Episode 167 Ridiculous Elf I Adore
Ridiculous Elf I Adore
“Like this.” Cerian’s voice near Arisanna’s ear sends shivers down her arm.
How he expects her to focus on what she’s doing when he’s so close is beyond her.
But she tries.
He pulls back the bowstring with her hand tucked under his. “Now breathe out.”
She lets the air out of her lungs.
“You aren’t even looking at the target. You keep glancing at me.” There’s a smile in his voice, and she groans.
“Can I help it if I find you far more interesting than that target?”
“I will take that as a compliment. Try to focus?”
“I am trying. You’re just so close.”
“That’s the entire point.” He busses her neck with his lips, sending more shivers everywhere.
“Now who’s distracted?” she whispers.
He chuckles before lowering the bow. “This is a lost cause. Perhaps another day.”
“A century from now, when we aren’t so obsessed with each other?” she teases.
“I think it will take longer than that.” He steals a kiss before letting her go. “Perhaps Elowyn or Taliel can teach you.”
“I’d rather learn from you. Just not tonight.”
“And to think I went to all the trouble to grow you the perfect target.” He’s smiling now.
She eyes the tangle of branches shaped like a deer. “What makes you think I want to shoot an arrow at a deer?”
“You like venison?” He shrugs.
“That doesn’t mean I want to think about where it comes from.”
He tugs at her skirt until she’s facing him. “You know steak comes from cows, right? They’re like fat horses you can’t ride.”
“Cerian!” She struggles not to laugh. “They are not fat horses. And of course I know where steak comes from. Fat horses. They’re completely different from horses!”
He laces his fingers behind her back and grins at her. “Enlighten me, please, oh mighty Arisanna.”
She just shakes her head. “You are being ridiculous.”
“You don’t know, do you?”
“I do know. Cows...chew their food twice. I’m pretty sure horses don’t do that.”
“They chew twice? Only twice? And then they swallow?”
He looks genuinely confused, and she frowns. “No, they...they chew and swallow and then chew and swallow again.”
“They chew after they swallow? Are you sure?”
“I think so? They regurgitate it into their mouths.”
How in the world did they get to this conversation?
Cerian stares at her. “That’s disgusting.”
“It is. You really didn’t know that?”
Then he breaks into a grin. “Oh, I knew. I wanted to hear you explain it.”
“Cerian!” She buries her head against his shoulder and groans again.
“Deer do it, too.”
“I’m done with this conversation,” she mumbles into his leathers.
“Good, because we’re waking up.”
When she lifts her head, she’s curled up at Cerian’s side in his bed at Windhaven.
“We’ve never done this here before.” She rests her head on his chest again to wait for the dizziness to pass.
“Done what?”
“Woken up together in your bed. We’ve slept in quite a few places together, but never this one.”
“And which is your favorite?” he asks as he circles his finger on her back and plays with her hair.
“I think this one, though your treehouse is a close second.”
“Really?” His brows wrinkle as he looks at her. “Not the honeymoon suite?”
“I like sleeping in your bed. It smells like you. And you relax more here.”
He presses his lips to her hair, and she trails her own finger across his chest.
“I don’t suppose we can stay here all day, can we?” He only sounds half joking.
“Apparently, your mother will drag you out of bed if you don’t show up on your own.” Arisanna tries not to smile too widely, but it’s hard.
“To that end, perhaps we should put on clothes.”
Laughter bursts from her before she frowns. “All my clothes are dirty.”
“Even your green dress?”
“I wore it for days. I imagine even shimmeron has limits.”
“It does.” He sighs. “I need to buy you clothing, but I have no idea where or how or if there’s even time before we leave for Celesta. It may have to wait until we reach Celesta.”
“And in the meantime? I can’t walk around naked.”
He hesitates long enough that she lightly smacks his chest.
“I said nothing!”
“But you were definitely thinking it.”
A smile sweeps across his face, and he doesn’t deny it. “Shall I borrow something from Elowyn for you?”
“I think you’ll have to. As long as she has enough clothes. She can’t walk around naked either.”
Cerian sends Arisanna a look of pure horror. “What would possess you to say that?”
