A/N: Squay!!!! I got reviews, I got reviews, I got
reviews!!! ::does happy dance:: So, are ya ready for some
lemon? I've given you some fluff, and as they all say, lemon
and fluff make great lemon meringue pie! ; -) I'm not sure I
want to put too much lemon, because Touchstone's, well,
you'll see. : D
The two of them walked back up the stairs in silence, each content with their own thoughts. It seemed to take longer going up than it had going down, and the steps felt steeper to their feet. Sabriel reached out and grabbed Touchstone's hand, her cold fingers squeezing his warm and sweaty ones in a fierce grip. They smiled at each other, continuing their climb without a shared word. The open door to the foyer loomed ahead, bits of broken light falling on the staircase to mingle with the Charter made illumination on the walls. As they firmly shut the door behind them, Sabriel glanced at his face, hoping to see some unchecked emotion there. Nothing. She cursed softly, turned, and strode out into the orchard. What in the Nine Precincts was wrong with him? Storming through the trees, she let out an exasperated scream, punching the air with clenched fists. How could he be so blind to all the signals she was giving him? She was doing just what Ellimere and Sulyn and she had witnessed the older girls doing when they were younger, just what they had practiced with each other, bursting into fits of uncontrollable giggles at the absurdity of it all. The thought of them alone brought tears to her eyes. Sniffling, she sank down onto the mossy grass at the base of one of the apple trees. Nothing was working out the way she had planned it back at school. Her friends were dead, her father lost to the beckon of the Ninth Gate. And while she should have been off to the college or the university, she was here, in the Old Kingdom, the Abhorsen, fighting the Dead, or un-Dead, however you saw it. She hadn't asked for this damn job, she wasn't even certain that she wanted it. Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker? She groaned, frustrated at the fact that no matter how much or how little she wished for this to be happening, it was. Fate had chosen her to be the next Abhorsen, and the next Abhorsen she would be.
But Touchstone. He puzzled her beyond all belief. She was turning on all of her womanly charm, her wit, charisma. Why wasn't he responding to her? Was she not pretty enough to suite his tastes? It wasn't as if she could help the way she looked, it wasn't her fault if she was ugly! What was it that was making him so distant all of a sudden? What had made him so cold when she had kissed him? It seemed, now that the rush of everything was finally over, now that they were back at home, momentarily safe from all of the evils plaguing the Kingdom, that he wasn't certain how to act around her. But it wasn't like she knew how to behave with him, what to say, what to do or not do, how she should touch him, if she should touch him... the list went on forever! Well, if he wasn't going to act like anything had changed, then neither would she. They could just go on pretending that they were just traveling through the kingdom, that they didn't have responsibilities now to their people. Fine! If he wasn't going to acknowledge the chemistry between them, then she wouldn't either!
Touchstone stood alone in the hallway, dumbfounded by her manner. What had he done to get her in such a mood? When they kissed? He was trying to maintain his honor here, or what little he had left. He couldn't just go around kissing girls and fooling around with them and wooing them every single opportunity. He was King; he had a reputation to uphold! He knew that she loved him, at least a little bit. And she knew that he loved her back, more than he could ever hope to put into words. What did she expect from him?! He wasn't used to the way she was acting around him; girls had never been like this around him before. Women didn't throw themselves at men one minute, then become sweet, innocent and chaste the next. It simply didn't work that way! At least, it hadn't two hundred years ago.
How was he supposed to court Sabriel, the proper way for a man and a woman to become acquainted with each other, if they had completely different ideas about how it was to be gone about? It wasn't as if he could just ask her father's permission to court her, that would be just a little bit difficult. How was he supposed to go about asking for her hand in marriage if there was no one to ask? This wasn't as easy as she may think. Sure, he wanted more in their relationship, what man didn't? But it was improper for him to take advantage of her, to let her do things now that would ruin her reputation as Abhorsen in the years to come. If he was correct in his thinking, the ways of the Kingdom couldn't have changed all that much. It was common respect and courtesy, after all.
