“You’re the light, you’re the night  
You’re the color of my blood  
You’re the cure, you’re the pain  
You’re the only thing I wanna touch  
Never knew that it could mean so much, so much
 
You’re the fear, I don’t care  
‘Cause I’ve never been so high  
Follow me through the dark  
Let me take you past our satellites  
You can see the world you brought to life, to life
 
So love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do  
Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do  
Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do  
What are you waiting for?…”  
-Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding
 
 
Ijya had told her when she was but fourteen summers old, when the heat of the Brand had barely lifted its searing touch from her flesh, that one day she’d find a partner to dance with as she pleased. Instead of a man who’d command her to move, she’d find one who enticed her to do so. One who could lead, one who could follow, one who’d learn the steps with her.
 
Such thoughts had kept the dying flames of hope alive in her heart when she’d hide in the corners of her chambers back then. Now…
 
…she was twenty-five winters old. It’d been clumsy at first, trying to get a man who knew strictly courtly dances or whatever it was Nords called “dancing” in casual settings to do any sort of new steps with grace. But he’d been a fast learner, and to her surprise it seemed he’d been eager. She had to admit she’d had fun.
 
But this was different. This was slow, intimate, and he had a gentle command of every step and motion. She’d tried unsuccessfully to hide the trembling of her hand when she’d laid it in his. Rather than truly tighten on it, his thumb had rubbed reassuringly over her fingers, and he’d waited for her to lean into him to begin to lead.
 
This was not how it was supposed to go. Ijya was not supposed to be right about this.
 
A King, even an Outlaw One, could not be the one to ask her to dance. And she could not admit that she wanted to accept the invitation.
 
And yet the dance was easy, natural, the steps seemed to be as familiar as old friends…
 

 
Trying to get better at sketching COMPLETELY digitally. I think I’m getting there. I can DEFINITELY tell a big difference between my SurfacePro and my Cintiq though (this was done on the SurfacePro and it’s much jankier than working on the Cintiq even though it’s still pretty good). This is part of a larger portion of the story that kind of happens woven in between other events and shows the growth of their relationship. This is probably the first time either of them really feels comfortable enough to give into the actual attraction they feel for one another beyond the “yeah, she’s pretty for a Cat” and “I guess when he smiles he doesn’t look like a horse’s butthole.” Wow, I truly am a goddamn poet.
 
Done in ClipStudioPaint