This is just a preview to what the finished chapter will be! I decided to post this so you will at least have something, even though it's just a little shred.
The reason there isn't more yet is that I've had to take a break from writing for the last weeks. Work has been harsh due to pregnancies, vacations and sick-leaves in the team and my girlfriend deserves attention as well. Plus, whenever I tried to sit down to write, either nothing came out or I was unhappy with its mediocrity.
So, in short, I decided to give my creativity a little rest, since it has now been working near constantly for more than a year.
I won't stop alltogether, so don't worry. I have no plans to abbandon this project, it WILL get finished. Maybe I'll upload these shorter "Episodes" whenever I'm finished with 'em, or once I'm done with all of them, I don't know yet... Feel free to tell me what you'd prefer!
So, I ask for your patience as my muse is having her well deserved vacation...
Episodes from Rito Village: The Relativity of Soreness
Zelda
She surfaced slowly from the thick treacle of slumber, just enough for her head to allow the simplest thoughts.
I'm warm… good.
I'm comfy… good!
I'm draped halfway on the most wonderful pillow imaginable… perfect!
A tiny, sleepy smile stole on her face as she enjoyed the gentle up and down of his slow, deep breathing, her head nestled somewhere between his shoulder and chest. Her arm was slung around his waist and her leg felt so intricately intertwined with his that she wouldn't be surprised to see them having formed a knot.
…not the only knot they had managed within the last few hours, she thought, and her treacherous lips twisted into a decidedly mischievous grin.
Judging by the light that crept through her still firmly closed eyes, daytime must have arrived some hours prior… but it was no wonder they were still quite deeply stuck into the delightful mire of sleep.
She couldn't count… how often…
Already she could predict that every single muscle she had would be sore… but, without a doubt, in the best possible way. It made her feel bubbly and alive, even as she had that delicious tiredness of the righteous… Her body heavy and sated and relaxed in the same way her mind was floating, radiant, lighter than air…
It was, possibly, the most magnificent feeling in the whole wide world… and, she reflected, during last night alone, there had been quite a few contenders for that praiseworthy title.
Hmm… she hadn't noticed it till now, but there was a completely unique array of impressions around, always just at the edge of conscious thought… Maybe that was why, teetering on the edge of oblivion as she still was, she only noted them now…
An incredibly low creak, hardly more than the faintest, slow vibration tickled her ear, undoubtedly caused by the enormous lengths of wood bending in the wind…
A background hubbub of melodious voices, interspersed with the flapping of large wings, sometimes fast, other times slow…
A near unbroken soft breeze, never certain, always changing direction or strength, swirling in such a playful manner it reminded her of a child's gleeful first strokes of a paintbrush…
Lastly a barely noticeable, incredibly gentle swaying, so slight that one couldn't even ascertain its direction, only just strong enough to be perceived at all… almost as if the mighty branches of the Tree were rocking all of its children in the powerful, unfailing arms of a father… It almost dizzied her, now that she had become savvy of it, so instead she once again focussed on the more grounding rocking she received from her beloved's steady breath.
His hand twitched on her waist… she hadn't even noticed it being there before, so lost in comfort she was. His palm was on her midriff, his fingers already dangerously on her hip or even that tiny bit past.
…It could stay there, that's where it belonged in her mind.
She could tell by his breathing that he too was nearing consciousness… Part of her hoped they could both just drift back under, entangled as they were, sharing this marvellously restful sleep a little longer… bask in each other's warmth, enjoy the feel of skin on skin… Then again, she also couldn't wait to watch him awake, catch that adorable, still slightly sheepish smile he always awarded her when she was the first thing he saw…
For the first time since waking up she moved, craning her head weirdly so she could maintain her lovely position as much as possible and still gaze at his face.
Goodness, she liked looking at him when he slept… which, she reflected, was maybe a tad strange. 'Well, what about you do you consider normal, pray tell?' her always pleasant inner voice questioned. Not much she could reply to that, mostly because she refused to have a rather personal discussion with someone so nasty or someone so, well, herself… It sounded like the epitome of lunacy…
Then again, why shouldn't she like to watch him slumber?! At what other time could she hope to catch a glimpse of his infuriatingly handsome face in such a smooth, peaceful state? Always he had to worry, always there had to be lines of thought, planning and tactics on his features… And even though she adored the intensity in his eyes and the stern curve of his preoccupied brow, she always hoped he would be able to show her genuine serenity and freedom marking his expression.
Grudgingly she had come to accept that he gladly troubled himself on her behalf, enjoying it even to some extent… But still!
…It wasn't as if she was any different… He'd probably rather see her carefree self more too, she reflected… Not something she was, genuinely, often… carefree…
…Did he watch her when she slept, too? Usually, when they were underway, he was the first to awake… Had he, at some points, just lain there gazing at her slumbering form like she was doing now? She couldn't quite picture him doing something so… foolish? Then again… Bah, she couldn't say. Boys were hard to understand.
He made a face, his nose scrunched up and his mouth twisted to the side. Something obviously tickled him around his upper lip, causing him to demonstrate the most delightfully silly expressions as his helplessly asleep mind tried desperately to deal with the intruding itch.
Feeling a bit mischievous she very carefully brought her finger towards his face and gently scratched what she assumed was the offending spot. The sigh that resulted was the most heartfelt purr of relief she had ever heard. A fit of giggles rocked through her chest, forcing her to bite on her lips to keep herself from making any sound.
She failed.
