Changes - Epilogue

Author: Ashvolt Title: Changes - Epilogue

# Epilogue

I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls
with vassals and serfs at my side,
and of all who assembled within those walls
that I was the hope and the pride.
I had riches all too great to count
and a high ancestral name.

Lina laughed and danced the whole night in Zelgadis's arms. She felt like a princess, presiding over her magical hall, her servants and lords standing near her, with her most trusted lord, Zelgadis, courting her at her side. She giggled and smiled dreamily up into his face as he swept her into another turn of the dance.

"Gourry and Sylphiel finally got married, and soon we can leave the party," Zelgadis said, the relief obvious in his voice. She knew he hated parties, and he'd been uncomfortably near the center of attention, namely Gourry, for the entire wedding.

She scoffed, "But you have to admit, the party is fun."

He gave her a light, promising smile, and said, "Only because you were by my side."

His words caused her to blush warmly, and she almost faltered. Zelgadis was...flirting...? It was a foreign concept, and she knew it would take her awhile to adjust to it. The temperature of the room increased several degrees more as she thought about how he'd kissed her when they declared their love for each other earlier. Gods, what a kiss that had been!

Zelgadis noticed her flushed face, and frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm...? Oh, I'm fine," she smiled, snapping back to attention.

"Maybe you'd better get some air," he suggested, concern lacing his tone.

"No, I'm fine, really," she reassured him, and the blush gradually decreased in intensity, till all that was left were rosy cheeks.

"...If you say so..." he sighed, and shook his head. He knew from experience that if Lina didn't want to say what was bothering her, then no amount of prodding would induce her to tell it.

Lina gave him a slightly exasperated look, "I'm fine, okay?" She bit her lip, and mumbled, "I was just thinking about something..."

"Oh?" he said wonderingly, searching her face intently. As her blush heightened again, and she kept on glancing nervously at his face, he got an inkling of what was on her mind. He hid a smile. She'd seemed unreachable for so long, that now that their feelings were out in the open, he couldn't help but feel a bit euphoric, especially when she displayed signs of being as thrilled as he was feeling. "What, I wonder, is going on in that brain of yours?" he mused. They whirled into a corner of the ballroom, where he stopped, with Lina's back in the corner, and his hands on either side of her, trapping her near him. "This, perhaps?"

He placed his lips gently on hers for a quick, passionate kiss, and she felt her body go weak in response. "Do that much more, and I'll probably drag you out of here so we can spend some time alone," she joked weakly, resting her face against his chest.

"I wouldn't protest," he smiled.

But I also dreamt which pleased me most
that you loved me still the same,
that you loved me
you loved me still the same,
that you loved me
you loved me still the same.

The party finally ended, and both Lina and Zelgadis trudged up the stairs. Lina reached her own door, and stepped inside. Unsure of what to do, Zelgadis waited outside. Did he need an invitation?

"Zel...would you like to come inside?" she asked shyly, a rare feeling for Lina.

"Yes..." he whispered, gliding into her bedroom. She shut the door, and turned to face him. Her eyes were twinkling in the moonlight.

"Zel..." Lina asked, unsure of what she wanted to say.

He gave her a heart-stopping, charming smile that had always swept her off her feet, and had been so rare in the past, but now were coming with more and more frequency. Silently, he held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. With trembling fingers, she placed her hand within his own, and came a step nearer. He reached out and caught her around the waist, bringing her flush across his body, and kissed her again. She groaned softly against his mouth in pleasure, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Lina...I love you so much..." he sighed, holding her as close as their two bodies would permit.

"So love me tonight..." she requested, eyes shining.

"No, not just tonight...for the rest of our lives..." he contradicted gently, and rubbed a hand across her back, stroking downward as his hand skimmed her curves. Lina gave a light, pleased shudder of anticipation.

Unable to wait, Lina rest her hand on his cloak and removed the clasp, letting it fall to the floor. Then she placed her hands on his two belts and undid them. They, too, fell with a 'clink' to the ground. Zelgadis watched it all with glowing, fascinated eyes. Generally people wanted to get him into clothes, not out of them. As Lina's hands moved to the front of his shirt and tugged upward, the thought flew from his mind. At the moment, he didn't care that others didn't like how he looked. Lina had always been different; she didn't care one whit how he looked, and accepted him. That was all that mattered.

He lifted his arms and allowed her to pull the shirt off. As it fluttered to the ground, she stared at the hard, lean contours of his chest. Hesitantly, she splayed her fingers across his chest, and felt the muscles tighten in response.

Lina smiled and looked up into Zelgadis's eyes. "You're beautiful, Zelgadis, no matter what you think."

He shook his head, eyes gentle. "I'm only beautiful because you think I am."

