I wrote this chapter soon after watching IW... and yeah, I am not ashamed to admit, the movie left enough of an impression on me, to want to give my medieval Tony, the same dream, the same hope of a farm and a child... far away from war and blood.
"But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."
—from "Sonnet 8", William Shakespeare
Tony stretched himself as the sun finally sank into the horizon. They had spent half of the morning and the entire afternoon, working on the fields with Farmer Wilhelm.
He was the very farmer, whom they had seen from the hill, struggling with his plow. Tony and Pepper had rushed down to help. Then as Tony and the Farmer had pushed the plow out of the muddied earth, Pepper had gently urged the oxen forward.
They managed to free the plow and the Farmer had gratefully offered his thanks. It was at that time, that Tony had asked if they could work for him for a day, in exchange for shelter at night.
The Farmer had insisted his shelter wasn't much and they would have to rough it but that was something they both had been prepared for.
They had shaken hands on it. Then Pepper and the Farmer's two boys had gone to the other fields, to pull out ripe potatoes and carrots, while Tony and the Farmer had plowed the empty field to prepare it for tilling.
They had spent six hours on the field, with a short break for tea and now finally, it was time to go in for supper.
Tony grimaced and Pepper came to stand behind him.
"Why the face, Stark?", She asked in her put on manly voice.
"Well, Potts..." he drawled, "I just realized that the country keeps earlier hours than the city. So now," he sighed, "we are going to have to eat an early supper and sleep early. Something I find very hard to do."
She chuckled and then Farmer Wilhelm came over to them. "Supper's nearly ready." he said in his youthful voice. "If you good sirs would like to freshen up, my boys will show you to the outhouse, where you can wash yourselves a bit."
Tony knew Pepper was paranoid about her cleanliness and would be relieved to clean up, so he wasn't surprised, that in her joy, she would forgot her act of pretending to be a man.
She forgot to put on her deep voice and exclaimed softly, "A wash would be heavenly! Thank you, Farmer Wilhelm!"
Then she flushed and lowered her head as the Farmer started at her feminine tone.
Wilhelm opened his mouth to say something but Tony interjected smoothly to point at the house. "Farmer, I think your missus is calling you."
Indeed, the Farmer's wife was halfway out of the window, gesturing at them and calling out, "Wilhelm, Wilhelm, come help me with the chicken!" The Farmer excused himself and ran back to his house.
Tony covered his hand with his mouth to stop his laughter as Pepper exhaled with relief.
"Consarn it! That was close!" she exclaimed cutely and he couldn't hold it in anymore, her swear making him laugh hard.
She smacked him lightly because he found it damn amusing.
"Tony, that's enough!"
Then the Farmer's two boys came bounding towards Pepper, squealing her name with glee.
"Pepper! Pepper!" They skidded to a halt, charmingly shy before Tony.
He grinned and knelt as Pepper took the boys by the hand. "Tony, this is Jeremiah...", she patted the older black-haired boy's head. "And this is Alfred or Alfie for short." She ruffled the blonde's tufty hair.
He felt a pang in his soul as little Alfie smiled at him with a missing tooth, a button nose covered with freckles and sky-blue eyes, just like Pepper's.
If I and Pepper had a son, would he look like this mischievous imp?
He caught the boy around the waist and raised him high as he stood. Alfie whooped with joy and Tony raised him, to settle him around his shoulders. The boys were shrieking with laughter, Pepper smiled at him and Tony smiled back.
Then they heard the Farmer bellow and the boys giggled childishly.
Alfie pulled on Tony's hair, steering him towards the back of the house. "This way! This way!"
He obeyed and Pepper followed him, Jeremiah tugging her along.
They were led to the back of the house, where a small water pump was in the middle of the stone yard. Behind the pump, was a shed.
Alfie excitedly jiggled on Tony's back and he set the little boy down. "Sir, let me show you what to do!"
The older Jeremiah snorted "I am sure they know how to take a bath! He smells so nice!" the boy said, pointing at Pepper.
She smiled and Alfie, paying his brother no attention, decided to show them how to wash. He brought out a sponge from the shed and started to move the pump enthusiastically.
