An: Here's the new installment. Leave your words and tell me what you think. :)
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The ground was covered in frost as she emerged from her hut. Her breath condensed before her lips, as the steam from the small bowl cupped in her hand quickly disappeared into the frigid air. She moved quickly; grumbling to herself at the short amount of time it took for her body to begin shivering. The wind brushed through her hair, and the humidity in the air made the air around her thicker. The rolling skies above her were dark, and she knew it was just a matter of time that snow began to litter the ground.
The sanctuary circling the sleeping Englishman was surprisingly warm despite the chilly air outside. The fire in the middle of the hut had died to cinders, and with a small smile, she softly poked them to life, before she sat down beside his sleeping body. She smiled as she looked over his peaceful face, before she sucked in a final rueful sigh, and reached out to softly touch his face.
But before their skin made contact, Seeley's hand rose to softly grasp her wrist. A smile stretched over his lips, and a soft chuckle left his throat as he let his fingers creep up her palm, until they laced with her own. "Watching me while I sleep Miss Temperance?" he asked, his eyes remaining closed, even as their fingers brushed together softly.
"Not necessarily," she said truthfully, holding the cup closer to him, and allowing the honey scented tea to drift under his nose. "I brought you some herbal tea. I had noticed walking back to the village that you walk quite stiffly for a young man. I'm sure the hard ground, and cold weather isn't helping. The herbs I placed in here will help relax your muscles, and take away some of the pain."
"Wow," he grumbled, sitting up and softly rubbing at a knot in his lower back. "How exactly did you notice that? No one else seems to see it."
"Really? I can notice it easily," her hands reached out as she spoke, and her dainty fingers pressed into a tense spot in his back, instantly letting the pain flood away. "You probably hurt your back doing heavy duty construction work."
"Eh, it isn't going to kill me," he smiled, sipping at the tea she gave him, while her fingers worked against his back. "What's a little pain really?"
"Enough to make you very uncomfortable," she stated, smirking and letting her warmed hand sneak under his shirt to settle against his lower back. He jumped at the contact of their skin but then instantly relaxed, groaning softly as her palm rubbed back and forth against his toned muscles. He felt his insides warming from the tea he was drinking, and as the fire beside them started to grow into a hearty flame he stretched his hands over his head, and sighed as his body fell back and sank into the array of blankets and pillows he was sleeping on.
"Well, I have to disagree. I find that know I am very comfortable."
"Yes, after I helped get rid of some of the pain."
"But if I never had the pain in the first place, there wouldn't be any reason for you to have given me the massage you just did," he reasoned, tilting his head slightly and smiling a soft smile.
"I suppose," she agreed, laughing quietly as he reached out and turned over her hand. His fingers traced across the small cuts on her palms, and instantly his smile turned down.
"You were out cutting the reeds already?" he asked, tracing the thin red lines on her skin with a tender finger. "It's early Temperance. You should have been sleeping."
"I slept for a short while," she explained, watching as his touch soothed the soft sting of her cuts. "But, I woke up a couple…hours, before sunrise, and couldn't get back to sleep. I just decided to get to work, and try and do as much as possible, so I won't inconvenience the others I'm going to ask to help. I actually, got a considerable amount done for the short time I was working."
"Why didn't you just come over here?" he whispered. "I thought you found my voice soothing."
"I do," she laughed, shaking her head at his cocky smile. "But, I refused to wake you. Besides, now you can show up to your camp earlier and get in less trouble than if you strolled in at night. Trust me…I have much experience on the matter."
"I'm sure," Seeley chuckled, his eyes once again going to the cuts across her hand. "Did you have these checked out? I don't want them to get infected."
"I put something on them," Temperance whispered, smiling softly at him. "Don't worry about me so much. I can take care of myself."
"I know you can," he assured, sitting up and tearing a piece of fabric from the sleeve of his shirt. His hand cradled her own, and with quick fingers, he covered her wounds. He tied the fabric behind her hand, and once she was bandaged, he pressed his lips against her palm. "But, everyone needs someone to worry about them. If not, then how do we know people care?"
