Castle Anvard [Christmas Eve]
"I fail to see why I must be blinded for this," Aravis said, closing her eyes and feeling the strange brush of her lashes against the fabric tied there. Cor's hand was strong on her back, guiding her gently.
"That is because you've never been good at surprises," he replied, his voice warm in her ear.
Aravis smiled a bit, her hands out in front of her just in case she tripped. "I'll have you know that I am wonderful with surprises. I've not even attempted to discover what sort of gifts I might be getting. I've been perfectly patient."
"You only arrived yesterday," Cor pointed out, and Aravis felt him take one of her hands in his free one just as the ground beneath her slipper went from smooth and dry to wet and cold. "You've not had time to sneak about, my lady."
"Well." That was true. Aravis was more concerned, in a quiet corner of her mind, with his hands on her. "If you want to look at it that way, I can't stop you."
"It's the only way to look at it!" Cor laughed, his voice coming from somewhere beside her left ear. "I know you, and I know that had you come any earlier, you'd have found all your gifts and poorly feigned surprise come tomorrow morning."
"I would have feigned it beautifully," Aravis protested, smirking in spite of herself.
"Probably, but you do most things that way."
Aravis was actually momentarily at a loss for words, a blush lighting up her cheeks instead.
Fortunately, she didn't have to think of anything to say. "Here we are. Now, watch your step, my lady." Cor's hand -- unexpectedly large that it was -- encircled her waist, helping her over a step as she stumbled slightly.
"May I remove my blind, then?" she asked, and even Aravis wouldn't pretend she wasn't impatient now. She could tell they were in the stable -- any fool could tell that, blindfolded or not -- but she wasn't sure why.
"Allow me, Aravis." Cor almost sounded gentle -- she refused to believe that the tenderness she heard wasn't only in her head, and for that matter, she didn't want to think about why she might be imagining that sort of thing -- and the next thing she knew, he was carefully unknotting the strip of fabric. She could feel dextrous fingers lifting individual curls to make sure there was no tangling, and then a rush of cool air swept over her face.
Aravis was greeted by the most unexpected gift she could have anticipated. Before her, propped against a wall, was a beautiful wooden shield with green detailwork. Beside it sat a pair of tiny, leather arm bracers and a matching sling for her sword.
Aravis stared.
"Do you like it?" Cor was looking fairly apprehensive when she finally turned to him, her eyes wide. "I had it all made for you earlier, after visiting you -- you've got that sword, but nothing to protect you, and really, I'd get you armor, too, but I wasn't sure what you would like, and -- " He babbled, and Aravis found herself smiling slowly as she watched his nervousness come over him.
It was cute. She allowed herself the thought. He was cute.
"It's perfect," she finally interrupted, softly.
Cor stopped, looking down at her. "You are not just saying that?" he asked quietly.
"No." Aravis was suddenly very aware of how close they were still, and this time, her anxiety took over and she moved over to the shield. "No, it's lovely. And solid!"
"And just your size," Cor added, coming to kneel beside her as Aravis moved a hand down over the intricate designs of the woodwork. She could hear the smile in his voice even before she looked at him.
"Hush," she said, beaming up at him. He was getting so tall. She still had to tilt her head slightly to meet his eyes.
"About what? How you're small?" he teased, grinning at her.
Having him beside her here on the ground, close to her, was dangerous. She was always so conscious of their closeness these days, but this put him where she could nearly feel his breath.
"Yes. Hush, you." She could count his freckles, and amongst them, she saw the faintest marks of stubble. Cor was growing out of his sandy-haired boyhood and into a king's skin.
"Or what? Will you hit me? Again? Aravis, really, I'm used to threats and beatings by now, between you and Corin."
And honestly, she couldn't even deny it to herself any longer. It was tiring, pretending that she didn't feel whatever this might be. They were more than a boy and a girl who'd once crossed a desert, and this was bigger than them.
Aravis could spend her life in delusion, or she could act now.
"Just hush."
And that was when her mind, along with her nerves, left her, and Aravis changed their lives forever. She reached her hands up to clasp Cor's face, and kissed him.
She shivered inside her cloak as Cor's breath sharply grazed her cheek in one swift note of surprise, and for an instant, her heart stopped. Aravis had always been brash. This time, she may have ruined it all.
That fear was allayed less than a second later, when Cor's hand fumbled up to the small of her back. Aravis melted with relief, pressing a little closer (though she remembered that she was a lady just in time.)
It felt like it went on forever. Aravis didn't think, or move, or feel anything but Cor. When he finally broke the kiss, Cor's forehead pressed into hers, and both of them were breathing heavily.
"...thank you for not hitting me," he finally murmured.
Aravis had to laugh. There was no other option. "I wasn't going to. Thank you, um, for the gifts."
"Thank you," Cor said, moving back just enough to meet her eye, "for being braver than I."
She smiled softly at him, feeling gratified and warm and...like she knew what she wanted, at least for now. "Any time."
Cor moved closer again, and Aravis just had time to whisper, "Happy Christmas."
She didn't know what she wanted forever, or even next month, or next week. But right now, everything felt all right, for the first time in a long, long while.
