Elvin Vale

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Lillian nodded harshly, causing a bit of her hair to fall into her face. She pushed it back herself, and kicked her legs back and forth as the hung over the edge of the chair. After a moment of staring Faelwen down, she took Kris's large hand in both of hers. "Ok...I'm ready." At this announcement she squeezed her eyes shut, and gripped Kris's hand as tightly as she could manage.

Faelwen couldn't stop smiling and thinking that the little scene was the cutest thing ever. She wouldn't have guessed Kris had a soft spot for littler kids. Maybe at that point they were all cute, and weren't able to do much wrong. After she got Lillian's permission, she gently began to clean her scrape with some water she had the twins get. The small girl seemed to relax a bit, realizing that it didn't sting very much. Faelwen paused as she opened a bottle of lavender oil. The smell immediately wafted through the room. Fae used a clean corner of the rag to spread this oil on Lilly's knee. Soon enough the little girl had a bandage over the injury and was running circles around Kris. She giggled happily, "Thank you Uncle Kris...Auntie Vanya. My knee feels all better, just like you promised."
Faelwen laughed along with the child as she put the items she used back into the proper places. The box was then handed off to one of the older kids and put away.
 
Kris gave Lilly's hands a reassuring squeeze of his own, though obviously not as hard as she did. He tried not to laugh. She was clearly bracing herself for some kind of unfathomable pain. No such pain happened. "There, see?" he told her. "That wasn't so bad." He released her and stood up, and if the way she giggled and ran around him several times in succession meant anything, it was that she felt just fine. "You're welcome," he told her as he heard Faelwen laugh nearby. After a minute she scampered a few feet away and paused, as if trying to decide whether she wanted to remain with Auntie Vanya and Uncle Kris a while longer or go do something on her own. Kris took a step back with a dazed expression on his face, putting a hand to his chest. This fuzzy feeling wouldn't go away. "Ooh, my poor heart," he muttered quietly to Fae. "I'm really confused right now. I think I actually just made friends with a kid. I am a little shocked." He took another second to pop out of the trance and turn to look at her. "Oh, we need to ask about borrowing that stuff before we leave. What do we need?" He started ticking things off his fingers. "Skillet, spatula...cutting board, knife, plates, forks...is that it? Oh, we may each want a knife for the meat and bread..."
 
Faelwen stood up and took a few steps closer to Kris. She giggled again as he first started to speak to her. At least he found the little girl all right. For that she was thankful. "Oh, you did make a new friend. And I find that very attractive, especially in you." She gently put her arms around him in a soft hug. "Thank you so much for coming and helping out." A chaste kiss was again placed on his cheek as she stepped back. "I think that was everything we needed. The head master should be around here someplace..." Fae looked around a bit before spotting the woman. Upon being asked if they could borrow the items, the head mistress readily agreed. Vanya had done so much she felt it was her duty to help her in some way. A few swift words, and the twins came back carrying a small burlap bag filled with the desired equipment. Faelwen thanked the kids and woman before following Kris to the door. Lillian was teary eyed as they left, but was otherwise happy that they would soon return with the utensils.
 
The kiss on his cheek led Kris to smile and hum for a few seconds before he could help it. This constant source of affection was sure something he could get used to. In any case, they had some cutlery to borrow, and after a few minutes of negotiation, the two of them were out the front door with a sack of the appropriate tools, but not before Kris cheerily reassured Lillian that he'd be seeing her again after lunch. Their basket of food was in his left hand and the burlap sack slung over his right shoulder, as he insisted on being the self-designated pack mule between the two of them. No good man would force a woman to carry a heavy load if it could be helped, particularly not a princess, not that anyone needed to know that.

"So I guess the question now is where we want to go," he said once they were back in the street. "The lake is an option, or we could just aimlessly wander through the woods until we find a nice place. Unless you've got somewhere in mind? You know the area much better than I do."
 
