The sound of thumping from outside woke Taran from his slumber. Coll must be awake , he thought, shifting his legs under the blankets. Checking on the animals first thing, as always . He knew that he should go out to help the old warrior but he was so warm beneath the covers. As he nestled deeper into the warmth something stirred at his side; a sigh of breath against his skin flung Taran from his dreamy haze and into the cold winter morning.
Heart thudding against his ribs he glanced down at the gentle form curled against him. Her red-gold hair was splayed out and falling across his collarbone, tickling his cheek. Eilonwy mumbled something about forgetting to wake up then was still again once more, lost in sleep. He smiled, his breath coming out in a rush. Quite impulsively, he leaned his face to hers, his nose caressing her jaw. He lifted a strand of her hair from the ground, letting it slide between his fingers. As it caught in the morning light it looked rather like the strands were on fire. You sweet girl , he thought.
He was about to whisper for her to wake up when he was gripped by the scandal of it all, and knowing how rather uncomfortable it would be should she wake with him there (or far worse, Coll discovering them and reporting it to Dallben!). He waited only until he was sure Coll had gone further on before he made to leave the bed and the sleeping girl.
He slid his arm out from under the princess; untangled their legs as gently as he could manage. However did she get so tangled up? He wondered. Does she turn into a hurricane in her sleep? The boy was so focused on moving his legs from hers that his hand absently grazed over her midsection; the smooth curves of her belly and hips rolling beneath his touch. His stomach lurched at the feeling of her and a sigh slid from his lips. He looked down at his hand then up to her sleeping face, part of him hoping she'd awake and see him; perhaps she'd smile and draw him closer...or perhaps she'd shriek and throw him out, swearing she'd never speak to him again. For who could predict how the Princess of Llyr would react?
There were moments he thought that perhaps she felt as he did but then she'd become angry and declare him a fool and storm off, leaving him feeling confused and silly. He was never sure what he was doing wrong when around her but it seemed like there was always something. In one quick motion Taran pulled away, his mind buzzing and his heart dropped down to the floor. He strode from her little room, down the staircase, and out the door into the freezing cold dawn in a matter of seconds.
Closing the door behind him, he leaned back against the solid wood and let the icy wind cool his flushed body and mind as he tried to shake loose the image of Eilonwy laying beside him; the feeling of her body against his.
He shook his head and muttered a quiet, "Watch yourself," and began the march across the yard, determined to check on Henwen before Coll thought anything amiss. As he walked he fastened his heavy winter cloak about him, though he was half tempted to freeze to death rather than face the princess later.
When he reached her pen Henwen stared at him accusingly, her white snout in the air.
"What?" The boy snapped as he leapt over the gate. "I've done nothing, don't raise your nose at me, you silly pig."
She snorted and turned from him, trotting back to her small hut. Filled with regret, Taran went to her and petted her side.
"Hen, I am sorry." He dropped down into the snow beside her, welcoming the cold that surrounded him. "But you know how she makes me."
Henwen dropped her head on his shoulder and he leaned his forehead against her fuzzy head. "If only things were different then perhaps...but no. Hen, I am simply a silly fool as she says. I am afraid that I shall always be."
After the oracular pig was taken care of, Taran left the pen, covered in snow, and walked back to the house, making sure to avoid the scullery and a certain girl he knew would be there making breakfast.