Eagle has heard your pleading cry! So one more chapter for Progress!
"What would you like to do today?" Numair asked, and Daine shrugged.
He sighed. Of course his only one true love wouldn't be a morning person, either.
"We could go into the city when the king makes his rounds. I hear Greentree has a lot of nice bookstores."
Daine gave Numair a look in the mirror. She rinsed out her mouth and put her teeth-cleaning things away.
"Or we could...stay in the tent? Oh. Um, alright. We could...um...go for a ride?"
Daine's expresion changed completely.
"Really?"
Numair bit his lip. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had been dragging Daine into every book store in sight the last few weeks..
"If that's what you really want to do, magelet."
She danced over to him and kissed his cheek.
"Say it again," she whispered.
"Magelet, will you come on a ride with me," he re-qouted.
She giggled. "Again."
"Magelet, will you come on a ride with me?"
"One more time."
"Daine.." he started, but she coved his mouth.
"Remember our deal? I stay happy at day...you stay happy at night..."
He sighed and swepped her off her feet and into his arms.
"My darling, georgous magelet. Will you do me so great a honor as to accompany me on a ride this beautiful late-summer afternoon?"
She giggled again and kissed his cheek.
"You will be a very happy man tonight."
They started their ride not long after. Daine made sure they packed a lunch so Numair would have no excuse to go back early. The late summer air was wonderful in North-east Tortall. They were staying in a valley surrounded by foothillls and thick, shady forests. The air was warm and the breezes cool, making this afternoon even more wonderful. Daine led where the path through the forests were thin and when they where wide enough for two horses they would ride side by side, hand in hand. They didn't talk very much; but it was a comfortable silence. They enjoyed just being with each other.
Numair looked up at the sun.
"It's about one-afternoon. Would you like to eat?"
Daine nodded at stood up in her stirrups to have a better view.
"I think there's a clearing up ahead."
They came around the turn in the rocks and stopped. The clearing was beautiful. On the farthest side was a clear pool with a small waterfall rushing into it. Green grass surrounded the pool; in some places it was short, eaten away by animals, in other's it was as tall as Numair's hip.
"Wonderful job, magelet," Numair said quietly.
He got out of the saddle and handed Spots over to Daine, then set out their lunch while she untacked the horses.
That done, Daine came and sat down with him in the tall grass. They ate in their comfortable silence again, until Numair remembered something.
"Do you know what today is, magelet?"
She thought for a minute.
"August the 5th?"
"Well, yes. But something else."
"Is it one of our strange anniversaries?"
Numair chuckled. "Do you know which one?"
"August the 5th..August the...5th...Oh! Our frist kiss right?"
Numair smiled wider. "Yes."
Daine laid back in the grass with him.
"Seven years," she whispered.
He look over at her. When their eyes met Daine felt a warm chill run through her body. He leaned a little closer, putting his magicless spell on her. Her breath came short in her lungs now; just like it had seven years ago.
I swear, Cloud, if you make one comment I will kill you! Cloud gave no reply, but she knew she had heard.
Numair cupped her cheek and gently kissed her lips. He let his fingers trace up her side, her tunic coming with it. They pulled away when he took it over her head, and Daine pushed him down in the grass. She wanted to undress him a quikly as possible, but she made herself have control. Slow and playful was what he liked. Slow and playful. She took off his tunic. Then he pushed her down in the grass, and slowly started to undo the buttons of her shirt. Once her shirt was off they sat up. She undid the laces at the top of his shirt and then undid them all. The warm chill was now and loud ache in every part of her body. Then he took off her breast band and kissed her chest gently. She lost it then, and let him slowly ease her back into the grass.
Numair rolled off of her with a grunt. They laid there for a long moment, trying to get their heavy breathing under control. Daine didn't know how long they laid in the tall, green grass; but he startled her out of a foggy sleep when he streched.
"We should go back. You know how the herd gets." He rolled his eyes.
She smiled and they helped each other get dressed.
Daine thought over the afternoon as they rode back.
"You planned that, didn't you?"
Numair, startled from his own thoughts, looked up in suprise.
"You planned us doing that in that clearing today! For our anniversary!"
Numair laughed.
"Magelet, I had no intention of that happening. I was going to wait until tonight to...well, never mind."
"What?"
He sighed.
"I was going to rent us a suite in the inn tonight."
"Really?"
He nodded.
"Why can't we still?"
He looked at her.
"Well I thought after this afternoon you wouldn't want to. It was going to be a suprise, anyway."
"But I want to! And don't worry, I'll act suprised."
Numair rolled his eyes.
"I really wasn't planning for that to happen this afternoon. Besides," he lifted his chin, "spurts of greatness can't be planned."
Daine kicked him in the leg.
Once they got back Numair went to reserve the room. Daine settled on packing their things. She also decided someone should know where they were tonight.
"Alanna," Daine called through the tent wall. "Can I come in?"
Alanna's squire, Neal, was at the tent flap at once, holding it open for her.
"How are you today, Daine?"
She knew he had liked her when he was younger; and now his old habits were dying hard.
"Great," she said, and came into the main tent. Alanna was at a small desk and George was standing near, leaning against the support beam. She was greeted by them both and they talked for a little while.
"Did you want something, Daine?" Alanna asked once they had finished their conversation.
"Well, acually, I wanted to let someone know me and Numair wouldn't be here tonight. He's renting us a room at the inn for one of his strange anniversirys." Daine rolled her eyes.
"Really," Alanna asked, and looked out of the corner of her eye at George. He ducked his head at stood strait.
"Come on, boy. I want to show you somethin'," he said and Neal followed his quik pace out of the room. Daine decided there was a story behind that she would hear later.
"Well," Alanna sat up, "I'll tell everyone that you and Numair rented a room for your anniversiry."
"No! Don't tell them that!" Daine exclaimed, and Alanna chuckled.
"I'm joking. No one will even know your gone tonight."
Daine streched and moved to lay on Numair's chest. He put his arms thight around her and took a deep breath of her hair.
"You smell great," he whispered.
"Um...thanks?"
"It's a compliment," he assurded her. "Only two weeks until we start to go home."
"Mmmm..our own bed."
"Our own bath."
"Our own chairs,"
"Our own chamberpot."
Daine laughed and kissed him gently.
"We might as well be married, we act like it." She traced lines on his chest. "And fight like it."
He smiled and played with her hair. "But when we fight we make up. And we do a very good job, too."
He cupped her chin and lifted her face to look into her eyes.
"Marry me, please."
She sighed and kissed him again.
"I promise you that I will say yes to marrying you by our...tenth anniversary."
"Ninth," he said stubbornly.
She sighed. "Ninth, then."
"Do you swear?"
She kissed him again, putting all of her passion into it.
"I swear."