Faelwen waved goodbye to the kids as they saw the two off. She stuck close to Kris as they moved through the streets. "The lake sounds nice, but it's a little far from here on the other side of town...there are a few flower fields or springs this way." The tree line grew closer as they continued their trek. She guided their direction slightly, heading toward a large field with a small stream trickling by. It was nice here. There was a slight breeze that played with the grass. "We can picnic here. There's rocks in the stream bed that we can use to build a fire pit. Some of the drier grass could be used for a fire starter as well."
 
Faelwen guided him in a direction he hadn't gone before. The outskirts of the city didn't seem to be immediately wooded in this direction, leaving stretches of fresh green grass and wildflowers over slightly hilly ground. He took in a deep breath through the nose as they walked, savoring the scents of the flowers, the grass, the stream, and even the openness of the meadow air. Kris didn't really have any pastimes, but he knew he enjoyed walks through places he hadn't been before, particularly out in the country. This struck him as a peaceful place he could see himself frequenting. "Seems as nice a place for a picnic as any," he said. Ah, he was in a good mood now. He looked around for a good place to sit and set up camp, as it were, and eventually laid eyes on a swell in the earth just above a point where the creek turned. "Over here seems good," he said as he changed course. They could make their fire pit by the water and then sit comfortably on the grassy mound a few feet away. The basket and sack were deposited, leaving his hands free to pick out some good-sized stones for the fire ring. It only took a minute to form a small pit in the ground. He cast his gaze around again, looking for dead grass or twigs to start the fire, and at the same moment his hands went to his left hip to get his flint and steel out of his bag, only to be quickly reminded that his bag wasn't there. He patted his hip a couple of times in confusion. He'd never made a campfire without his traveling bag. "My...flint and steel...are at the castle," he muttered after a second, as if only slowly realizing how much of an idiot he'd just looked like. "Well, um. I should go get that. I guess you could look for firewood or start chopping the herbs if you want, but only if you want. I'll be back in a second." He closed his eyes and thought of his room, disappearing from the field after a moment.

The world congealed around him in the shape of his dormitory in the castle. No time was wasted in trotting over to his dresser and locating the large satchel he usually carried his life around in, and after a little bit of digging, which went faster than usual because his clothes had been moved out of the bag already, his hands found his trusty tinderbox. Perfect. He extracted it from the bag, made sure the flint and steel were still secure inside, and tucked his satchel back into its place in the dresser before he stepped back and called his previous location to mind instead. While he couldn't know for sure whether Faelwen had stayed there, he at least remembered the grassy swell of the earth, the general curve of the stream nearby, and the fire ring he'd just made. He made to blink again, and a second later he opened his eyes to their picnic site. He would quickly learn whether Faelwen had chosen to stay or not.
 
Faelwen smiled up at the sky, it was so nice out here. She watched Kris begin to make a fire pit and was sure to watch carefully. If she was to learn these things, she would learn now. However, when he began patting at his sides trying to find the tinder box she couldn't help but laugh a little. Ah, this was another reason she liked him so much, he knew how to laugh off his mistakes. "I'll see you in a few moments then." She said, bidding him farewell. The princess took this time to gather any dried grass and fallen twigs. The store of kindling was soon large enough to begin a fire. She had even been able to find a few larger sticks as well. Anything more would need to be gotten by Kris. He knew how to stay safe when fetching the larger dried branches from the trees. Not to mention he also had the strength for it.

By this time, Kris had gotten back. Fae smiled over at him from her place beside the fire pit. "We promised to learn how to cook together....so I wanted to wait before starting with any of the herbs. But now that you're here, I think I could start." She fished out the cutting board and a knife, and set them aside. Before taking out any food, she walked over to the stream to wash her hands. She pushed the sleeves of her dress up as far as they would go to keep them from getting wet. This finished, she set about cutting the vegetables and herbs. It was probably best if she left the meat for Kris to handle.
 