Tony stepped in to help him and the little boy held the sponge under the flowing water. He then moved the sponge to his chest but his brother imperiously shouted, "You need to take off your shirt first, dummy!"
Alfie scowled at him but quickly pulled off his shirt and rubbed the sponge with enthusiasm, all over his chest.
Pepper was giggling but Tony kept a straight face as his older brother sighed with exasperation and took the sponge. Then he began to scrub his younger brother thoroughly.
"It helps if one bather scrubs the other." he said solemnly to Tony as his younger brother wriggled like a fish under his patient scrubbing. "Why don't you two start? We mustn't be late for supper."
Pepper looked at Tony wide-eyed but he smirked and began to unbutton his shirt. "Pepper, you can wash me." He said with a smile as he pulled off his shirt and draped it on a nearby stool.
She took a sponge from the shed and came back to the pump. Pepper used a little water to rinse out the sponge. Then she pumped hard to soak the sponge in water.
She raised the sponge and Tony knew what she was going to do, so he closed his eyes, grinning widely. Sure enough, Pepper plopped the sponge down heavily on his head and squeezed it, soaking him thoroughly.
The little boys laughed wildly and he grinned through it as Pepper washed his hair and rubbed his shoulders with the sponge. He bent a little, to give her easier access. The water was cold and refreshing, especially since they had been working in the winter's sun for so long.
She rubbed his chest thoroughly, hiding his Arc with the sponge from time to time. But the boys were too busy enjoying themselves with the water, to notice.
They finished just as Pepper was soaping his chest and started to give her helpful instructions.
"Pepper, clean behind his ears!"
"Is his belly button clean? Check for belly dust!"
"What about his neck... did you clean his shoulders?"
"Make sure every part is clean! Mama says you must scrub every part!"
She obliged them willingly, grinning widely as she scrubbed each and every inch of his chest with the soapy sponge. Mindful that they were in company and delicate company at that, Tony was exercising a tight control on himself.
Pepper was enjoying his discomfort, he was sure of it, her eyes were sparkling with mischief at his predicament. She was rubbing concentric circles on his chest with the sponge, slow and steady, lingering over his nipples.
When she lowered the sponge to his hips, he caught her hand and looked into her sparkling azure eyes. Tony leaned closer and whispered against her ear, "You little minx, you would do well enough to leave that part of me alone..."
Pepper whispered sultrily, "Well, my lord, we need to make sure every part of you is clean..."
He grinned and murmured, "When it is your turn, I will be sure to do the same onto you, my lady."
She giggled and Tony glanced sideways at the boys who were drying themselves enthusiastically with a shared towel.
He muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "You are safe, Pepper, as long as your defenders are here."
She flushed and Tony straightened. He filled the sponge with water and was about to move towards the shed, for some privacy. Then he heard footsteps ringing on the courtyard.
Tony kept his back to the courtyard, because he wanted to keep his Arc hidden.
He heard the Farmer call for the boys and the pitter-patter of little feet as they followed him. Then he turned around and got a chestful of wet sponge as Pepper threw her sponge at him with a giggle.
Tony shook his head at her and raised both sponges in his hand. "My lady," he drawled, "You have no more firepower."
Her eyes widened at that and he moved slowly towards the pump, taking his time to soak it with water. Then Tony aimed a wet sponge at Pepper.
She covered herself with her arms and then lowered them, saying, "Okay, okay, I suppose that's fair, I threw one at you, so you deserve a throw as well. Just let me take off my shirt and my binding. I do not want them to get wet."
Pepper took off her shirt and the cloth wrapped around her breasts. She then closed her eyes and kept her arms at her sides, holding herself still in preparation for the wet sponge.
Tony smiled softly. He moved closer to her and gently rubbed her with the sponge. She opened her eyes and he kissed her nose.
"I forfeit my throw." He whispered.
She smiled and kissed him back softly and slow, winding her arms around his neck, pressing her bare chest to his. They kissed like that for a long moment and then Pepper broke it off, exclaiming, "Tony, we will be late for dinner! Let's wash up quick!"