Her muscles contracted in her abdomen, and she felt a soft flutter steal her breath. Her gasp was audible, but it was soft, and wasn't noticed over the cracking of the fire behind her. A soft shiver graced her spine, and once his warm, chocolate eyes locked with her own, she felt at a loss for words. The touch of his lips against her hand was extremely intimate, and that fact scared the shit out of her. She had met this man only days before, and it seemed that a full fledged relationship that could only be conjured after years of knowing each other blossomed over night. Thankfully though, he seemed to have gotten the hint, and he let her hand fall into her lap.
"Temperance, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she assured, her lies feeling sour on her tongue.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I…there…there's just…more meaning to me, behind your words than you probably know."
"You know you can talk to me."
"I'm aware," she muttered, softly shivering as his hand once again reached out and touched her forearm. "But…I...I'm, I don't think I can talk about it now."
"Then I won't push you," he promised, softly brushing his thumb against her smooth skin. "But I also don't want you to feel uncomfortable. Are you going to be alright?"
"I'll be fine," she whispered, covering his hand with her own. "I just…I should probably go. I need to go find some others to help me so you can return home. I'm sure you're missed."
"Temperance-"
"It's alright, Seeley," she muttered, easily rising to her feet and letting his hand fall from her arm. "When the hunting horns are blown, it would be wise for you to wake. By then, we should have the last of the reeds harvested, and settled near your village," she explained, moving towards the opening of the hut, and smiling once more before she slipped out, and disappeared.
~*~*B+B*~*~
"Temperance!" Angela yelled, as she saw her friend leave the hut she was in. "Tempe, I have to talk to you."
"What is it Ange?" she asked, her arms crossing over her chest to try and ward off the cold. "Is everything alright?"
"No," she muttered, reaching out and softly cupping her friend's elbows. "Temperance, I've been trying to find you for the past two days, but I could never catch you. I feel horrible about what I said to you, and I have no idea what came over me to make me say it. I'm sorry. I've insulted you, and a whole other group of people that I know nothing about. I know how you feel about matters like that, and I would understand if you were still mad at me, but…I needed to apologize."
"Angela," Temperance whispered, laughing and shaking her head. "It's fine. I forgive you. I can understand your fear towards unknown people. I should apologize for being so harsh. Ange, I'm sorry."
"You're crazy if you think any of this is your fault," she laughed, narrowing her eyes when she noticed the fabric wrapped around her hand. "What is that?"
"A bandage," she explained, tilting her palm towards her friend. "Seeley wrapped it for me because he was scared that the cuts were going to get infected."
"Seeley? Is that what that Englishman's name is? And why was he wrapping your hand? That just…doesn't seem right."
"I…I don't wanna talk about it Angela," she breathed. "But, I do need some help. Mind coming with my to harvest the last of the reeds that are lining the shore?"
"Sure, but…why are you harvesting them at this time of year?"
"To help Seeley," she explained, holding her hand up when her friend's mouth opened to speak once again. "Please, don't ask."
"Alright…well, I'll go get a couple blankets to keep us warm before we leave."
"Okay, meet me at the stables. We'll need the horses to help carry them towards his village."
"Alright, but Sweetie," she called, stilling her friend in her pursuit towards the woods. "Don't think you'll get away with not explaining everything to me."
"Angela, I know better than anyone that I would never get that liberty."
~*~*B+B*~*~
"Wow, you really didn't have to do all this," Seeley whispered, keeping his voice down and glancing nervously towards the minutemen standing guard around the city gates. "But, it certainly will get me out of trouble."
"Yes, it will," Temperance returned, tying tight the last piece of rope that held the bundle of off yellow reeds together. "I'm sorry that you're still going to get in trouble though."
"Well maybe if I'm smug enough I won't get that much heat," he smiled, settling his hand against one of the bundles. "I talked to your father. He wants us to continue these lessons, but I don't know how much trouble I'll be in for leaving, nor do I know how I'll be able to sneak away without getting caught."
