Mended Hearts

Summary: Part of the month of mini-fics. A quiet interlude between two lovers
Warning(s): Spanking (of the one-swat variety); spoilers for Snow White and the Huntsman and The Huntsman: Winter's War; mentions of violence; hints of sexual scenes

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Eric held Sara close as she slept, stroking one of her plaits between his thumb and forefinger. He still couldn't quite believe he had his wife... alive and in his arms... and no longer trying to kill him. He'd known that their love could defeat anything... but it was nice to have that confirmed.

As he thought about Freya, Eric's eyes narrowed. He should feel relieved that she and her toxic sister were dead... but there was a part of him that grieved her passing. In her own way (and despite the laws she had against love), he knew she'd cared for them... and at the end, she'd given her own life to protect them from her sister.

Even if he wasn't sure he could forgive her... but then again, Eric didn't really believe his own actions could be forgiven. He'd had a true mother once, but had been ripped from her arms. Until their decision to leave, he'd allowed war... battle... blood... death... to be the only important thing.

Until he'd tried to leave.

With his free hand, Eric touched the pendant Sara had given him seven long years ago. It had never occurred to him to take it off... and he hadn't understood why she'd seemed so surprised to see that he had.

He knew better now, of course.

Eric allowed his fingertips to brush over Sara's cheek, where it rested on his bare chest, careful to make his touch as light as a feather. Like him, she would wake at the slightest noise... the faintest provocation.

He'd missed her... grieved her for so long. It was almost impossible to fathom that he had her now, safe in his arms... and they were finally both truly free. They could live a life together... perhaps even have children, something Eric hadn't allowed himself to consider even when they'd first been together.

"Can you not sleep?" Sara's voice was soft... husky from the heaviness of sleep.

"I am just enjoying the peace and quiet." Eric smiled. "The chance to be temporarily free of the dwarves."

"I'm sure you would very quickly grow bored without them in your company." Sara smiled, her lips tickling his bare skin. She kissed her way up his chest until she came to his neck and then nestled in close, her head tucked between his head and shoulder. "I am sorry." Her voice was a mere whisper.

"For last night? I think I must have been doing something wrong if you're apologising."

"I betrayed you."

"You shot an arrow at me... but it could have been worse."

Sara raised her head to look into his eyes. "How could that have been worse?"

"You could have been aiming to kill me."

Sara shook her head. "I should have trusted you... I just thought... I believed Freya..."

Eric didn't want his wife feeling guilty. He wanted her to let go of her pain and be with him... truly with him, heart and soul and mind. They belonged with each other. They belonged to each other. And guilt would help neither of them.

Eric lifted the arm he had wrapped around Sara's body and shifted his hand lower, judged the distance and brought it down on her backside.

Sara's wide eyes met his and a faint note of outrage slipped into her voice. "Did you just...?"

"Yes." Eric cut her off. "And I can carry on, if our history together really bothers you that much. Or," he continued, looking into her eyes, "we can forget our past and live the rest of our lives together... starting with tonight, since neither of us seem inclined to get much sleep."

Sara hesitated and Eric wondered if he was going to need to take further steps. The intensity on her face grew, however, as she leaned in to press her lips against his.

Grinning, Eric rolled them over so he was on top of her. "Now this is how I like our 'fighting' to go."

The End