She was waiting for him, and it looked like she'd found her share of kindling. "Seems fair enough," he said. He folded an arm over his middle and held his chin as he eyed the kindling pile. "We may want a couple more pieces of wood so the fire doesn't burn out too fast, but that should be it. We won't need the fire once we're done cooking. It's pretty sunny," he said, looking at the sky as if to confirm the rather obvious observation about the weather. Realizing he was getting a little warm in his dark cloak, he unfastened it and draped it over his arm, forgetting for the moment that Faelwen needed to keep hers on to hide her hair. He looked back down at the fire pit and then shrugged. "Eh, more important to get it lit sooner rather than later. It'll take a few minutes to get hot enough to cook anything." He knelt in front of the fire, deposited his cloak in a pile nearby, and opened the tinderbox in his hand, and after a few strikes of the flint and steel within, he ignited the dry grass in the center of the pit. He adjusted the twigs so that they stood up in a vaguely cone-like structure before standing up and turning back towards the trees, intent on looking for one last thick branch he might be able to break in half and add to the fire.
 
As Kris went to gather more wood for a fire, Faelwen busied herself with finishing the task of cutting vegetables and herbs. It got hot pretty quick for her. She still had a full dress and her cloak on. Ah, she shouldn't take the hood off either. They were still far too close to town for that. With a small sigh, Fae finished the vegetables and moved into the shade to cut up the herbs. This provided a little relief from the heat. What were the chances that someone would come along though? When Kris came back she decided to ask his opinion. "Hey...Kris. Do you think it would be safe for me to take my cloak off? I didn't see anyone when we were walking." Of course that didn't make it impossible for them to come. She could always just loose the dress. Her slip covered everything, and her cloak would cover anything the slip didn't. She held a finger up to shush him. "Do you mind if I just take the dress off actually? As Vanya, I have walked around in just my slip."
 
After a minute, Kris spotted a sizable, long-dead branch that had fallen from a tree. Broken into two or three shorter pieces, it would fit nicely in their fire. He shouldered the branch and turned back towards their picnic site, only to see that Faelwen had moved closer to him and now sat in the shade. She spoke to him when he approached her, and the moment she did, Kris flinched. He'd just realized that he'd shed his cloak without a thought of the fact that it was dangerous for Faelwen to do the same. His mouth opened to apologize, but his voice didn't work immediately. What was he supposed to say? It seemed ridiculous to offer to put his own cloak back on to be fair, but that was his gut reaction. However, Faelwen seemed to have changed her mind, saving him the trouble of answering. In fact, her suggestion surprised him. "Ah, that's right," he said, "so you have. If you're comfortable with that, go right ahead. And you should know by now that I most certainly don't mind watching you lose a layer or two, sweet." He flashed her a grin as he walked past her and returned to the fire pit. The larger branches were starting to catch; that was good news. He took the branch he carried in both hands and snapped it into two near the thin end, but he needed to pin what was left of the thick end beneath his foot and pull hard to break that in half. Once that was done he had three roughly equal-length sticks to add to the fire. That would do perfectly for the amount of time they'd be here.

He unbuttoned and rolled back his sleeves, stepped over to the stream to rinse the branch-grime from his hands, and returned to their belongings. The skillet and spatula were retrieved from the burlap sack, and once Kris got the meat unwrapped, he slid it into the skillet and moved to sit down by the fire. The question now was just what procedure was needed to get the flavor of the herbs into the meat. Was it as simple as cooking the herbs and vegetables in the same pan as the meat so that the juices would mix? As the two small cuts of beef began to sizzle and gradually leak bubbling oil out into the pan, Kris reasoned that was as good an idea as he would ever have on the matter. He poked the slices of meat around in the oil to be sure they didn't burn. "All right," he spoke up. "I'm ready for the rest when you are. I think."
 
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A small chuckle bubbled up her throat as Kris responded to her offer. Of course he wouldn't mind. She set her knife aside and stepped further back into the shade of he trees before she unfastened her cloak, and hung it over a nearby bush. After that, in only took her a couple minutes to manage unlacing the back and slipping the garment off. She paused a moment to tip her face back to look at the sunlight filtering through the branches. Ah, the breeze felt so nice against her skin. After enjoying the freedom of not having a heavy garment restricting her movements, she quickly fastened her cloak around her and put up her hood. Even this was better than three layers. Now she could enjoy the sun with Kris.