His hands reached across to her dress and felt the laces binding it together in the back. Easily, he undid the knot, and the laces loosened, so the dress slipped lower...lower...lower...till it fell off her body and pooled around her feet. He sucked in his breath at the beautiful sight of her small, round breasts, and her smooth, creamy skin. He reached across, paused, and when no protest came, rest his hand on her breast, gently massaging the nipple till it stood out on end.

Lina gave a startled gasp of pleasure, and leaned instinctively toward him, willing him to do more. Small tingles raced up and down her nerves, and a pool of heat was building between her legs. "Zel..." she moaned.

He didn't answer, but instead stroked downward, across the smooth plane of her stomach, to the sides where he caressed her hips, and up again, over her back. Lina shuddered and thought, No one ever told me that simply touching like this can feel so good...so right...

"Lina..." he whispered, and glanced behind him, at the bed. Lina where his look had strayed, and her whole body flushed. She realized it was getting serious if he was considering the bed. Zelgadis reached down and picked her up into his arms with a gentleness that never ceased to amaze Lina. She smiled dreamily and threw her arms around his neck. He blushed hotly, and carried her over to the bed, as if it were a sacred ceremony. Perhaps it is... she thought.

He laid her on her back, looking again at her body as he did so, and smiled, shaking his head. Lina reached out and stroked one side of his face, and felt him capture her hand and hold it again him. "I'm always amazed at how beautiful you are," he admitted, blushing ever worse than before.

"Even though I have no breasts?" she joked.

"Your breasts are exquisite," he said seriously as he climbed next to her onto the bed. She followed his movements with wonder, especially when he slowly lowered his head toward her torso, and felt hot, wet lips grasp hold of one nipple and suckle, swirling it around in his mouth with his tongue.

"Z-Zel...!" Lina barely managed to get out. It seemed to be the only word that came to her; everything else flew from her head, being deemed unimportant. Only the wonderful sensations he was producing mattered.

He grinned against her breast and continued to tease her nipple, while a free hand stroked over her stomach, hips, and legs, always avoiding the one point on her body that screamed for attention. She writhed under his expert hands, wiggling in ways that sent his blood racing. Little, inarticulate sounds came from her mouth at his attentions.

Just as she was thinking she would scream if he didn't relieve the tension in her soon, his head came off of her breast and his hands found the inside of her silky thighs. He moved them upward till they were touching her panties, and slid them slowly off of her legs as she obligingly raised her hips to help him. Zelgadis gulped, and squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment to push down his own lust before he was able to continue.

Once the panties were off and thrown to a far corner of the room, Zelgadis returned his gaze to the space between her legs. Lina watched what he did with huge, round eyes. He stroked the insides of her thighs, moving ever closer to the center where the heat threatened to burn Lina up if he didn't help to cool it soon. The warm brush of his fingertips sent electricity sparking from nerve to nerve, sparks that he created and only he could produce.

"Zel...please..." she moaned, not sure what she was asking for, but knowing he would know what she desperately needed.

"Soon, love," he smiled warmly.

His fingertips wandered closer...closer...closer...till they touch the hot, sticky outside layer, and she felt her whole body hum in response. She sucked her breath in rapidly, and instinctively closer her legs around his hands.

"Shh... Lina, I can't continue if your legs are locked," he said with a low, sensuous chuckle.

Another blush tinged her cheeks, and hesitantly, she widened her legs again, knowing that if he'd really wanted to, he could have forced her legs apart, without permission, and loved him all the more for his consideration.

A hand brushed against the outside lips, and cautiously moved them apart. Again, Lina felt a blush rise to her cheeks. The sensations were so good, but... "Zel...wait..." she pleaded. Instantly, his hand stopped and moved away, though the action took enough will power to bring a sweat to his skin. It took even more of an effort to stay there, hands at his sides. "It's just that...well...I'm only eighteen. I haven't...ever...well... I'm still a...virgin..." Lina blushed again, and squeezed her eyes closed tightly, waiting for the mocking laughter. Yeah, me, the great, powerful Lina Inverse, a woman who's seen a lot and saved the world at least twice, hasn't ever made love before. It was embarrassing. She was supposed to be worldly, and truth be told, she was...except for one area. She knew that by this time it was expected she was worldly in that area as well, when in fact she wasn't

To her surprise, and immense relief, Zelgadis stretched over and kissed her gently on the lips again. She opened her eyes to see his face just a few inches away, smiling wondrously, not a hint of mocking humor in his gaze, just a gleam of love. "Lina, did you think I would laugh?" When she nodded mutely, he shook his head, still smiling, and placed a finger at her lips. "I'm flattered that you choose me for your first time, and will treat your gift with all the care I can." When another thought came to her, and she opened her mouth with a second, scared protest, he cocked his head to one side and said gently, "Before you ask, no, I wouldn't have cared if you weren't a virgin. I am happy you chose to wait for me, but I'd love you still the same."