Yet, with all of his old fashioned ways of thought and action, Touchstone enjoyed this side of her personality. She was so wild, free, open. Not like the girls he had been with before, all stuffy and "By your leave". He liked the way she just did things on an impulse, not waiting for anyone's approval. It made him love her more because he knew that she would always keep him guessing, that they would never get stuck in a rut because of her spontaneity. And maybe, just maybe, he could ask her to marry him without her father's permission. It wasn't as if her father was here to ask, and if he was Touchstone was almost positive that the answer would be yes. The marriage would be hard, that was a certainty, but they could overcome that. As long as they had love for each other they could triumph over anything.
Dusk was beginning to settle over Abhorsen's House, the white of the walls a sharp contrast to the dark river below. The birds were chirping as they prepared for bed, and in the house a similar occurrence was taking place. This one, however, was devoid of any noise. The tension between the two people was thicker than frozen butter, and showed no signs of being resolved. Sabriel stood at her bureau smashing her hairbrush down onto the lacquered top, muttering to herself. Touchstone sat on the edge of his bed, quietly considering all of his options before acting. Growling to himself, Mogget strolled into Abhorsen's bedroom and jumped lazily onto the bed, where he sat and began to clean himself.
"Get off my bed cat, or I'll throw you off!" Sabriel snarled at him.
"Just tell him that you love him already. This is really an unhealthy environment to be living in for me you know. The two of you fighting and not talking to each other, I may not get dinner if you two don't resolve this!"
"Oh please, you don't need food to sustain yourself. And I refuse to talk to him until he apologizes."
"What am I meant to be sorry for?" Touchstone asked, standing in the doorway wearing a loose tunic and leggings.
"If you don't know, I'm certainly not going to tell you!" she exclaimed, glaring at him for listening to her conversation with the cat.
"Actually, I don't know. I have no idea why you're so angry with me, or what I possibly could have done to provoke such a reaction from you. Was it when we kissed? Did I not say something or do something that you were hoping I would?" he inquired, building up steam. "Because it isn't easy for me, being in love with you. I don't know how I should act, what I should say or not say. Your mood changes more often than the weather lately, and I can't handle it! I love you Sabriel, and I don't know how to...how to show that to you, how to prove it."
"Oh Touchstone," she whispered, beginning to walk towards him, but he held up a hand to stop her.
"It's not that I don't know what to do, because I do, in a manner of speaking. It's very simple really. All I need to do is ask you to marry me, but I want it to be perfect. And then there's the problem of not being able to ask your father for your hand. Do I just ask you, or is there someone else that I go through? Because I'm the king now, and if this whole damn thing isn't just right the people go berserk. Sure, I know that married life with you won't be easy, you being the Abhorsen and all. But I don't mind that one bit. I don't mind that you sunburn easily or that you tend to snap at me when you don't understand or that you get mad when I act differently than you want me to. Even with all of that, I love you. I don't want to love anyone else, or for you to love someone else. I want to be your husband, I want you to be the mother of my children, I want you to be my Queen!"
He took a deep breath and looked at her. Sabriel stood there by the side of her bed, wearing naught but a nightdress, her heart reeling. He wanted to marry her, to have children with her? She never thought...
"You mean that you didn't dislike my kissing you in the cellar? That you don't think I'm too forward or, or that I'm ugly?"
"Oh Sabriel, you are the farthest thing from ugly. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever known. And about your kissing me or even being forward, well, I don't mind it one bit."
"Really?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Honestly and truly."
She started to cry then, and he came over and pulled her into his arms. He slid his fingers into her hair and held her close against him. She cried for happiness that he loved her just as much, that he wanted to marry her. She cried for her father, for Ellimere, Magistrix Greenwood, Colonel Horyse, the innocent soldiers and schoolgirls. She cried because she was the perhaps the only one left who still could.
A/N: Okay, okay, so no lemon. But I just kinda thought that I'd make them wait. Make it seem more classic, and much more romantic when the actual lemon finally makes it into print and out of my head!!!! But I hope you enjoyed, because I am leaving for the Cape...oh tomorrow morning and I will be gone for three days. Will hopefully be updating then! Love you all!
