Summary: The dream Jade experiences their first night together on their quest to find Airk, while sleeping next to Kit and remembering the intimacy they shared only a day earlier.
"That's depressing, but that's not why they built the barrier."
Boorman's bruteful statement is most likely true but does little to erase the painful memory from my mind and I immediately cower at his comment. Luckily, I am pulled from my angry thoughts when a soft hand graces my shoulder and yanks me out of my drift. Almost immediately, I feel the warmth course through my forearm and begin to wash over me.
I have confided in my family's journey to the Mother's Gate many times before to my best friend and every time it feels as though she understands my pain entirely - having never lived through it herself. Somehow, I know Kit understands what I have been through and knows what it feels like to experience the loss of a loved one.
Always supportive, but never pushy. That's why I am always drawn to her.
After our meal, Boorman, Willow, and Silas begin to unload the wagon and prepare themselves for nightfall. Sensing the mood, I shifted myself down to rest against my own saddle and spot Kit crouched next to me, cleaning her plate and eyeing the kitchen maid with distain, searching for any opportunity to prove the kitchen maid should give up hope and return to the castle grounds immediately.
Following her gaze, I watched as the delicate girl from the kitchen struggles to remove a moss-covered rock jutting her desired resting place for the night.
I decide Kit is having a little too much fun at her expense after a while and attempt to end the humorous fanfare: "Here" I said, interrupting her judgmental stare, "I've taken the saddle off Eclipse for you." I say softly, as Kit turned back in my direction, then further again to acknowledge the saddle.
"I can't believe she left the castle to follow us! What was she thinking?" Kit hushed in a grunted breath to me, still eyeing the kitchen maid, who was now collecting sticks and leaves into a small pile, as if to fashion herself some bedding for the night.
"Because she cares, Kit." I offered, gently.
"She's a liability." Kit reminded, firmly.
"Well," I say loosely trying to keep the conversation light, crossing my arms behind my head as if to contemplate the intensions of the new stranger. "I dunno. I think if it were me kidnapped, dragged out of my home, and taken across the entire world to an unknown land – I'd like to think my friends would stop at nothing to come to my-"
"Rescue?" Kit interrupted, grinning.
"…aide." I retorted, offering a sweet smile and turning to my side to face her as we shared a short pause. "Come lay down, we could all do with a rest" I instructed.
I watched as Kit softly sighed and obeyed, pulling out the blankets from her own rucksack and handing the sullen green garment over to me, knowing it was one of my favorites. Kit's combination of pride and affection is most likely what drew me to her in the first place during our youth, while I was training with the Castle Guard and It's probably a major reason that keeps me drawn to her as well.
"I don't even know what Airk sees in her-"
"Yes, you do." I answered a little too quickly and honestly. This caught Kit off-guard a bit, so I tried to state the obvious and redirect some of her anger… "I mean, look at her!"
That comment made Kit turn back to face me fully now, but I was already wearing a large, obvious smile in my own defense – a contagious one too apparently, because it spread across Kit's face almost instantaneously the second she laid eyes on me. I let out a short laugh and placed my hand on top of hers, giving it a quick, soft rub before tucking it away behind my head again.
Kit let out a cool exhale and looked back over to see that everyone and the kitchen maid were now almost completely silent and still, and the fire had already begun to fade. Accepting there was nothing else left she could do to displace the blonde from her presence, Kit laid her head back against the saddle and looked back at me with a soft smile. Goodnight.
I returned the affectionate gaze and watched as Kit closed her eyes and her breathing became deep, allowing rest to finally overcome her. I took the moment alone with the Princess to take in her soft features and am reminded of the night Airk was taken, when she had planned to run away and managed to climb into my room first before leaving her home forever – into my bed above the stables to say her last goodbye.
When she had me… pinned to the foundation of my bedframe, and the full pressure of her hips locking me in place. The flashback instantly gives my stomach butterflies.
This feels different from butterflies, however. Not worse, but… stronger. And it's not stopping. All I want to think about right now is what I could feel in that moment, with her on top of me, and how I wished I could have truly enjoyed it – without the fearful indication that I was about to lose her forever.
Now, that fear was momentarily displaced. She was right here, and certainly not going anywhere until we found Airk.
Kit let out a soft snore and tussled a bit in place before turning away from me, then, violently back to face me again. Her eyebrows squinting slightly into a frustrated frown, that only added to her already adorable features.
Kit always wanted to give the impression that she did not require such elaborate dressings or comfortable adjustments when sleeping outside and that she was more than capable of surviving an evening outdoors without any royal protection from her family's wealth. In truth, it was always an added benefit to have the regal touch while camping and all the luxuries the title awarded.
I admire her for being so stubborn in her efforts, but I still wanted to take that pain away from her even just for a moment, just as she did for me earlier this evening.
I feel the desire to pull her into a warm embrace so she can rest her head on my warm chest, instead of the cold, dirty horse saddle and so she can feel my breath rise and fall beneath her own chest, while I run my hands over her petite frame, massaging the overworked muscles from the day's ride and soothing her tension. I wished desperately to have that for us right now. I close my eyes and try to savor the fantasy.