At this, Lina happily threw her arms around him and pressed her body close to his. "Thank you..." she whispered hoarsely, clinging to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes, absently stroking her hair.

I dreamt that suitors sought my hand,
that knights upon bended knee
and with vows no maiden's heart could withstand,
they pledged their faith to me.
And I dreamt that one of that noble host
came forth my hand to claim.

Zelgadis kissed her again, his tongue searching the inside of her mouth, sipping at the nectar it contained, and let his hand wander down in-between her legs, where he rubbed a finger across the little nib he found there. She shuddered in his arms and fell back against the bed. Zelgadis turned his attention back to that area, and kneeled in-between her legs, where he eased a finger into her tight channel.

Her whole body tensed as he withdrew it till it was nearly outside and moved upwards again, this time a little deeper. He continued upwards, while Lina squeezed her eyes shut and felt her whole body go into overload, hot flames licking against her, sparks almost visibly shooting across her body.

"Zel...Zel..." she moaned, the one word in her vocabulary.

Sweat trickled down his face, and as his finger found a small barrier, he gritted his teeth and muttered to her, "This might hurt..." Before he eased part of the barrier, though, he used his other hand to rub across the little nib of her clitoris, so her eyes glazed over and her back arched in response. Only then did he carefully breach the barrier, a little at a time, so that it barely hurt and she didn't notice among the waves of sensation crashing over body. He gave a sigh of relief.

He removed the finger, and then slipped in two fingers, carefully rubbing her clitoris the whole time with a free thumb. As he reached the barrier, Lina grasped the sheets tightly in her fists and shouted, "Zelgadis!!" A wave of unfamiliar sensation rolled over her, enveloping her. Her whole body rocked with huge shudders as her body went stiff as a board and her eyes glazed over. Fluid seeped onto his hand, heavy with her scent. Again, he eased past the barrier while she was in the throws of her climax.

Lina went completely limp as he removed his fingers, panting heavily. She opened sparkling ruby red eyes and stared at Zelgadis, who, while she watched, lifted fingers drenched in her fluids and licked it off, one sensuous, erotic tongue lick at a time. His own sapphire blue eyes watched her face intently. The flames within her body erupted once again, proving they were just temporarily banked.

As he finished, he got off the bed and removed one shoe, then the next. Lina gulped, eyes wide with wonder, as he reached for the waistband of his pants. His eyes shone brilliantly as he slid them off narrow hips, along with whatever he wore as underwear, and let them puddle on the ground at his feet. He stepped out of them, and sat back on the bed, though he didn't attempt to touch her, and he was avoiding her eyes.

"Zelgadis..." she whispered tenderly, and launched herself into his arms. He instinctively grabbed hold of her, and she could see the shock in his eyes right before he smiled gratefully and buried his head in her hair, breathing in her scent.

But her fingers weren't still. She pushed him a little distance away and ran her hands over the hard planes of his chest and stomach. He sucked in his breath with a hiss, and went rigid. "Lina..."

Lina realized with a sense of wonder that just as he could make her shudder in his arms, she could do the same to him, and impishly decided to explore her power a little more. She felt safe with him, and knew he would never, never maliciously laugh at her or her attempts.

As her hands trailed all over his body, she kissed him with all the passion and love burning brightly within her, and felt him respond with an equal flame. Then her hands moved in-between his legs, and found what was jutting out from there.

She by accident spoke her impression out loud. "How will that ever fit?!" she squeaked, and hastily removed her hands.

Zelgadis watched her with hooded eyes as her hands withdrew and her eyes grew wide as she looked down at her hands. "Trust me, Lina," he spoke softly, running a hand through her hair. "Trust me. I promised I would treat your gift with all the care I can."

Finally, Lina looked back up at him, and although she frowned, her eyes shone. "...Okay..."

He eased her onto her back, and kissed her gently on her lips. The tension within her abated slightly, and he reached down to gently rub her clitoris, even more tension washed away. Her legs spread slightly, and he took advantage of it to position himself correctly over her.

Lina felt the soft poke of his penis against her opening, and started to become tense again with worry. His soothing tenor voice floated down to her. "Lina, please trust me. You have to relax a little." Slowly, she forced her muscles to calm down and unclench. As she did so, he moved slightly upwards into her. She gasped, and felt a decidedly different tension building up within her again, waves of heat flowing through her body. Zelgadis continued to stroke her clitoris as he waited for her body to accustom itself to the feeling of him inside her.