The two of them walked back up the stairs in silence, each content with their own thoughts. It seemed to take longer going up than it had going down, and the steps felt steeper to their feet. Sabriel reached out and grabbed Touchstone's hand, her cold fingers squeezing his warm and sweaty ones in a fierce grip. They smiled at each other, continuing their climb without a shared word. The open door to the foyer loomed ahead, bits of broken light falling on the staircase to mingle with the Charter made illumination on the walls. As they firmly shut the door behind them, Sabriel glanced at his face, hoping to see some unchecked emotion there. Nothing. She cursed softly, turned, and strode out into the orchard. What in the Nine Precincts was wrong with him? Storming through the trees, she let out an exasperated scream, punching the air with clenched fists. How could he be so blind to all the signals she was giving him? She was doing just what Ellimere and Sulyn and she had witnessed the older girls doing when they were younger, just what they had practiced with each other, bursting into fits of uncontrollable giggles at the absurdity of it all. The thought of them alone brought tears to her eyes. Sniffling, she sank down onto the mossy grass at the base of one of the apple trees. Nothing was working out the way she had planned it back at school. Her friends were dead, her father lost to the beckon of the Ninth Gate. And while she should have been off to the college or the university, she was here, in the Old Kingdom, the Abhorsen, fighting the Dead, or un-Dead, however you saw it. She hadn't asked for this damn job, she wasn't even certain that she wanted it. Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker? She groaned, frustrated at the fact that no matter how much or how little she wished for this to be happening, it was. Fate had chosen her to be the next Abhorsen, and the next Abhorsen she would be.
But Touchstone. He puzzled her beyond all belief. She was turning on all of her womanly charm, her wit, charisma. Why wasn't he responding to her? Was she not pretty enough to suite his tastes? It wasn't as if she could help the way she looked, it wasn't her fault if she was ugly! What was it that was making him so distant all of a sudden? What had made him so cold when she had kissed him? It seemed, now that the rush of everything was finally over, now that they were back at home, momentarily safe from all of the evils plaguing the Kingdom, that he wasn't certain how to act around her. But it wasn't like she knew how to behave with him, what to say, what to do or not do, how she should touch him, if she should touch him... the list went on forever! Well, if he wasn't going to act like anything had changed, then neither would she. They could just go on pretending that they were just traveling through the kingdom, that they didn't have responsibilities now to their people. Fine! If he wasn't going to acknowledge the chemistry between them, then she wouldn't either!
Touchstone stood alone in the hallway, dumbfounded by her manner. What had he done to get her in such a mood? When they kissed? He was trying to maintain his honor here, or what little he had left. He couldn't just go around kissing girls and fooling around with them and wooing them every single opportunity. He was King; he had a reputation to uphold! He knew that she loved him, at least a little bit. And she knew that he loved her back, more than he could ever hope to put into words. What did she expect from him?! He wasn't used to the way she was acting around him; girls had never been like this around him before. Women didn't throw themselves at men one minute, then become sweet, innocent and chaste the next. It simply didn't work that way! At least, it hadn't two hundred years ago.
How was he supposed to court Sabriel, the proper way for a man and a woman to become acquainted with each other, if they had completely different ideas about how it was to be gone about? It wasn't as if he could just ask her father's permission to court her, that would be just a little bit difficult. How was he supposed to go about asking for her hand in marriage if there was no one to ask? This wasn't as easy as she may think. Sure, he wanted more in their relationship, what man didn't? But it was improper for him to take advantage of her, to let her do things now that would ruin her reputation as Abhorsen in the years to come. If he was correct in his thinking, the ways of the Kingdom couldn't have changed all that much. It was common respect and courtesy, after all.