But that wasn't an option. Not now, and maybe never will be.
But I can dream.
Oh yes, I can dream.
Suddenly.
I found myself in violent motion. SPRINTING through a stone hallway. A cold air stings my lungs and my mouth already dry from desperation.
Cold. Dark. Yet familiar, all the same.
Perhaps it's the familiar smell of Earth, stone, and musk that fills my nostrils, or the way my bare feet know which crease/crack within the stone floor would propel myself further down the depths of this dark passageway.
"I know these walls," I thought. I'm back home. Tir Asleen.
Deeper into the guts of the hallway, sporadically lit by strands of sunlight peeking through the window slits in the castle walls, I found myself unable to catch my breath and desperately running for my life. My heart thumping in my throat now as I continued further ahead.
Suddenly, I hear a scuffle behind me and realize why I am running. Someone is chasing me!
My pulse quickens as my feet move impossibly fast on the cold stone beneath me, then a desperate sharp turn down the left passageway tells me, I know exactly where I am.
The Eastern Wing of Tir Asleen is home to the castle apothecary, apiary, and storaging site for the castle vineyard during the harvest months. During the off-season, it is nearly deserted, aside from the barrels stored there for aging and elaborate hosting. In the long lines of the luscious castle gardens that surround the exterior of the East Wing, roses, hydrangeas, and Tulips of Olympus provide every angle with a breath-taking view of Mother Nature's vanity. Thus, making the East Wing of Tir Asleen the perfect location for guests of the royal family to take their leave within the second and third floors above. It also happens to be the perfect place for the young adolescents within the castle walls to wander and explore while unsupervised and uninhabited from duty.
My legs move at an unimaginable pace, racing through the cold hallway as my fingertips tear desperately against the sides of the musty walls, propelling myself onward. I hear a faint giggle from behind that grips my insides and sinks my stomach to my toes.
Instantly, I knew why I was running through these halls and I knew who was chasing me. I felt complete relief wash over me when I realized she was close by, despite the fact that she was the one currently chasing me.
But then, I knew where we were going. I knew where we were so desperately trying to reach. Where we needed to go.
I continued my hastened pace through the shadowy hallways and could feel Kit hot on my tail. I wanted to run, but I also wanted to let her catch me.
Not here. Not yet. Follow me.
I turn down the final passage that leads to the farthest side of the wing towards the main guestroom and am instantly reminded of the door that guards the suite, as the large wooden slab becomes larger in my sight the faster I run towards it.
Unable to stop my momentum in time, I SLAM into the red doorframe with full force and bounce off the ancient entryway. Unwilling to waste any precious time, my hands quickly find the lock in front of me waist-high and I begin trying to unlock it. I can feel the butterflies fill and start to swarm inside me again, as the anticipation knowing Kit is gaining on my position quickly makes my body involuntarily quake.
I still don't have full control over my breathing when I feel the sudden impact of Kit's body barrel into me from behind, causing us both to bounce off the wooden frame briefly before she shoves me firmly back against the door again. I feel Kit's giggle tickle against my ear lobe as I continued to fumble with the door lock, desperately trying to rip it to shreds for denying me this opportunity.
Kit's hands move over mine in an attempt to come to my aide, but I did not want to give her the satisfaction. I pull her hands away and pin the lock between my body and the wooden frame to block her access to the lock. In turn, she shifts her attention to me instead and I feel her hands on my sides as her lips brush my ear. Then, she kisses the side of my head. The side of my face. My neck again. Then quickly back to behind my ear again. My back instinctively arches into her as I desperately try to tear the lock to pieces with my bare hands.
Click.
Finally, we hear the latch clasp open and I throw myself through the door and down a long hallway into a new sprint.
The door opens to a narrow, shadowy hallway with only a single opening at the far end, which instead of being guarded by a decorated, wooden entrance as it normally does - curtains danced at its entryway in the warm light that was beaming through, beckoning them inside.
I never broke stride as I threw myself into the curtained arms of the illustrious guest suite and ran to the middle of the room. It looked the same as it always does. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but somehow, it was so much larger, it seemed.
It was quiet too. Peaceful.
I stopped when I noticed a well-kept fire had been roaring, and suddenly that is all I can hear. I turn back towards the entrance, worried Kit may not have followed me in and fearful this may be the end of my wonderful dream.
Instead, I see Kit's image peer through the red and gold silk billowy entrance. Her eyes already locked on mine.
Then, she starts towards me. Slowly. As a lioness approaches her meal, mate, or even an enemy.
Kit's eyes bore into my soul entirely, exposing all my secrets in an instant. I knew even in the subconscious efforts of dreamland, that we had come to this place for a reason, a purpose – to satisfy a lifelong want. A desire, from both sides, meeting at its peak.
Kit made her way over to me, silently. And now, half an inch away, staring fiercely at my lips, as if she hadn't eaten in weeks and I was the first thing she could feast on after a long hibernation.
Her arms firmly at her side, as her eyes dodged between my eyes and lips. She decidedly begins to close the gap between us and finally presses her lips softly against mine.
She looked back to me to see if I had any protest, but I interrupted her attempt to pull away any farther by placing a hand on either side of her face and pull her mouth back to mine.