"Say you're going fishing," she suggested. "I can take you to a fresh water pond that doesn't freeze during this time of year. The earth keeps the temperatures up high enough, and it attracts the fish from the other water ways. It's full of them, and you'll never come up empty handed. We can have our lessons there while we figure out another cover."
"You…you're a genius," he smiled, admiring the intelligence this sweet, beautiful women had. "Is there anything you can't do?"
"Yes, hear your thoughts," she teased, laughing softly and covering her mouth when she caught one of the guards looking in their direction. She remained still, and once he looked away, she slid a small charm from around her neck. She handed it to him, and he smiled as he looked over the small horn, that was carved out of bone. "Everyone in my village has one of these," she explained. "That's why you hear them all the time. They're used to call attention to anyone who is supposedly out in the woods. They all have different pitches, and I will easily be able to tell mine. If you blow into this three times, once you get to the oak tree we were at yesterday, I will hear it, and meet you there."
"Alright," he agreed, sliding the charm onto his neck, and tucking it into his shirt so that it couldn't be seen. "I will try and sneak out when I can, and please apologize to your father if I can't keep the original time for our meetings. It's a little bit harder to keep a schedule when you're sneaking around."
"Why can't we tell your leader?"
"Because he'll want proof, and he's a man that leads with his gun forward. If we are to do this, you are going to be the one to proposition him, not your father," he confessed, nodding when he noticed her eyes widening. "Exactly, and as of right now, you aren't confident in speaking English to anyone other than me."
"I'm…I'm comfortable with you," she whispered, reaching up to nervously brush a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.
"I know," he smirked. "But, Cullen is a very intimidating man, and I could tell you were slightly nervous just talking to my brother. We need to work on your confidence before we tell him anything, and until then he will know nothing. I'm not going to throw you into his quarters without you being ready. I'm not risking your life, or the life of your tribe. I don't care how much trouble I get in along the way, or how much work I have to make up for it."
She smiled softly at his words, and her hand moved to press against her stomach to quell the heat boiling in her blood. The passion in his words was enough to send that flutter to her stomach once again, and luckily a chilly brush of wind rose gooseflesh to her arms, and that heat died. "What should I do in the mean time? When you aren't here to teach me."
"Try and teach a friend of yours English," he muttered. "If you do that, you'll gain confidence, because you know the language well enough to teach someone else. And it will also help your tribe. The more people that understand English, the stronger the bond between our two people can be."
"Who is there?" one of the guards asked, hearing their voices carry with the wind.
"Shit," he grumbled, standing up and blocking Temperance from their view. "Run," he ordered. "I will try and meet you as soon as I can."
"Alright," she whispered, standing behind him and softly touching his back. "Be safe," she ordered, before she glanced up and climbed into the coloring trees, easily making her way away from the camp without making a sound.
"It's me Grayson," Seeley called out, throwing three of the bundles out into their view. "Mind helping me get all this inside?"
"Is this where you've been for the past few days Seel?" Grayson asked, hooking his grubby fingers into the ropes circling the bundles.
"Yeah," he lied easily, throwing the last six of the bundles into their view. "Carry those to Cullen; since I'm sure he's pissed I've been gone."
"Damn right Seeley. You're going to get your ass kicked."
He grumbled and looked over his shoulder, smiling when he easily spotted Temperance's auburn hair brushing over her face. She smiled at him, and brought one of her hands up from the mane of the chocolate colored horse she was perched on. Her fingers rose to her lips, and a soft whistle rose into the air, hardly even heard to his untrained ears. But even so, he got the hint, and his fingers took up the horn resting against his heart. He blew into it, and smiled at the whispy sound that brushed through it. The horn perfectly mimicked her whistle, and with a final blink of her eyes, and quirk of her lips, she turned her horse towards her village, and road away.
"That doesn't matter Grayson…" he whispered to empty air, knowing that the guards were deep in the heart of their camp by now. "The days I have wasted were worthwhile…I promise."
