Dave led Lily back to the smaller store to pick up their supplies. The shopkeeper welcomed them back with a big smile. "I found everything you requested, but it appeared like you were missing a very important tool." The elderly man looked at them. "Well, it appears my lady that you intend to plant a garden, is that correct?" Lily nodded in response and waited for the explanation. "Well, as I was gathering up your supplies I discovered you did not have a hoe on the list. It would be very difficult to turn over the soil to plant if you did not have a hoe. I took the liberty of packaging one up for you, but it would my pleasure to give it to you. No payment needed." He handed the packages to Dave with a grateful look.
"We could not possibly accept the hoe for no payment. This is your business, how you make your money. Please let us pay for it." Lily smiled at the man.
"No, I insist that you take the hoe as my gift for your business. You both look like a couple just starting out together. I remember when my sweet wife and I were just starting out. Everything was so difficult for us. Neither of us had much of anything, but we worked very hard and finally managed to put our house in order. The garden was her project. It was the first thing that we had. She passed going on 2 years now, it would please her looking down on me if I helped you both start your garden." The shopkeeper smiled and presented Lily with the hoe.
"You are very observant; we are a new couple just starting out. I would never wish to dishonor you or the memory of your wife by refusing your gift. Thank you kindly, sir. I am quite sure my Lily here will put it to good use in our garden." Dave smiled and took Lily's hand in his. "For the rest…what do we owe you?" Dave was polite and charming to the older gentleman, Lily was extremely pleased. She beamed up at him. Dave paid their debt and secretly slipped an extra bill where the shopkeeper would find it later. They both thanked the older man and headed to the livestock yard.
"We should be able to tie some of these packages to the cows so there is less to carry. I am afraid that I cannot fly us back with all of these things. We will have to make the journey on foot." Dave whispered to her. "Do you think you can manage the trip?"
Lily smiled at him, "Yes, of course I can. I'll have to; we have both cows and all of these chickens. It is not like we are going to be walking non-stop. I am quite sure we can find places along the way to stop and spend the night-time hours. Besides, I am looking forward to returning home." Lily was very touched at his concern for her, when he paused to give her a questioning look she nodded at him to indicate again that she could make the trip. They continued on and picked up their cows and chickens. They left the village and started the journey back to the castle. Lily had no problem keeping up with the pace and they enjoyed different conversations. Nightfall started to set in and Dave made the decision to stop and set up a make-shift camp for the two of them; finding a spot in amongst the trees of the forest that was clear, flat and nicely padded with moss.
Dave smiled at Lily, "I think this would be the best place for us to rest, I can get a fire started over here so we can stay warm. The moss should make a nice padding to sleep on. I might even be able to hunt down some food for us. That is if you are hungry. Just let me know what I can do for you and I will do it for you, Lily." He kneeled down in the clearing and started work on the fire.
"Dave, please…once the fire is started, just rest for awhile. You have been walking just as long as I have and at the moment I require nothing but your company. Besides, if we require food, we have several chickens in our possession, there is no need to go on a hunt for wild game." Lily gave him a warm smile and settled in on the moss. She watched as he easily started a camping fire and then held her hand out to him. "Come on now, rest with me." He took her hand and joined her, taking a brief moment to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face.
"You look beautiful, even after walking so far." He could not help but notice the way the moonlight filtering through the trees hit her face, bathing her features in soft white light. He leaned in and kissed her mouth softly, cradling her cheeks in his hands. Dave could not help but admit to himself that despite how different Lily was from Lilith, he liked them equally. "Lily, you make me a different person, a better person. I have been so angry, for so long. You are patient and kind, with everyone; I must use up so much of your energy. I am sorry that I have been a challenge." Dave looked into her eyes as he spoke.
"Well…you have been a challenge, but if you had been anything else, I think I would truly have been disappointed. I know that you wished I was Lilith, and I know that she wants that as well. Apparently, I have no control over when she shows up. I hope that when it is just me here that you are not disappointed." Lily kissed his lips quickly as she looked back into his eyes. "Now, since we know that you are not much of a cook, you rest and I will make us some food." She grinned at Dave playfully as she stood up and looked through the supplies they had purchased.
Soon the air was filled with the smell of roasting chicken with herbs and another smell he could not place. Lily handed him one of the make-shift plates she had devised on her own with half of the chicken and what looked like some kind of vegetable. She took a sport right next to him in the moss. Lily watched as he examined the mystery food with curiosity. "It is called a carrot. They are quite good actually; they grow under the ground, like a root. Try it. I hope you discover you like them, it is one of the things I plan to grow in the garden." She smiled at him. "They can be eaten like this cooked, but also straight from the ground."
Dave picked up the orange, cooked vegetable and bit into it. It was cooked perfectly, warm but still slightly crunchy. He had never tasted anything like it and he enjoyed it very much. "Yes, this carrot is good. You say you plan to grow these in our garden? I am ashamed to say, I may end up eating them all straight out of the ground before you can cook with them." He smiled at her. They continued to eat silently for awhile. "Lily, do you honestly believe that I am disappointed when you are here and not Lilith?" Her comment from earlier had been bothering him while he watched her cook.
"I just meant that I am not like her. She is what you are use to and I am, well, the opposite. It just seemed like you and her were very happy together, a little dysfunctional, but happy. Then you felt her loss so profoundly only to think you had found her again and you only have half of her." Lily took another bite of food not wanting to say anything more about it. You are so pathetic…listen to you, of course he is disappointed. I never would have sat there going on about my feelings or his feelings. If he is anything, it is most likely bored! Honestly! You are alone…in the woods…with him and you would rather he feel sorry for you than other more exciting activities? If you are not planning to take advantage of this opportunity, then I will! The switch was so fast, not even Dave noticed it had occurred until his plate of food had been sent flying and she was on top of him. "Hello my love! Did you miss me?" Her lips curled into a confident sneer. "Pardon my interruption, but I simply could not listen to her anymore. If it was not for the fact I need her around so I can use her body as my own, I would have thrown her off your castle-top days ago. Now, what do you say we stop talking and start playing?" Lilith settled on his hips, grinding herself against him.