Kit takes the opportunity to force our lips apart and I felt her tongue slip inside. Then, she kisses me with such ferocity that it feels as if she wants to swallow me whole.
My fingernails dig into the back of her skull begging more from her, but my Princess was already happily obliging. I can feel her pulse in her throat as we kiss, and the sound of her bated breaths were making me weaker by the second.
As if sensing my failing strength, Kit pulls back and holds my face strongly in her grasp. "Yes," I breathed into her open mouth.
Suddenly, I was flat on my back against the red oriental rug that decorated the front of the fireplace, while the warm fire roared and cracked against the side of our cheeks. Kit was on top of me now, gently kissing the side of my jawline, just below my earlobe again while I run my hands up and down the arch of her back. I feel her lips tickle against my skin and awaken every part within me. Needing more contact with her, I arch my torso and thrust myself upwards against her.
Kit lifts her head from my neck and extends her arms on either side of my face to hover over me, trying to steady herself and control her own breathing. I place both hands on her cheeks and hold the weight of her head gently in my hands as our eyes meet briefly.
Kit then ducks her face back to my own and shoves her tongue down the base of my throat. I tilt my head to grant her access she was so desperate for as my legs unintentionally separate and welcome her to settle between them.
I wish I could stop for a second and savor the moment, but I'm afraid I could wake at any moment from this incredible, insatiable fantasy and be forced back into reality.
Instead, I want to fall deeper into the mercy of desire and remain here forever, in this utopia together.
She starts moving against me more deliberately now. Slowly at first, her hips press down into me as her tongue laps deeper in my mouth while a whimper weakly escapes my throat. I felt captivated – like I was finally going to be hers, and she was ready to give herself to me as well.
It was clear that Kit was no longer able to control her insatiable lust any longer and I start to involuntarily move against her – both of us now unable to control ourselves or our desires. Her free hand starts to fumble with the buttons on my vest, but when I offered my assistance, she violently rips the front of my vest open, completely exposing my chest to her. I want to give myself to her, entirely. I've wanted this for so long.
Kit could barely hold herself upright long enough to take in the full sight of me before she ducks her head and buries her face into my chest. Taking her tongue over the mounds, squeezing the other in her hand with a fierce, tight grip, and running her head back and forth, as if to map out her own territory.
More. I must have more.
Kit continues her assault on my neck and grabs each of my arms by the wrist and move them above my own head, pinning them in place firmly. The feeling of being restrained by Kit gives me more pleasure than I was prepared for, and I relish the moment of her taking total control over my body. She starts to make her way down my chest again, leaving a trail of soft kisses, tongue licks, and an occasional nip in the more sensitive spots. Slowly releasing her invisible restraints on my wrists, her hands glide down my torso and explore my body at will, as she continues below my waist. I arch my back off the floor and thrust my body against her hungry mouth, leaving my hands in place obediently.
But shortly, I am no longer able to withstand the temptation and I remove my hands from their instructed positions and tangle them in her soft, delicate hair, pulling her deeper into me. My hips were thrusting against her chest now, and I could feel her bosom graze against my wet skin below.
She immediately stops her maneuvers when she realizes I have disobeyed and removes my hands from the back of her neck to return them above my head again, squeezing my wrists harder this time and with more dominance, but it only adds to my wanton desire.
Firmly, she squeezes my wrists firmly above my head and holds my lustful stare with her own. Grinning mischievously, I watch her slowly slip back down the slope of my body and return her mouth to my stomach, her hands follow and disappear below the blanket that rests above her, and she slips her head below the blanket disappearing completely.
Just as I was about to throw myself into the mercy of Kit, I realize my wrists are still somehow restrained above me.
I arch my back fully to get a full upside-down view of the blonde kitchen maid above me with her knees resting on either side of my throbbing head. Her petite, yet firm hands gripped my wrists above me and hold me pinned to the cold floor beneath us.
My eyes met with the mysterious gaze from the blonde above me and I feel her hands move from their cuffed positions on my wrists and down my forearms delicately teasing my skin. Her lips part gently making the butterflies return with such vengeance this time that my hips involuntarily thrust again against Kit's feasting mouth.
I grab the back of the kitchen maid's shoulders to pull her closer to me as she continued to indulge. Sensing the desire, her soft lips part again to meet my chest with her warm mouth and her tongue is welcome to explore.
I move my free hand to the back of Kit's head again, tangling my fingers through her lush hair as my legs spread farther as she–
I wake up with that drop in my stomach that feels similar to falling. My pulse was still beating heavily and my mouth was dry with want. But when I finally lay eyes on my sweet Kit lying next to me, I feel myself begin relax at her presence. Somehow during the night, she had ventured closer to me and rested her finger delicately against my own.
I barely have a minute to relish the moment between us before I feel Boorman's gaze staring down on me teasingly.
"The kitchen maid?"
"Gone, before I woke up. He continued. "Yea one night of sleeping on the cold ground will cure anyone of their romantic fantasies."
I feel my face flush red at the pure mention of "romantic fantasies." This is certainly going to make today's ride a bit more interesting.