Sweat beaded slickly down his skin as his control was strained to it's maximum. Finally, though, she wriggled a bit underneath him, testing the strange sensation, and some of his fought-for control went through the window. He eased himself out almost all the way, then pushed gently back inside, trying to go slowly for Lina's sake.

Lina's body hummed and throbbed with pleasure, and she knew a blush permanently stained her cheeks as Zelgadis forged a path down her body's most intimate place. He carefully kept his weight off of her as he slid into her tight sheath, not wanting to hurt her because of his rather weighty body. But, with each passing second his control slipped, and he went a little faster...a little faster.

Again, they reached the barrier, and Zelgadis stilled on top of her to kiss her on the mouth while he massaged one nipple. "I'm sorry Lina...this'll hurt..." he grimaced, holding her close.

She nodded understanding, and smiled up at him. "I trust you, remember?" she reminded him.

Zelgadis groaned, and rest his forehead lightly against her shoulder. "Lina..." he murmured, and plunged quickly past the barrier.

Blink, blink. "That didn't hurt too much, actually," Lina said, a trifle puzzled.

This caught his attention. "It didn't?" he asked, face tense with worry.

With a sigh, Lina reached out and took Zelgadis's face into her hands. "You said you'd take care, so is it surprising that it didn't really hurt?" she teased, her ruby eyes soft and sparkling.

"I...I..." he managed to stutter, right before Lina got curious again and wiggled beneath him. He groaned, "I...wouldn't...do that..."

"But it feels so strange," she frowned, and wiggled again to test out the feel of him inside her body.

He ground his teeth together as more sweat rolled off his body, and fought for the last of his control. "Lina..." Control nearly shattered as she continued, and experimentally moved her hips upwards. With a heavy growl, he began to move toward her center again, this time much faster than before, and Lina found herself gasping for breath as pushed his way into her, her hips moving to meet his.

Everything in her tingled, centering at the spot between her legs and continuing through her body. It built in intensity as he moved, and soon all she was aware of were Zelgadis and her. Nothing else mattered. A horde of trolls could bash through her bedroom door and she wouldn't notice at that moment.

Lina felt the delicious tension in her body build to the breaking point, and shouted as it threw her over the edge. "Zelgadis!" she screamed for the second time that night as he mind focused solely on the pleasure he was giving her. At the same time, Zelgadis lost control completely and forged one last time into her before spilling his seed into her tight body as his own climax hit him, screaming her name. "Lina!"

Several minutes later, after Zelgadis had managed to pull himself out of her, they lay panting for breath, spent. Lina smiled dreamily, and cuddled up against him, twining her legs with his. He pulled her close, and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you," he said against her.

"I love you, too," she yawned, enjoying his warmth and comfort. Both quickly fell asleep.

But I also dreamt which charmed me most
that you loved me still the same
that you loved me
you loved me still the same,
that you loved me
you loved me still the same.

Lina woke up the next morning when dawn's early light spilled through the window onto their twined bodies, and Zelgadis stirred a few seconds later. He blinked a few times before his sapphire eyes rest on her own ruby eyes, and smiled softly.

Lina grinned at him. "I dreamt last night."

"Oh? And what did you dream?" he asked, levering himself up onto one elbow as he prepared to listen.

"I was a queen, with many lords and servants, and tons of money. Many knights and lords competed for my hand, and pledged their undying loyalty to me. Then my most loyal and trusted of lords came forward and asked for my hand in marriage, and that man was you."

"Did you accept?" he wondered, eyes glowing with laughter.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I woke up." After a pause, she added, "But I think I was about to put on the ring he had given me."

"Ah." Without another word, he slid off the bed and padded over to the place he'd left his pants last night. He delved into one of the pockets while Lina looked on hopefully. Then he pulled out a small, black, velvet box and walked back over to her. "Like this?" he wondered, mock-casually as he handed the box to her.

Lina held her breath as she opened the small box up, it's hinges creaking. It came open with a snap, and revealed a sapphire set gold, surrounded by smaller rubies and diamonds. Out went her breath in a rush, and she slipped it onto her fingers, trembling ever so slightly.

Her eyes misted over, and she launched herself into his arms. "Thank you..." she murmured against his mouth as she rained kisses upon him.

He laughed contentedly and wrapped his arms around her. "I've had it with me ever since I saw it two years ago, and have been waiting to give it to you."

"Why didn't you give it to me when you asked to marry me before?" she frowned.

"I forgot," he admitted sheepishly. "I was so happy, I forgot it was in my pocket, and by the time I remembered about it, the time to give it to you had gone."

Lina shook her head sagely, and rest her head against his shoulder. "Oh well. I love you anyway," she said at last, and giggled.

The two stayed that way for quite some time, neither feeling any rush to go down and meet the rest of the group, who would learn that they had gotten together at long last. No, that could come later...much, much later, hopefully...

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