The vegetables and herbs were finished soon after she returned to that task. All were cut into bite sized pieces. Kris was soon ready for them too. She stepped over to the fire, and carefully placed the various vegetables into the skillet around the meat. The herbs were then sprinkled on top. "There...that looks like what the cook does to her dishes." A bit of parsley was kept back as a garnish. Fae took a seat close by Kris, but far enough from the fire so she wouldn't get burned. After rummaging through the packs, she had found the bread and set about cutting it into thick slices. Just being able to share a home made meal with Kris seemed so special, it made her smile. It seemed as if they were married. Hopefully they would have many more times like this.
 
Soon enough everything was in the skillet. Kris laughed as he resumed his task of stirring the various contents of the skillet around. "Well, I trust you, then. We'll see soon enough if we did it right." He kept this up for several more minutes, adjusting the positions of the food periodically and every once in a while asking Faelwen if the meat had the right amount of pink in it. At last they were in accord that the food was ready, and within a minute, two plates were dished up, each one bearing a slice of herb-and-garlic-laden beef, sliced carrots and caramelized onions, a slice of fresh bread, and a sprig of parsley just for fun. Kris sat back with one plate in his lap and a fork and steak knife in his hands, and simultaneously craving the food that smelled oh so delicious and dreading that it had come out terrible, he began to eat.

The good news was that it was edible and tasted quite good. Their methods could use some work, but this was as good a first step as any. "I don't think we were supposed to leave all the minced garlic on top," he said with a laugh after a few bites, "and the carrots are still kind of crispy, but other than that, I think we done good!" Mm, he was in a very good mood now. He and his Faelwen were sitting in a grassy field on a sunny day, eating food they had prepared together. "What do you think? Does this get the princess' seal of approval?"
 
Faelwen had taken her plate with a laugh. What they made couldn't be too horrible could it? She cut into her meat and lifted the portion to her lips. She savored the bite and closed her eyes. So this was how a home cooked meal tasted...it wasn't what she was served at the palace, or of the quality at the fair, but it was still good. She figured it may be because she had put work into getting it. After the moment passed, Faelwen eagerly tasted each bit, loosing a small bit of her grace and poise she usually had when eating. With a proud smile on her lips, she nodded. "This definitely gets my approval. It's the first meal I've helped make and been able to share."

She felt giddy, almost too happy. Any worries about the suitors, or being found out were forgotten. She was simply enjoying this moment, and her first home cooked meal with Kris. It was a special time....at least in her mind. And equally as memorable as the time at the lake, where they had first began this journey. She soon had finished off the food given to her. She set her plate aside, and laid back on the grass. A full stomach, and the sun beating down on her....it kinda made her sleepy. "We have got to do this again. Each time we'll only get better....and...it's nice to be able to cook with each other." she muttered this as her eyelids closed. No, she wouldn't sleep yet, but she did intend to soak up as much of this feeling as possible.
 
Kris hadn't thought he was all that hungry, but it only took minutes for him to look down and see an empty plate. Objectively speaking, he'd had better meals by far, but eating this one had given him just as much pleasure if not more. They'd made it together. After setting his plate and utensils aside, he stretched and rolled back on the grass beside her with a sigh of contentment. He felt full and somehow heavy and warm all over, happy to sink back in this soft grass beneath a lazy summer sun. Hardly a cloud was in the sky. After another second he relaxed his arms to his sides and found Faelwen's hand with his own. He placed his on top of hers and gave it a squeeze. "Agreed," he said, a drowsy smile almost audible in his voice. "We're doing this again. I'll make sure of it." He looked lazily up at the sky. It was a nice blue color right now, and even as he thought he might be able to lie here and stare at that soothing blue sky forever, his eyelids slid closed anyway because it felt nice, and he just as quickly thought he could lie here on the verge of wakefulness forever. He had a full belly, a warm sun above him and a healthy meadow below him, and his favorite person in the world at his side. He creaked his eyes open once more and turned his head to look at her. Her figure looked just as utterly peaceful as his own, lying there in the grass. He could've sworn she was glowing. He felt the smile on his face grow wider in gratitude. This was bliss, and he wouldn't have this moment of bliss if it weren't for Faelwen. "I could die a happy man right now," he said, rolling his head back to look at the sky again. "I really think I could."
 
