Thanks for the inspiration, Anna!

Too Hot!

Meg woke with her mouth feeling nearly as sticky as her bare skin. The stuffiness of the room and the thick, sticky air told her what kind of day it was going to be; hot and miserable. Again. The temperature during the night had dropped to almost pleasant but with the coming of dawn she could feel the heat and humidity rising to envelope Stormwind.

Movement next to her and a moment later a hot, heavy arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against an equally hot body. She wrinkled her nose in distaste as she felt the sweat already begin to form where their skin pressed together.

“Good morning,” the voice in her ear was rough from drinking, the breath hot and irritating on her neck.

“Get ya han’s offa me. It’s too hot,” she muttered back trying to pull away from whoever she’d taken to her room the night before. She couldn’t remember, seldom did. The most important thing this morning, though, was to get his hot body away from hers.

He chuckled and ran his hand up her stomach to caress her breast and kissed her sloppily between the shoulders. Even that felt hot and slimy. “That isn’t whatcha said last night, sweets.”

With a growl she grabbed his arm locked hers around it. With a heave of her shoulders she levered him over the top of her and sent him sprawling out of the bed onto the floor. Once the bed was hers alone she rolled over and sprawled on it. “I said getcha hands offa me!” She snarled at the man staring at her with a shocked expression. “It’s too damn hot!”

She ignored him as he threw a few curses at her and gathered up his things to leave the room. Maybe it was time to go back to Northrend. At least there her brains wouldn’t boil in her helmet. At least not from the weather’s heat.

She leaned back in her chair, settling her thick throw blanket around her shoulders again and reached for the warmed rum sitting beside her. After several sips of the spiced drink she set it aside and pulled out the book tucked beside her. She read the book slowly for her reading skills were quite weak but she didn’t have anything else to do. Nobody in the bar wanted to play dice with her anymore. She couldn’t help it if she knew the knack for getting the dice to roll well. The bartender had put rations on the booze until the storm had lifted and the supply ships could make it in to the harbor. It had been three days. Who knew how much longer it would blow.

She sighed and closed the book, staring again at the window. She had lost track of how long it had been since she’d last seen Garilos. This particular book was one he had sent her. She couldn’t tell the difference between a good one and a bad one but this one was certainly interesting. Many of the scenes in it made her miss him even more.

She reached for her rum again, the mug warming chilled fingers, and sat holding it, her thoughts running circles around themselves. When she first traveled to Northrend she’d come to the keep here in Howling Fjord and offered her blade and skills for whatever might be needed. And here she had been since. The constant offensive mounted against the keep seemed to never stop. The only reprieve they ever got was when the storms were too severe for even the hardy Valkyr to venture out. Garilos had been called away to other tasks, however. The war for Northrend was never ending, it seemed, and those skilled with the blade always needed.

She swallowed down the last of the cooling rum and grimaced as it burned down her throat. That was the last of her ration for the day but she didn’t seem inclined to drink today. “Yeah,” she muttered. “Much better to brood while sober.”

A couple brief letters were all she’d heard from Garilos in a while. She wondered briefly if he’d been hurt but shook her head with a frown. He was too quick, too smart to let anything out here get him. No, more likely he’d grown bored with her. She gritted her teeth and rose from the chair taking her throw blanket and book with her. She didn’t like the way that thought made her feel. She’d sworn to herself not to get attached too him. Each day, though, she found herself thinking more and more about him. Wondering where he was, if he was well, and if she’d ever see him again.

She entered her small room at the inn and stirred up the coals in the small stove within before adding another scoop of black rocks. She stared at the glowing embers for several moments before stripping off her boots and crawling under the furs on the narrow bed. She reached out and turned down the lantern, only the glow through the grill on the iron stove casting light in the room now. She stared distantly into it contemplating what to do next. Her sword was needed here at Valgarde. It would always be needed. The ships brought in new troops from Azeroth nearly daily. Maybe it was time to move on. There were bound to be other places that needed her sword. She could easily move on and find work elsewhere.

She sighed and huddled down into the sleeping furs further, frowning into the darkness. Much as she tried to delude herself into thinking otherwise, she knew she’d follow whatever trail she could pick up on Garilos. She wanted to see him again.

I reported to work this morning, thinking nothing different of the day. Little did I know the Lich King would be sending his minions today! The docks were repeatedly attacked by undead dragons and lumbering undead…organ donors. I’m okay and hope to see you soon.

Garilos.

Megaly read the letter again slowly. Just two years ago she wouldn’t have been able to read it at all. She frowned in worry wondering what was happening in Stormwind and more importantly, what was happening to Garilos.