He laughed and followed her towards the shed. Pepper took off her clothes and quickly and effectively cleaned herself. Tony dried himself with a towel and watched the shadows of evening fall across the courtyard.
He sighed and looked at Pepper quietly. There was something on his mind and he wanted to say it.
"Pep..." he said hesitantly. She looked at him and Tony said slowly, "When this is all over..."
At her confused look, he explained, "When we find Stane and his whatever, master, leader etc. and finish them off and free Cumbria and all that..." Tony took a deep breath, "I was thinking..."
He paused, going over his next words in his mind, because he did not want to sound stupid. Then Tony felt her hand on his. Pepper moved closer to him, her eyes gazing into his. "Yes, Tony?"
He swallowed, feeling overwhelmed by his emotions. "I thought I would give up these quests and adventures and... start a farm."
"A farm?"
"Yes..." he continued now, on false bravado, "you have an inn and it needs fresh produce, doesn't it? To use for cooking food. So I thought I would buy some land near it and start a small farm..."
Tony looked at Pepper and said earnestly, "No more blood, no more swords... the simple life for me, growing carrots and potatoes, some chickens... a cow or two..."
She just stared at him, wide-eyed, making him more nervous and he started to babble.
"I mean, it is not that I don't want to fight anymore, I want to help people, I do but I just want to live... I want to live in peace as well... I want to work soil with my hands, I want to give life, take care, nurture it, instead of cutting it down with a sword... besides, when we have children and we are going to have children, I do not want to leave them and go to war. I want to teach them and stay with them and watch them grow up."
"Pepper," he clasped her arms, "I know I am a warrior but I do not want to die as one, I want to die old in my bed, with you by my side, happy and at peace."
She surprised him by hugging him tightly. "Tony," Pepper murmured, "your vision sounds so peaceful and beautiful. You will get your farm, Tony... never you fear..."
He said quietly, "I did not tell you this because... you were upset at leaving and I did not want to trouble you but... today morning, I had a dream."
Pepper asked worriedly, "Tony, what was it about? Are you alright? Why didn't you say something?"
Tony looked into her deep blue eyes and said softly, "Have you ever had a dream... which felt so real, so solid and so true, that when you woke up, you were upset that it was just a dream... and you wanted that dream to be real..."
She looked at him quietly and he continued, "In my dream, I met a young girl with red hair and blue eyes and the power of fire within her."
Pepper gasped and Tony smiled, saying, "Oh, she was just starting to learn the skill, she accidentally fired at Dummy and was upset. I knew her name, I knew her, Pepper, she was so real and so wonderful. She was our daughter, Elysande."
"Elysande..." murmured Pepper softly, "I have heard that name before... I have read of it... but where? Anyway, then what happened?"
He looked up at the clear darkening sky, a smile growing on his face as he recalled the dream. "I called her Pumpkin. And we... I let my Flame out and just like you, she could control it. And she had a phoenix within her..."
Tony looked back at Pepper and saw her eyes were moist with tears. "Oh Tony!" she exclaimed softly, "you dreamt of our child... and she was blessed with the power of Summac as well..."
He hugged her and whispered, "She wanted to ride Balthazar, just like someone I know and was very good at arguing with me, again like her mother."
Pepper giggled in his arms and he pulled back, touching his forehead to hers. "Pepper, when this is all over... I want... please... I want to have a baby with you... please, Pepper. I want a child."
"Yes, Tony," she whispered back, "I want to bear your child... and our lives will know peace."
They stood there quietly for some time, holding each other as the sky grew black with night.
Then the peacefulness was disturbed by the patter of feet running towards them and Tony quickly pushed Pepper behind him and held the towel up to his Arc.
Jeremiah came around the corner, saying loudly, "Sir! Pepper! Mother asks if you will join us for dinner?"
"Yes, we will. We will be right there."
The boy nodded and ran back.
Pepper quickly dried herself off as Tony changed into a set of clean clothes.
"Holding up dinner, Potts, with your long baths!" he mock scolded her. She grinned at him and he finished changing, to help her dress quickly. Then they both ran back to the main house, to have supper.