Faelwen smiled brightly as he held her hand. It felt like they could lay here for an eternity. She slowly tipped her head to the side as she gazed softly at him. While she didn't like the thought of him dying now, she could understand why he said that. Mmmm, with the sun overhead, her love at her side, and several more hours to spend like this....it was pure bliss. She turned back to look at the sky, suddenly feeling her eyelids grow heavy. "I could...." she yawned a little. "I could...agree...with you... there.....only....I'd be....a....very....happy...woman...." her voice had slowed as sleep began to take her. The last word came out as only a whisper. They had time. She could rest for a little while. Hopefully they would be able to wake before the prince arrived.
 
Kris swiveled his head to look at Faelwen again. The way her speech trailed off as sleep caught up to her almost made him chuckle, but he held it back as best he could so as not to disturb her. It dawned on him that he hadn't seen her fall asleep before, as he'd previously been too sleepy himself. She looked lovely, at utter peace in the grass. Lying down as she was, the hood of her cloak had slipped down partway to expose the silvery fringe around her face, which caught the light perfectly. He rolled onto his side and reached up to the side of her face to stroke the long strands of hair and her soft cheeks beneath them. A sleeping angel...if I go to a better place when I die, this is what I hope it looks like.

By this point he could tell he wasn't on the brink of a nap anymore, so he propped himself up on one elbow and combed a lock of her long hair out from under her cloak. Of the many females he'd gotten cozy with over the years, only a few stuck in his mind, for whatever reason, and one of these was a flirty but good-natured brunette by the name of Athae. He remembered her as the one who had taught him the feminine mystery of the three-ply braid, and ever since, he had offered to braid his companions' hair in a variety of ways, nearly always met with pleased surprise. Unable to resist, he smoothed out this long lock of Faelwen's hair, carefully split it into three, and began to twine it around itself with the delicate touch of much practice. It took several minutes to work all the way down the length of her hair, but at last he had formed a thin braid from the side of her face. He knew well it was a silly thing for him to have done, since she'd have to comb the braid out before appearing at the palace. But he didn't really care. Hopefully she'd like it when she woke up, and even if she didn't notice it, he felt nice to have given Faelwen a little personal touch.

He smoothed the braid back along her face and lowered himself back down, rolling back on his shoulders to look at the sky once more. This would be their last day of freedom for a while, their last day of indulgence in this whirlwind romance. Heavens knew how their bond would hold together from here on out. The princess would be presented with an array of potential husbands, and her guard would stand by quietly with no right to act on anything but her safety. He was determined to make time for the two of them whenever he could, but if he couldn't, the wave of suitors would not break, and the thought that their passion might slowly evaporate with time saddened him. It had only had three days to root itself at best. Would that be enough, or would it wither and die without nourishment? No. I won't let that happen. He couldn't. He remembered how he'd felt at the lake. He remembered the moment where her love became so clear and so strong that it shattered him where he sat. He couldn't ignore that, not all she'd done for him.

He rolled back onto his side to look at her again. He couldn't have known if she thought similar things just now, but she looked much more peaceful than his thoughts felt right now. She looked beautiful. The sight of her like that was reassuring, and with his worries' hold on his mind loosened, it didn't take much for the warmth of the sun and the comfortable weight in his stomach to regain their foothold on his mood. It was impossible to be upset for long while he felt so content. This was a pleasant moment. Why worry? A small smile found its way back onto his face as he scooted closer to her and draped an arm over her waist.

"I know it's a rash and possibly harmful decision, but were I in any other circumstance my view would not change. For whatever reason, fate or otherwise, we were matched together. I will take that risk. I want to be with you, in every way a woman could be."