Arisanna shrugs.
“If you say a single word about Rominy in connection with that statement, I will not warm your icy feet tomorrow morning.”
“Mmm. I thought my feet felt warmer than usual. Thank you for that.” She refrains from tormenting Cerian further, and he soon rises as she watches him pull fresh leathers from his wardrobe. How many leathers does he have?
“Maybe I need leathers like Elowyn’s,” Arisanna says as she stretches on his bed. “Even Rominy has leathers now, which I can’t explain.”
Cerian freezes as he fastens his trousers in place. “Yes.”
“Yes? Yes what?”
“Leathers. For you.”
He seems to like that idea. Stars above, she was only half serious. The thought of wandering around in public dressed like that flames her cheeks.
She did decide to dress like an elf, though. If Rominy can pull it off...
Cerian finishes dressing and ducks into the water closet before heading for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Remember to knock, or you may have regrets.”
He stops with his hand on the door. Then he turns. “Are you sure you need clothing?”
She throws his pillow at him and misses completely.
“Was that supposed to hit me?” he asks.
“Just go, you ridiculous elf I adore,” she says, and he smiles before slipping out of the room.
Hopefully, he’ll come back with something appropriate. And hopefully, he’ll behave himself.
Rominy towels off his hair as he looks down at Elowyn in the tub. You’d think they’d be tired of water after their adventure in the heartlanding last night, but he felt so gross when he woke and caught a whiff of himself that a bath seemed necessary.
And Elowyn somehow ended up in the tub with him. Not that he was complaining.
They seem to be dancing around the fact that they still haven’t consummated this marriage of alliance in the real world. Not that it matters much.
And not that they’ve had much of an opportunity.
Thoughts of her bed catching fire flicker through his head. That would be good to avoid. Too bad it doesn’t rain inside Windhaven.
Cerian has fire magic, too, though. How does he manage in the real world?
Rominy quickly pushes that thought away. He definitely won’t be asking Cerian. Stars above.
“You have the most adorably disgusted look on your face, my love,” Elowyn says. “It’s because I have legs again, isn’t it?” She lifts her toes out of the water, and he laughs.
“Of course not. I like your legs. And your tail. And you. I was thinking about Cerian. And Arisanna. And I’m done thinking about them now. I need to brief Jonas on the day. I should get back in the habit of doing that. You’ll be all right?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll be back soon. I promise.” He leans down to kiss her before striding out of the water closet as a knock sounds on their outer door. “Hey, someone’s knocking, so don’t come out like...that,” he says, and she laughs.
“Understood.”
He closes the water closet door, and when he opens the outer door, Cerian is standing in the vestibule.
“Good morning,” Rominy says. “Please don’t threaten me this time.”
Cerian turns sheepish at Rominy’s words. “I thought we were pretending that conversation never occurred.”
“Right, we are. Do you need something?”
“Where’s Elowyn?”
Rominy hesitates. Do they talk about bathing in Lostariel? They seem to talk about everything else.
“She’s in the bath,” he says quietly, and Cerian’s eyes drift to Rominy’s damp hair.
For a moment, neither of them says anything.
“Your sister needs clothing,” Cerian eventually mumbles.
“Well, this conversation isn’t awkward at all.”
Is that a smile tugging at Cerian’s lips? At least he isn’t scowling.
“I have no idea where anything is other than the nightgowns and the shoe that falls on my head every time I open the wardrobe door,” Rominy mutters.
“I’m relatively certain the shoe is a trap designed to deter would-be intruders,” Cerian says, and Rominy stares at him before laughing.
“And here I thought I just married an untidy elf.”
Cerian shrugs. “That, too.”
Rominy gestures him inside. “You’re welcome to whatever you can find unless you want to wait for Elowyn.”
“I’ll manage. Thank you.”
“I need to find Jonas. Watch out for that shoe.”
A genuine grin spills across Cerian’s face, and he nods before heading to the wardrobe as Rominy stares after him.
Cerian not only smiles. He grins.
Rominy shakes his head and leaves Cerian to his search as he lets himself out of the room.