Yet, with all of his old fashioned ways of thought and action, Touchstone enjoyed this side of her personality. She was so wild, free, open. Not like the girls he had been with before, all stuffy and "By your leave". He liked the way she just did things on an impulse, not waiting for anyone's approval. It made him love her more because he knew that she would always keep him guessing, that they would never get stuck in a rut because of her spontaneity. And maybe, just maybe, he could ask her to marry him without her father's permission. It wasn't as if her father was here to ask, and if he was Touchstone was almost positive that the answer would be yes. The marriage would be hard, that was a certainty, but they could overcome that. As long as they had love for each other they could triumph over anything.
Dusk was beginning to settle over Abhorsen's House, the white of the walls a sharp contrast to the dark river below. The birds were chirping as they prepared for bed, and in the house a similar occurrence was taking place. This one, however, was devoid of any noise. The tension between the two people was thicker than frozen butter, and showed no signs of being resolved. Sabriel stood at her bureau smashing her hairbrush down onto the lacquered top, muttering to herself. Touchstone sat on the edge of his bed, quietly considering all of his options before acting. Growling to himself, Mogget strolled into Abhorsen's bedroom and jumped lazily onto the bed, where he sat and began to clean himself.
"Get off my bed cat, or I'll throw you off!" Sabriel snarled at him.
"Just tell him that you love him already. This is really an unhealthy environment to be living in for me you know. The two of you fighting and not talking to each other, I may not get dinner if you two don't resolve this!"
"Oh please, you don't need food to sustain yourself. And I refuse to talk to him until he apologizes."
"What am I meant to be sorry for?" Touchstone asked, standing in the doorway wearing a loose tunic and leggings.
"If you don't know, I'm certainly not going to tell you!" she exclaimed, glaring at him for listening to her conversation with the cat.
"Actually, I don't know. I have no idea why you're so angry with me, or what I possibly could have done to provoke such a reaction from you. Was it when we kissed? Did I not say something or do something that you were hoping I would?" he inquired, building up steam. "Because it isn't easy for me, being in love with you. I don't know how I should act, what I should say or not say. Your mood changes more often than the weather lately, and I can't handle it! I love you Sabriel, and I don't know how to...how to show that to you, how to prove it."
"Oh Touchstone," she whispered, beginning to walk towards him, but he held up a hand to stop her.
"It's not that I don't know what to do, because I do, in a manner of speaking. It's very simple really. All I need to do is ask you to marry me, but I want it to be perfect. And then there's the problem of not being able to ask your father for your hand. Do I just ask you, or is there someone else that I go through? Because I'm the king now, and if this whole damn thing isn't just right the people go berserk. Sure, I know that married life with you won't be easy, you being the Abhorsen and all. But I don't mind that one bit. I don't mind that you sunburn easily or that you tend to snap at me when you don't understand or that you get mad when I act differently than you want me to. Even with all of that, I love you. I don't want to love anyone else, or for you to love someone else. I want to be your husband, I want you to be the mother of my children, I want you to be my Queen!"
He took a deep breath and looked at her. Sabriel stood there by the side of her bed, wearing naught but a nightdress, her heart reeling. He wanted to marry her, to have children with her? She never thought...
"You mean that you didn't dislike my kissing you in the cellar? That you don't think I'm too forward or, or that I'm ugly?"
"Oh Sabriel, you are the farthest thing from ugly. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever known. And about your kissing me or even being forward, well, I don't mind it one bit."
"Really?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Honestly and truly."
She started to cry then, and he came over and pulled her into his arms. He slid his fingers into her hair and held her close against him. She cried for happiness that he loved her just as much, that he wanted to marry her. She cried for her father, for Ellimere, Magistrix Greenwood, Colonel Horyse, the innocent soldiers and schoolgirls. She cried because she was the perhaps the only one left who still could.
A/N: Okay, okay, so no lemon. But I just kinda thought that I'd make them wait. Make it seem more classic, and much more romantic when the actual lemon finally makes it into print and out of my head!!!! But I hope you enjoyed, because I am leaving for the Cape...oh tomorrow morning and I will be gone for three days. Will hopefully be updating then! Love you all!