That was just it, wasn't it? He'd asked her what she'd wanted, and he'd agreed with her. Whether this relationship held or not, they still wanted it to happen for as long as it could, wanted to indulge in love while they knew they had the chance. Already he had learned how it felt to put another person before him...no, to have no choice but to put another person before him, because it simply felt right. It was worth it. They'd make it worth it. These were moments he would treasure.

It was a while before his mind settled down enough for him to fall asleep, but the thoughts that lulled him to sleep were ones of adoration and gratitude.
 
Something in Faelwen's mind seemed to register the familiar weight of his arm over her waist, and she cuddled closer. Mmm, this warmth, it made her dreams that much more sweet. The peaceful rest went uninterrupted by any worry, being filled with thoughts and memories focused around one man. It was nice, she dreamed of the past, and the wonderful nights....the present, cooking and eating with him.....and a warped future, she was not the princess but a simple peasant. They lived together as man and wife in a small cottage in the woods. It was simple living, but they never found that they didn't have enough.

Fae didn't know how much time had past, only that her mind was prodding her to wake. She sighed and slowly cracked her eyes open. They must have only been sleeping for an hour or two, it was still bright out. The sky remained a vivid blue, meaning sunset hadn't yet approached. Her eyes finally landed on Kris as he slept. She always liked watching him sleep. Part of her wondered if she would witness him sleep talking once more, or even possibly his snoring. Ah, she had to tell him that. It was so cute though, and rather funny. How could she ever find another man better than this. All his habits and quirks, his past and present, it all formed a wonderful man that Fae embraced. She couldn't just throw that away for a prince that could be found anywhere in the kingdom. She sighed, allowing the frustration to be released. This was their time now, and she would enjoy it to the fullest.
 
Kris' eyelids twitched when he thought he heard a sigh. It wasn't enough to drag him from sleep very quickly, but he did shift in place, drawing him and Fae closer together, and groan quietly. He felt so comfortable. He wasn't sure if what he saw in his mind's eye at the moment was a proper dream or his flickering waking imagination, but his vision was of the two of them holding each other and fondling each other without end. He hugged the warmth beneath his arm tighter once more, and the tactile resistance of Faelwen's body seemed to pull him further towards the waking world as he pulled himself closer to her through the grass. His face was nearly tucked against her neck now. "Mmm..." he hummed with a smile, his eyes still closed. "Mornin'." He was still asleep enough to be blissfully ignorant of the fact that it was the middle of the afternoon.
 
Faelwen gasped as his grip around her tightened, pulling him closer to her neck. The way his breath fanned the sensitive skin made her blush. She brought her free hand up to play with his hair. The groggy voice he had when he was waking sent shivers through her, but...it definitely wasn't morning. She chuckled a little bit, and bent down her head to press a kiss against the top of his hair. Oh, she felt positively impish now, and had found a good outlet for it. Her fingers continued to toy with his hair as she spoke in an amused tone. "So....you not only talk in your sleep, but you also loose track of time. Mr. Tristimdorion...I'm not quite sure what to do with you...." Here she paused to press her lips against his forehead. "It's late afternoon, darling....Evening would be the better term to use..."
 
The fingers in his hair and the kiss on his head were both pleasant sensations that helped Kris become more aware of the waking world but still soothed him. He wouldn't mind staying like this for quite a while. But when her sweet voice filled his ears, her words weren't what he expected. His eyes opened and his expression shifted to something that was half embarrassment, half puzzlement. He was...yes. He was on a grassy field in the middle of a sunny afternoon. They'd just had a picnic, and if her words were to be believed, he'd been muttering things as he slept. He blushed a little when she kissed him again. "Arright, arright. Evenin'." He grunted as he pushed himself up on one elbow. His other hand went to his face in a gesture of shame before he could stop it, though he did turn it into a run of his fingers through his hair after a second in a halfhearted attempt to look casual. "Hoo boy. So what nonsense have I been spouting this time? Last girl I did that around reported something about 'marshmallow monkeys.' Have I entertained you similarly at the cost of my dignity?"
 
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