Light streamed into the master bedroom from the window, hitting Lily's face. She started to stir in the grass and for a moment she thought they were still in the woods. She was relieved to feel Dave beside her and as her eyes opened, she remembered exactly where they were. They were in the beautiful bedroom that Dave had created. Lily turned her head towards Dave only to laugh out loud. There next to her was Dave; he was lying on his back sleeping and curled into a ball on his stomach was Eden. The white tiger cub was fast asleep as well and obviously enjoying the rise and fall of Dave's chest. She put her hand over her mouth trying to quiet herself, but it was too late. Dave's opened. "What is so funny this early in the morning, my love?"

"I was laughing at our pet; apparently he has decided you make a wonderful bed. I guess it is a good thing that I was not planning to use your chest as a pillow. I might have awoken with him on my head, or worse, he might have fought me for the spot!" Lily laughed again as Dave glanced downward spotting Eden resting comfortably.

"I am glad he feels comfortable around us, though I think your head would have been less of a weight lying there. He is quite heavy when he is sleeping!" Dave chuckled and was met with a tiny growl as the motion caused Eden to slide down his side into the grass. Dave reached out and stroked the small animal. "I know Eden slept well, how did you sleep Lily?" He turned his head to look at her, and ran a hand through her tangled hair.

"I slept very well thank you; of course, you did wear me out; so I am not that surprised." Lily reached over and placed a small hand on Dave's massive chest. "Are you hungry? I can go down and fix a meal for us. I suppose we should also feed Eden. What do tigers eat?" She lifted her head off the grassy floor.

"Lily, you do not need to fix us food. I can do that, why don't you stay here and play with Eden. It's a good thing I remembered the poor boy while we were in the village shopping. He eats meat and had I forgotten, he might have just eaten you!" Before Lily could react, Dave had reached out and started tickling her. Her laughter filled the air, and through gasps for air, she begged him to have mercy and stop.

"Dave! You stop that right now! Aghhhhh! I mean it…that tickles! Please stop!" She slapped at him playfully and tried without luck to squirm away from him. Her stomach started to cramp with all the laughing, but she would never complain. Lily had never seen Dave being so playful, and she was enjoying it immensely. "Eden! Help! Come get him! He is torturing your mother!" She laughed as she attempted to get their pet to assist her. "If you keep this up I fear I will meet my end, I am laughing so hard, I can barely catch my breath" Lily chuckled.

"There shall be no dying here today my love. Let me go fix us all some food and I will return shortly." Dave got off the floor and stretched. "You are so beautiful when you first wake." He said as he headed out of the room. Lily smiled and rolled over on to her side. She ran her fingers under the bush and squealed as a white paw reached out to try and grab them. The two played their game until Dave returned. He handed Lily a warm plate of eggs and ham. He put a large piece of raw beef on the grass in front of the bush. Eden quickly came out and started to tear at it. He sat behind Lily, allowing her to lean back against his chest as they both ate. "What would you like to do today Lily? Name it and I will make it happen." Dave kissed the back of Lily's head.

Lily considered the many options. "Hmmm….I believe I would like learn to fight." She turned her face to Dave's waiting for his reaction. There was a very long silence, she was beginning to worry. "Dave?" Lily realized she was holding her breath waiting for an answer. She turned her head to look at him, and saw the concerned look on his face.

"Lily, why would you want to learn to fight? I will be here to protect you from anything or anyone that might come here to cause problems." Dave hugged her from behind. After a few moments, and noticing the determination in her eyes, he let out a sigh. "If you want to learn to fight, I will teach you. Finish breakfast and meet me outside." Dave was not crazy about it, but he had been the one that said they could do anything she wanted. He headed out to the grounds of the castle and tried to decide what it would be the best weapon to train her in. By the time Lily joined him outside, he had decided on daggers.

Lily came up to Dave smiling and practically jumping up and down. "So! What are you going to teach me? Sword? Bow? Oooo….Hand to Hand maybe?" She did a little skip around him, while he stood there looking amused. Once she stopped, Dave handed her his chosen weapon for her. "A dagger! I like it! Small, so I can hide it in my clothes. Perfect!" Lily looked the dagger over and looked up at Dave. "Ok. What do I do?"

Dave could not believe how excited Lily seemed to be. Since he had brought her here, he had resisted the urge to read her thoughts, but her reaction was curious to him. It did not take long at all to find the reason she was so happy. I get to learn to fight. . . I never would have been allowed to even hold a dagger in the village. Fighting is for men, they said. Stupid rules! Who said a woman could not protect herself or her family? Now he understood it was not that she felt she needed to fight. It was because she would have never had the opportunity before and he was the key to opening that up to her. He was excited now. "Alright, are you ready to start?" Dave smiled at her.