She’d spent two days in Booty Bay with him and enjoyed the time more than she had expected. She knew it had to end though. She had to return to the orchard and help her father ready it for winter. When the courier came riding up with the dispatch this morning she had been surprised to learn it was for her.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Her Da asked as he walked up to her, pitchfork still in hand from pitching hay in the barn.

She nodded, wondering how much she dare say. The valley where the orchard and a few other small farms sat seemed to be well protected. With the exception of a Defias infestation that had been cleared out several years ago, this area seemed to escape the worst of what the world threw at it. “Thin’s is gettin’ bad in Stormwind,” she said. “Gar sent me a letter sayin’ they got undead swarmin’ the docks. It ain’ jus’ a few either.”

Her father frowned. “Do ya gotta go?”

She shook her head. “It’d be too late before I got there anyway. An’ someone needs to make sure we got somethin’ defensible set up at the mouth of the canyon. Jus’ in case.”

He nodded. “I’ll spread word to the other farms. Whatever is goin’ on in Stormwind migh’ not spread this far. Then again, it migh’.”

With that he turned and headed for the house, leaning his pitchfork by the door and stepping inside to talk to old Betti. The nanny would stay with Ralston while Da would travel to the other farmsteads. Meg would ride out to the canyon mouth and see what needed to be done to blockade it. She would also scout the area for defense position. While the locals weren’t great fighters, they were skilled enough to defend their lands. If anything came for them, they’d give one bugger of a fight.

She crammed the letter into her pocket and hurried toward the barn. Muffin looked up from her grain bucket and whinnied a greeting. Meg spared her a scratch behind the ears before she pulled her saddle off the rack and set about getting her ready to ride. Sensing the tension, Muffin twitched her ears and shook her head in anticipation. Being a trained war-horse, Meg recognized this as her signs that she was getting ready for a fight.

“No fightin’ today,” she muttered, pulling the cinch strap tight. “Jus’ scoutin’, girl.”

Once saddled, Meg mounted up and rode out of the orchard. She didn’t stop to look back for her father. She knew he’d already be on his way to speak with the other farmers. As she rode her thoughts turned to Garilos again.

She had no doubt he could handle himself in a fight. She’d already seen signs of that in the times they had spent together. The Scourge, however, were not your normal enemy. A fatal blow to a living creature was often nothing more than a scratch to the walking dead. She clenched her teeth as she rode. Even though she believed he could take care of himself she still worried. More so than she thought she should.

Though he hadn’t said anything, she knew he was becoming more attached to her than she was comfortable with. What bothered her even more was the fact that she was becoming more attached to him than she wanted. Since she’d returned to the orchard she found herself missing him more each day. She didn’t miss just him in her bed, she missed him. His laugh, his voice, his rough personality. She didn’t like him being so far away and facing this danger alone.

She urged Muffin into a gallop, her mind racing and confused. She didn’t want to get attached to him. Not to anyone. She’d been down that road before. The thought of sending him away hurt more than she wanted to admit, however. She didn’t have to be anyone but herself with him. He didn’t try to change her, to make her into something she wasn’t. More than anything, that was what she enjoyed the most.

She missed holding him at night. She missed waking up next to him. His presence felt like he belonged. The thought that she was becoming too attached to him scared her. The thought of losing him scared her even more.

She’d stopped by the baker on the way back and bought two meat pies for dinner. She was hungry enough to eat a whole one by herself and if Gar worked on the docks all day she was certain he would be too. She smiled when she stepped into the apartment brandishing her prizes and looked around in surprise to find it empty.

It was a one room apartment so she knew he wasn’t just in another room. She wondered if he had gone out for something. She set the pies on the table and began the process of stripping off her armor. Maybe he would be along shortly.

She grumbled and cursed as she unfastened the various belts and buckles securing her armor in place. Try as she might, she couldn’t convince Thesla or her father that she didn’t need to be wearing full field plate to escort her on her shopping excursions. With a grunt she lifted the breast plate over her head and hung it on the armor rack in the corner. The leggings followed and she picked up the gauntlets and bracers from the floor to join them.

Once the armor was stowed she stuck her head out the door to look around for Gar. The sun had since set and still there was no sign of him. She frowned as she stepped back inside. The pies sat cooling on the table. Suddenly she wasn’t very hungry.

She kicked her boots into the corner and stripped off her tunic and trousers before blowing out the lantern and crawling into bed. “Guess he got tired of me faster’n I though’,” she muttered into the darkness.