A particularly undignified snort escaped her, finally pulling her previously so terribly vexed beloved from the last vestiges of slumber with a slightly alarmed "Phweh?"
His eyes found her, the quaking bundle of idiotic giggles draped across him, and the second of utter befuddlement portrayed on his features finally sent her flying mercilessly into spasms of squeaking laughter.
Previously she had pined for the amorous look she hoped he would throw her… Now she had to admit that his hopelessly-lost-in-confusion-expression was possibly an even greater treat.
"What? What are you…? What's so funny?!" he wanted to know in increasing volume, torn between indignation and the spreading infection of her giggles. She tried to hold back, stop the convulsions of merriment for a moment… She might as well try to stop an avalanche! It burst forth in even greater strength, a tiny spray of royal spit exploding from her lips, causing her ever increasingly bemused knight to duck away… Normally a faux pas that would have chilled her well-bred bones at the mere thought… now, completely and wonderfully free of caring for once, she only laughed louder.
Link, to her adoration, simply wiped his face with a slow, exaggerated gesture of her risible ejaculation and then indulgently wiped off his hand on her shoulder. "What. On. Earth are you-" he chuckled, but got no further. Her face smashed into his, kissing him with all the radiant intensity of a free spirit, still giggling as her lips softly nuzzled his. She vowed she would never tell him what caused her strange outburst, simply to tease him! Truth be told, she couldn't even remember any more and cared even less!
After untold minutes, hours maybe, of cuddling, caressing and kissing, always asking each other wordlessly for just a few more moments, Link finally crawled out of bed with a longing look back.
Subconsciously she wrapped herself in the thin blanket before realizing how foolish that was… By now he had probably seen every centimetre of her anyway, so why the bashful hiding? Besides, it wasn't like she didn't, right at this moment, stare shamelessly at his cute, firm rear as he went to pick up something to cover up… unfortunately… As she watched him, she noticed his slightly shy glances back at her and the rising red on his cheeks as he delivered this very welcome show of his nudity for her… She had to smile. For all his strength, he was just as insecure as she was in some matters… What fools they both were!
Thankfully, she had been wise enough to close all the shutters yesterday night, so they were both well shielded from prying eyes…
Link, his modesty restored from her prying eyes, the most delicate parts at least, slinked to one of the windows and pushed open the shutters, causing a veritable influx of fresh air that pleasantly chilled Zelda's skin. She watched him for another minute, standing straight against the bright sky, his strong back and arms moving slowly, elegantly as he fixed the sun-blinds in place and rested on the sill, his hair waving gently in the breeze… beautiful like a young god…
Unable to resist, she wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and stood up, her muscles protesting as she had expected they would. Soft footed to the point of soundlessness she snuck up behind him, then wrapped the piece of cloth that was currently the only thing that prevented everything about her going public around him too, snaking her arms around his chest so she could press herself against his back, skin to skin. Judging from the tiny jump he made, she had actually managed to remain undetected… not a small feat even if he was completely lost in thought, and one that brought a victorious grin to her lips.
They stood for a while, she gently caressing his chest and softly kissing his back and shoulder, he locked tightly in her arms, leaning slightly back, slowly relaxing under her ministrations. He felt hot against her, as did she. She wouldn't be surprised to see a cloud of steam wafting from them into the cool, lofty air... A testament to all the passionate lovemaking they had done…
"How are you feeling, sweetling?" he asked, turning his head away from the gorgeous landscape to gaze back at her.
His deep blue eye watched her sidelong and he smiled that magnificent marvel of a grin, allowing only for one answer. "Wonderful…" she whispered half into his shoulder, deeply enjoying the little wave of goosebumps he got upon feeling her breath. "And everything hurts! How dare you treat a princess this horrible way?!" she joked as she playfully bit his skin and giggled.
"You're right, I don't know what came over me… some she-devil must have taken my soul and ridden me to insanity, clearly!" he replied with an almost criminally impish grin gracing his face. That poorly veiled double entendre deserved another little bite, she decided… a tad fiercer. The way he squirmed to escape her provided a certain sweet satisfaction… enough to place a healing kiss on the spot she just devoured.
"I'm a little sore too, I have to admit…" he confessed in an almost apologetic voice, shooting her an unsure glance… As if she might think any less of him if he admitted that he, too, was vulnerable… Dummy!
Careful not to drop the blanket she grabbed him in a way that signalled for him to turn around to face her. They were standing belly to belly now, her arms still around him, one massaging the muscles of his shoulder, one idly playing with the seam of his undergarment… Even after all the energy they spent between each other, the sheer amount of electricity that seemed to be generated by their skin touching was breathtaking!
"Poor dear… so terribly pained!" she purred as the full gaze of his deep blue, smiling eyes nearly made her giddy. "Tell me where the bad she-devil hurt you!"
The roguish, positively scandalous grin that spread on his handsome face caused a shiver to crackle through her nerves. "There are quite a few spots… some of which I can't possibly show an innocent, well-bred girl such as yourself! I daren't even describe them for fear of causing your unblemished soul distress!" he smarmed shamelessly.
Zelda's eyes left his for a moment, searching for the next spot to bite. Sadly, he was quicker… His head darted forward, his lips firmly pressing against hers, immediately starting their wild, sensual play, dispelling any and all play-acted ire on the spot. In an instant she was lost in the magnificent sensation of their bodies wriggling and writhing in unison… She knew that reaction of her flesh… She knew his too, by now… She knew where it would lead them…
Oh dear… But then again… they weren't that sore, were they?
