Sabriel stretched her arms high above her head and yawned. Loudly. Glancing around the sun swept room, she realized that her bedmate had left; it had to be at least noon. She should probably get up, go and check on the results of her work, but she was enjoying the feeling of lethargy in her bones. She'd been working all week, and hadn't slept much at all in recent nights. Speaking of nights, she thought with a smile, snuggling down into the covers to retain all after effects of her evening.
Once she'd come in and woken him from his impromptu slumber, he'd kissed her senseless. Right there in the armchair, he'd held her in his lap and kissed and kissed and kissed her until she thought that her body had turned to thick, fresh butter. It'd felt like she couldn't move, and really, she couldn't. Her legs had decided they didn't want to work anymore, and her head was spinning so much she was certain she wouldn't be able to stand even if her legs chose to work.
"Touchstone," she murmured into his neck, although how her head had found its way to his shoulder and why she said that she didn't know. She kissed his neck softly, slowly.
"Mmm?"
"I need to go to bed."
She ran her tongue along his jaw line. He shuddered, and she bit his earlobe. This is nice, she thought, running her fingers down his arm. He pulled her closer and lifted her, pulling tight against his chest.
"Bed as in sleep? Or-?"
"Depends on if we can stay awake once we hit the mattress."
"Oh, I can. Had myself a bit of a nap today," he said, winking as he sat her down on the bed.
"Did you now?" Sabriel yawned. She really was tired.
He nodded and began to pull off her boots. Once they were off he moved upwards to her armour, the same she had worn when she first set out to find her father. But she wasn't thinking about that, or what tomorrow would bring, or even about the people downstairs who had risked their lives tonight. All Sabriel was thinking about was the way his curls fell over his eyes as he unbuckled the belt that held her sword at her hip, pulling it away and letting it fall to the floor with a soft thud. He stood and reached behind her to take off her bandolier and paused.
"What is it?" she said, looking up at him.
He was starring at something just behind her. She craned her neck to see and gasped.
"Oh crud! I can't believe I forgot!" She reached out and pulled the dark canvas bag towards them.
"What's that love?
"It's uh, well," she stumbled over her words, not quite sure how to tell him this. "It's from your mother. She gave it to me, just before I left Death. You're going to need this to rule efficiently, or so she said." She pushed it across the bed to where he'd sat down, stunned. "Open it."
"My mother gave this to you?
"Yes, that's what I said. She was in some sort of Sending form. But it was her; she called you Torrigan. Why aren't you opening it?"
He paused, staring at the sack as if in shock.
"Well, I, it's, um, sort of astonishing to have my mother acknowledge my kingship, and all the way from Death. Not something I was expecting, you know?"
"Yeah, I do. But I'm dying of curiosity here. Please open it?"
Sighing, he pulled the bag closer to him, untying the drawstring as he did. Then, slowly, with trepidation, Touchstone opened the bag and dumped its contents onto the bed. Out fell a small, leather bound book, a rather small looking gold scepter encrusted in rubies, and an innocuous looking wooden box. They sat there for a moment, just staring at everything, taking it all in. Touchstone reached out and ran his hand over the scepter for a moment, then reached for the book. It was locked.
But scrolling across the leather came a sort of disclaimer, written in deep black ink and a large, swirling hand. It read: "Only royal hands may touch me/ and none in the court can see;/ the contents that lie in this book are private to the Queen. /" Suddenly the small silver lock slid open and the book fell open to the first page. Touchstone began to read the words written there aloud.
"'June 5th of the year 1703'; this is my mother's diary! I can't read this!"
"She wouldn't have given it to you unless there was a purpose. Flip through it, maybe there are tips on how to rule the kingdom," Sabriel suggested, not wanting him to give up. While he flipped the pages, glancing through the diary and muttering under his breath, she investigated the box.
It was a long rectangle, not very wide or tall, and with a simple silver latch. Sabriel pulled the latch up and opened the box to find it lined with thick blue velvet and overflowing with jewels.
"Oh my!" she gasped, dropping the box to the bed. "These are exquisite!"
Touchstone placed the diary down and began to paw through the jewelry, sifting the diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones and metals around. He pulled out a long silver chain, from which dangled a large, teardrop shaped sapphire, set in delicate silver to match the chain. He held it in his hand for a moment, cradling the jewel carefully in his palm.
"My mother wore this to her wedding, and the night she met my father." He was silent a moment. "It matches your eyes."
He looked up at her as he said it, and she could detect a deep sadness in him at the memory of his mother, and the father he never met. Their gazes locked upon each other, and neither could look away, so powerful was the moment. She would never know who had broken the spell first, but within moments everything was swept from the bed and Sabriel lay beneath Touchstone. There was a fierce look in his eye, one she had seen only once before, when the hunters had chased them in this very city only months ago. But now the look was not of madness, of abandon yes, but of a different kind.
Sabriel could scarcely breathe as he pulled her bandolier off and added it to the floor with her sword. Her armour slid off of her body, and soon she lay there clothed in nothing but her shift. She tried to remember to blush, but Touchstone was too close, it was too real, more real than anything else in the world. He kissed her once, softly, on the lips. He kissed her again, harder and more passionately. Pulling away, her grinned at her wildly. Her heart caught in her throat as he began to undress, and she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Touchstone lay down on the bed next to her, stroking her cheeks, the curves of her body hidden under her shift. She moaned softly as her body roused under his ministrations.
"Touchstone. Touchstone pleaseā¦" Sabriel whispered. She wanted this, just as badly as he did. Just, not tonight, not yet.
"Not yet. Please," she murmured, her gaze imploring. She felt him sigh and wrap his arms around her.
"Alright. I'll save your ravishing for another time love," Touchstone said, pulling her tight to him and pulling the bed sheets over their bodies.
Sabriel moaned softly as she remembered snuggling close to him and falling asleep with her head on his chest, lulled into slumber by the beat of his heart. She stretched again, deciding that it was time she got out of bed.
A/N: I know, it took me ages to get this chapter up, and you are all allowed to eat me if you wish. I could blame it on school, but my muse seemed to disappear for a long time, so I just couldn't find it in me to write. I had this chapter half finished for the longest time, but now it is finished, and you have read it! Yay!
On a story note- do you, as the readers, think that there should be more action, or a serious conflict with "dissenters" after things go well for a while? Because they are going to, well, why am I telling you? (lol) Oh! And, in a chapter or story time timeline, when do you think Sabriel and Touchstone should get married? Any input is welcome!