Megaly woke slowly to the rising noise of traffic through the cobbled Stormwind street outside the window of the small apartment. She could see the soft glow of false dawn just starting through the gaps in the curtain. She stretched and started to go over in her mind the work of the day. Next to her she felt Garilos begin to stir as well. She smiled contently and gave him a light kiss before sitting up in the small bed.

She had been reluctant to spend the night with him. He wanted more than she could offer him. Or so he said. She had to admit, though, that it was a pleasant night indeed. Despite what she let him and others believe about her, she hadn’t taken anyone to her bed in many months. Fear and heart soreness discouraged her from letting others get close to her. Even for a single night. However she also had to admit that she had wanted him. Badly. Despite the fact that he was getting far too attached to her already.

She rose and began to gather up her scattered clothing tossing the occasional piece of his to him with a smile. “Much as I’d like to sleep in,” she said, “I gotta job here in Stormwind escorting tha’ prissy little aristo I tol’ ya about.”

With a nod, he replied, “Aye, I’m gonna look for work down at the docks.”

She watched him casually as he dressed. He was strong but not as bulky as some men she’d spent time with. She liked them that way. A few scars on various parts of his body spoke of the life he’d led and the harshness of the world they lived in. She had a few of her own. Maybe they could spend an evening exploring each other’s scars. Even the eyepatch gave him a sort of dangerous, rakish look she found extremely attractive. She turned away, resisting the urge to go wrap herself around him. She didn’t have time for early morning fun. She had a job to do and needed to get to the bath house and get cleaned up before she reported for duty.

She shoved her saddlebags and alchemy pack into a corner. She wouldn’t need them today. She tucked a small pouch with a few coins in her pocket and picked up her armor, slinging it heavily over her shoulder. She studied him for a moment more and gave him a half smile. “I’ll be back here tonigh’ if ya wanna join me.”

She heard him loose a sigh and look at her with a smile. As he rose, he grabbed his pack and flung it over his shoulder. “I’ll be working down at docks today. Not sure when I’ll be done, probably at sundown. I’ll come looking for you.”

Garilos tried his best to ignore the approaching morning. Morning meant waking up and calling an end to the pleasant evening he’d had. For the first time in a long time, he had needed no booze to put him to sleep. As it was, he had slept soundly and without the unpleasant dreams that often troubled his sleep.

As he dozed, he felt Megaly lean over and kiss him. When Megaly rose from the bed, he realized there was no further point in laying around any more. Stifling a yawn, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Much as I’d like to sleep in,” Megaly said, “I gotta job here in Stormwind escorting tha’ prissy little aristo I tol’ ya about.”

With a nod, he replied, “Aye, I’m gonna look for work down at the docks.”

As he slowly put on his clothing, he reflected on the previous night. Realizing he might have been overly persistent, he wondered if she had slept with him just to shut him up. As he watched her dress, he hoped he had not messed up his chances with her. Pulling his boots on, he wondered if he should apologize for last night.

The sound of Megaly’s voice pulled him into the present. “I’ll be back here tonigh’ if ya wanna join me,” she said.

With a sigh of relief, he relaxed a bit. Giving Megaly a smile, he said, “I’d like that.” As he rose, he grabbed his pack and flung it over his shoulder. “I’ll be working down at docks today. Not sure when I’ll be done, probably at sundown. I’ll come looking for you.”

Meg left the apartment and made her way to the bath house. As she entered the steam filled building she dropped her armor off with the attendant and made her way to the women’s section of the building. Finding an unoccupied tub filled with warm water in the back, she stripped down and immersed herself in the soothing water. This was the only thing she didn’t like about staying in the apartment. She missed the private bathing room off her room at the manor. But even two years later she still found it difficult to stay in the room she had shared for a time with Alistair.

She dunked her head under the water and came up wiping her dripping hair out of her face. She reached for the rough bar of soap and began to scrub vigorously trying to wash away memories more than odor. She never thought anyone could hurt her as bad as he had. She never wanted that to happen again.

She frowned thinking about her night with Garilos. She knew he wanted too much. She couldn’t understand why she had agreed to spend the night with him. Even more so, she couldn’t understand why she had offered to spend another night with him.

A nagging voice deep inside forced her to admit that she wanted more than just a single night with him. She enjoyed the feeling of his hands caressing her. Enjoyed his roguish looks and rough personality. Though she did wish he had hair. She would really like to run her fingers into it while—

She dunked her head again to rinse the soap and rose sputtering. She really needed to focus on what needed done today and not fantasize about Gar. She sighed as she stepped out of the tub and snatched up a towel. What was she to do though? She’d made it a rule not to get attached and not let anyone get attached to her. Eventually they got tired of her and tossed her aside. Now not only was she letting Garilos come back again, but she had invited him.