[here, have some Christmas schmoop. :) NFI, NFB, but OOC is welcome as always.]
"That is because you've never been good at surprises," he replied, his voice warm in her ear.
Aravis smiled a bit, her hands out in front of her just in case she tripped. "I'll have you know that I am wonderful with surprises. I've not even attempted to discover what sort of gifts I might be getting. I've been perfectly patient."
"You only arrived yesterday," Cor pointed out, and Aravis felt him take one of her hands in his free one just as the ground beneath her slipper went from smooth and dry to wet and cold. "You've not had time to sneak about, my lady."
"Well." That was true. Aravis was more concerned, in a quiet corner of her mind, with his hands on her. "If you want to look at it that way, I can't stop you."
"It's the only way to look at it!" Cor laughed, his voice coming from somewhere beside her left ear. "I know you, and I know that had you come any earlier, you'd have found all your gifts and poorly feigned surprise come tomorrow morning."
"I would have feigned it beautifully," Aravis protested, smirking in spite of herself.
"Probably, but you do most things that way."
Aravis was actually momentarily at a loss for words, a blush lighting up her cheeks instead.
Fortunately, she didn't have to think of anything to say. "Here we are. Now, watch your step, my lady." Cor's hand -- unexpectedly large that it was -- encircled her waist, helping her over a step as she stumbled slightly.
"May I remove my blind, then?" she asked, and even Aravis wouldn't pretend she wasn't impatient now. She could tell they were in the stable -- any fool could tell that, blindfolded or not -- but she wasn't sure why.
"Allow me, Aravis." Cor almost sounded gentle -- she refused to believe that the tenderness she heard wasn't only in her head, and for that matter, she didn't want to think about why she might be imagining that sort of thing -- and the next thing she knew, he was carefully unknotting the strip of fabric. She could feel dextrous fingers lifting individual curls to make sure there was no tangling, and then a rush of cool air swept over her face.
Aravis was greeted by the most unexpected gift she could have anticipated. Before her, propped against a wall, was a beautiful wooden shield with green detailwork. Beside it sat a pair of tiny, leather arm bracers and a matching sling for her sword.
Aravis stared.
"Do you like it?" Cor was looking fairly apprehensive when she finally turned to him, her eyes wide. "I had it all made for you earlier, after visiting you -- you've got that sword, but nothing to protect you, and really, I'd get you armor, too, but I wasn't sure what you would like, and -- " He babbled, and Aravis found herself smiling slowly as she watched his nervousness come over him.
It was cute. She allowed herself the thought. He was cute.
"It's perfect," she finally interrupted, softly.
Cor stopped, looking down at her. "You are not just saying that?" he asked quietly.
"No." Aravis was suddenly very aware of how close they were still, and this time, her anxiety took over and she moved over to the shield. "No, it's lovely. And solid!"
"And just your size," Cor added, coming to kneel beside her as Aravis moved a hand down over the intricate designs of the woodwork. She could hear the smile in his voice even before she looked at him.
"Hush," she said, beaming up at him. He was getting so tall. She still had to tilt her head slightly to meet his eyes.
"About what? How you're small?" he teased, grinning at her.
Having him beside her here on the ground, close to her, was dangerous. She was always so conscious of their closeness these days, but this put him where she could nearly feel his breath.
"Yes. Hush, you." She could count his freckles, and amongst them, she saw the faintest marks of stubble. Cor was growing out of his sandy-haired boyhood and into a king's skin.
"Or what? Will you hit me? Again? Aravis, really, I'm used to threats and beatings by now, between you and Corin."
And honestly, she couldn't even deny it to herself any longer. It was tiring, pretending that she didn't feel whatever this might be. They were more than a boy and a girl who'd once crossed a desert, and this was bigger than them.
Aravis could spend her life in delusion, or she could act now.
"Just hush."
And that was when her mind, along with her nerves, left her, and Aravis changed their lives forever. She reached her hands up to clasp Cor's face, and kissed him.
She shivered inside her cloak as Cor's breath sharply grazed her cheek in one swift note of surprise, and for an instant, her heart stopped. Aravis had always been brash. This time, she may have ruined it all.
That fear was allayed less than a second later, when Cor's hand fumbled up to the small of her back. Aravis melted with relief, pressing a little closer (though she remembered that she was a lady just in time.)
It felt like it went on forever. Aravis didn't think, or move, or feel anything but Cor. When he finally broke the kiss, Cor's forehead pressed into hers, and both of them were breathing heavily.
"...thank you for not hitting me," he finally murmured.
Aravis had to laugh. There was no other option. "I wasn't going to. Thank you, um, for the gifts."
"Thank you," Cor said, moving back just enough to meet her eye, "for being braver than I."
She smiled softly at him, feeling gratified and warm and...like she knew what she wanted, at least for now. "Any time."
Cor moved closer again, and Aravis just had time to whisper, "Happy Christmas."
She didn't know what she wanted forever, or even next month, or next week. But right now, everything felt all right, for the first time in a long, long while.
[here, have some Christmas schmoop. :) NFI, NFB, but OOC is welcome as always.]