not just the sickness she had been fighting her whole life.

Which was still annoyingly present as they kissed. Roma’s paws trailed down her back and sent goosebumps rolling over her skin and a trail of fire where he touched. Lilith fought with the innate desire within and the quickness of breath she was experiencing. She needed him, but already it was getting to be too much. Lil wanted to ignore the feeling she got when she neared the edge, she’d almost lost Roman and now there wasn’t anything she wanted more than him. She wanted him close, she wanted him all around her, Lillith wanted all of him as he whispered his love back to her.

Roman was the one to hold back this time, and as he uttered a frustrated groan Lillith felt the tension in herself. They were pushing her too far, but it didn’t feel like she was getting any better. They reached this tantalizing point and she couldn’t break the barrier. Lil tried to relax into his embrace as her focus concentrated on the way his toes trailed through her fur. She tried to relax and breathe as Roman centered himself and tilted her head with his paw at her cheek. Her ruby gaze lifted to his silver eyes as he told her just how beautiful he thought she was.

"And you’re so dashing.” She told him while lifting her own icy paw to his silver cheek. She could have lingered and dived into his liquid silver gaze forever, but she saw the glint of color as his head shifted. Her gaze followed to catch sight of the aurora right outside her bedroom window. She had been so worried about Roman she hadn’t even seen it before.

"Our own little miracle,” and it really was after everything they faced during this darkness. "Lets go,” they had to, this was her dream after all. Though now it didn’t feel quite as epic as a cross continental journey. Lilith would be happy to have her dream, come true with Romulus wherever they were. Plus, her dad would probably be much more comfortable with her a dozen miles away instead of a few hundred. "Do we have to wait for tomorrow?"


"Speech"

Hearing the same frustration at being forced to stop in the breathless gasps Lillith gave made it nearly impossible to stop. Romulus could feel the tension and need in the Adravendi girl’s body as she gripped tight to him, pressing all of herself across him in all the right ways while they lay cuddled close in bed. Her heated breath washing against his muzzle from the close proximity of their mouths sent his heart into a fiery flurry of beats. Gods, how he wanted her so badly! Wanted her in ways he’d never had a fae before! She whispered a compliment back to him, her sultry voice making his heart skip a beat. Just as she did, he leaned into the touch of her paw, never wanting to part and pull away from her again. He wanted to surround himself in Lillith, to lose himself in the entire experience of her inside and out.

Lillith followed his gaze out the windows to the southern auroras painting the night skies, calling them their own little miracle. He hummed in agreement; he couldn’t say that surviving the strange sickness hadn’t been a miracle in its own right. Now the world seemed to be celebrating their life along with them. It tempted the wolves, coaxed them to come revel in the beautiful night together. Romulus was sorely tempted to do just that... but his resolve was truly tested when Lil turned her smoldering ruby eyes back to hold his, asking him to go and questioning if they had to wait until tomorrow. That roguish grin on his lips grew and turned far more suggestive, impressed by Lillith's sudden bout of rebelliousness.

"No, we don't," he whispered back, running his claws gingerly up the curve of Lil's spine from her hips up to her shoulder blades. He gave her side a gentle tap, then began to shift to urge her up. "C'mon, I know a spot we can have a great view from. I'll even bring a little treat for us." Roman had since discovered the wine cellars on his wanderings and knew they stood unguarded. So long as Ulric didn't catch him sneaking a bottle out with his daughter, he'd be none the wiser to the two lecherous youths' intentions.

"Speech"

Lilith wasn’t sure her heart had ever beat so fast before as she lay there with Romulus. Tucked tightly together, muzzles close, as they breathed each other in. She wore a toothy grin as her garnet gaze looked up into Roman’s handsome features. More than ever she was certain of her feelings for him, she’d almost lost him and now was sure she couldn’t live without him. That thought would have been much more thoroughly explored right there, but the temptation of the aurora was too much to deny. She needed to breathe too, or else she would burn out far too quickly.

Roman was her miracle, though not little in the least. It was miraculous that he pulled through the affliction. He’d been close to death and Lil was tearing herself up over it. Now it was over, his illness at least. Lil looked back up to Roman as she spoke about the Aurora and he was quick to answer with his devilish grin and inability to deny her. They didn’t and they wouldn’t have to wait. Abandoning her dark bedroom Roman helped her up and out of bed, mentioning a place, and a special treat for the both of them.

"I’ll meet you at the gate.” She told him excitedly as she reached up and kissed him once more before parting ways. Lil wanted to freshen up after the sleep she managed before Roman came to tell her the good news. If they were to be out for a while she wanted her little take away bag of supplies too. With a grin Lil dashed away to her tasks.

"Speech"