She roughly dried her hair and frowned in thought, her mind turning the whole thing over and over again. She wanted to see him again. Wanted to spend more time in his arms. She was certain it was simple lust that drove her. What else could it be?

She paused, a thought occurring to her. What would be wrong with just keeping him for a lover? If she didn’t get attached to him emotionally then there would be no problem when he was done with her. She could enjoy him for a few days or weeks until he got tired of her then they would move on their own ways with no issues.

She smiled and shook her head, pulling her clothes back on and finger combing her wet hair. It was so simple. She felt a fool for not realizing it sooner. She knew he would tire of her eventually but if she only took from him physical enjoyment there would be nothing to hurt when he left.

She tossed her towel in a basket and strolled toward the door with a lightened heart. She handed a few silver to the attendant and collected her armor, strolling with a smile from the bath house to where she would meet her aristo. Such a simple and carefree solution. One that would work out for both of them quite well.

–

After saying goodbye to Megaly for the day, Garilos made his way to the Blue Recluse in search of breakfast. Stepping into the dark interior of the tavern, he blinked for a few minutes as his eyes adjusted.

“Gar! By the Light! I’ve never seen you in here this early.”

“Mornin’ Joachim.”

“What brings you out this early, Gar?”

With a chuckle, Garilos sat down on a barstool next to the bar. “Breakfast. What do you have to eat?”

“I got some of that mutton stew of Connors you like so much.”

“That sounds good. If you got any fresh bread, I’ll take a hunk and a pint of ale.”

When Joachim walked away into the kitchen, Garilos took a quick look around the tavern. Seeing no one he recognized, his thoughts returned to the night before. The question of whether he had been too insistent kept playing through his mind. He was happy he had slept with her but he worried nothing would come of it and he again would be looking for another partner.

“Here you go Gar.”

Startled out of his thoughts by Joachim, Garilos gave a quick smile to the tavernkeeper. “Thanks! I have not felt this good this early in long time.”

“Heh! I don’t ever recall seeing you in here before noon.”

“Well, I guess a good night’s rest will do that to me.”

Chuckling, Joachim replied, “I noticed you were not here last night to close down the place. I thought nothing of it, figurin’ you were away at sea or something but now you got me wonderin’.”

“Oh, it ain’t nothin’. Just had something better going on than drinkin’ ’til I pass out.”

With a laugh, Joachim replied, “Alright. You gotta tell me about this woman sometime.” Turning away, Joachim walked down to the other end of the bar to wait on another customer, leaving Garilos alone in his thoughts.

As Garilos ate his breakfast, he thought about his plans for the day. With all the activity on the docks arising from the Alliance’s not so secret movement of troops to Northrend, he knew he could find plenty of work today loading ships with cargo. “I should look for a permanent job on the docks if I’m gonna be chasing Meg. She won’t want a loafer in her life,” Garilos thought to himself. Suddenly remembering the way she had said she’d see him tonight, his heart quickened with excitement. “Maybe I didn’t blow it last night.”

Feeling energized, Garilos quickly drank the rest of the ale before placing several coins on the bar. Nodding goodbye to Joachim, he got up from the bar and said, “It was good to see you Joachim. I’ll catch you around some time.”

“Alrighty, Gar. Take it easy.”

Garilos made his way quickly to the docks. The sun had been up barely an hour and already the docks were bustling with activity. Looking around, Garilos saw the dockmaster yelling at someone near a large frigate. Making his way quickly to the dockmaster, Garilos noticed there were more ships in the harbor than usual. “Heh! Plenty of work today!”

Walking up to the dockmaster, Garilos said “Hey, you got any work?”

Turning to see who was talking to him, the dockmaster smiled when he recognized Garilos. “For a hard worker like you, I’ve got plenty of work. If only half these lazy lowlifes worked half as hard as you, Gar, I’d clear these docks in no time. Okay then, standard pay and terms. Report to crew chief Hazeldon on the northernmost dock. He’s got a large cargo ship needing to be loaded. Tell ‘im I want you in charge of a crew. I need someone who knows what he’s doing. Now get out of here!”

“Right O!”

The rest of the day was a blur for Garilos. As soon as he completed the loading of a ship, he was sent to another. He hardly noticed the sun rising to its peak and then slowly settling towards the horizon. Suddenly realizing it was close to sundown, Garilos panicked when he thought he might have forgotten an important engagement.

“Oh! I told Meg I’d be done at sundown,” Garilos thought to himself.

Scanning the docks, he looked about for the crew chief. Upon seeing him standing next to the dockmaster, Garilos yelled to his crew, “Okay, finish up with that pallet. I’m done for the day. Report to the crew chief when you are done.”

Walking towards the crew chief and the dockmaster, Garilos decided now would be the time to ask for permanent work. “If I’m going to settle down, I’ll need a steady source of income,” he thought to himself.

Upon seeing Garilos approach him, the dockmaster yelled, “Gar! You done for the day?”

“Yes, I am. I’d work longer but I’m meeting someone in a little while.”

“Alright. Here’s your receipt. Take it to the bursor over there to get your pay.”

“Thanks. Oh, by the way, do you have any permanent positions on the docks? I’m looking for steadier work.”

With a loud guffaw, the crew chief responded, “We were just discussing offering you a job. You want to be a crew chief? I’d love to have you on the docks.”

With a surprised look on his face, Garilos blurted, “Yes! What about the pay?”

“It would be about double what you make now, Gar,” was the response for the dockmaster. “I’ll talk to the bursor tonight about it. Report to the bursor tomorrow mornin’.”

Nodding, Garilos could hardly believe his good fortune. “I can’t wait to tell Megaly,” he thought to himself.

She had already been drinking some before arriving at the Boomsticks’ Pub. She never thought her good sense got impaired when she was drinking before but it had to have been for her to go ahead and walk into that room after seeing Garilos sitting there. She should have just turned around and left but once he saw her, stubborn pride kept her there. She refused to run away again.

Most of the evening had been fine. She enjoyed some fine ale with the Boomstick Gang, shared a few “creative” defense techniques with a little gnome she met, and shared some pleasant conversation. When she left, though, he followed.

She kicked a chair out from the table in the room and sat down heavily in the seat, dropping her head into her hands. Why did she even stop to talk to him? She knew what he wanted. He wanted someone long term. He wouldn’t be content with what she had to offer. She didn’t want anyone long term.

She sighed. That was the problem though. She did want him. Wanted him bad enough that she had forgotten how badly his interest had scared her at their last meeting. She had even invited him back to her room for the night. Of course then he told her he wanted more than one night.

That was how it started last time. Sweet words to trap the unwary. Promises hiding lies. Then they grow bored, throw you aside for a prettier face, and say it was just a mistake. You were just a mistake.

She slammed her fist on the table, startling a squeak out of Lilbit again. With a sigh she stripped off her boots and went to lie on the bed to comfort the little green whelpling. Lilbit huddled against her and trilled, trying to comfort Meg in return.

She couldn’t be hurt like that again. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to handle it a second time. Deep down she had to admit to herself though that she wanted to see him again.

She wanted to run away. To hide and stay hidden until he was gone. In essence, that is exactly what she did but it didn’t seem far enough. She couldn’t go back to the orchard because she needed to keep working. With the crops so bad this year she’d had to take extra jobs to help keep it running.

Everything had been fine for most of the evening. A bit of fishing among friendly folks, some good booze, bawdy jokes. Then that fella showed up. Strong looking guy. She liked them strong. And could hold his booze pretty darn good. He wasn’t exactly bad looking either. She had just started taking an interest in him for an evening of fun when he started taking an interest in her.

Too bad it was more of an interest than she could handle.

She found another bottle of booze and took a long swallow of it before planting herself on the edge of the bed. She never drank at home anymore. She didn’t want her son to see. She drank on occasion in town. Enough to have fun. Tonight she planned on drinking until she couldn’t see straight and could barely remember her own name.

She’d never been keen on getting involved with anyone long term. Too much work, too much stress, too much chance of getting hurt. Of course there was also the fact that she had never been decent enough to catch the good fellas. The ones that wouldn’t get bored with her, decide she was a mistake and throw her away. Like Alistair had.

She wished a rotting fungus on his testicles, as she had done thousands of times before.

She smashed the bottle against the floor and watched the alcohol spread over the wood. She stared at the stain without seeing it, her mind chasing itself in circles. She had never been afraid of battle. She knew, someday, she would die with a sword in her hand. She feared no creature, alive or undead, she had met on Azeroth or in Outland.

Yet this man sent her running to her room like a frightened child. She had only survived the last one because of her son, Ralston. He was her reason for living, then and now. And she would never let anyone get close enough to hurt her that bad again.