She groaned as he hit a particular sore spot, a kink in the muscle just at her shoulder blade. One hand groped for the bench before she eased herself down, abandoning the cuirass to the floor. “Where did you learn this?” she said thickly. “I am never letting you go now. Not ever.”
“Just something I picked up from my travels,” he tells her earnestly, “it’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal the way your magic is not a big deal, or mine,” she muttered. He hit another sore spot and she bit her lips to hold back a yelp. She added, “wandering hands,” and laughed.
Her eyes rolled shut and she went a bit limp under his hands. “Oh, you can do that /forever/, Medraut … ” He was easing aches she hadn’t even noticed, they were so familiar, so connected to Dobria castle and the folk there. “Please don’t stop.”
“Tell me if I hurt you,” he tells her, gently rubbing her shoulders, trying to work out all the kinks before moving to her lower back “sit down.”
She groaned as he hit a particular sore spot, a kink in the muscle just at her shoulder blade. One hand groped for the bench before she eased herself down, abandoning the cuirass to the floor. “Where did you learn this?” she said thickly. “I am never letting you go now. Not ever.”
“I shan’t ask why you know that. Still,” Summer said firmly, “you tickling me is not at all the type of wandering hands or pawing I was talking about, and well you know it.” She pulled at the lacing on the cuirass, breathing hard when it loosened. “I think you tied this more like a corset than armour.”
He winces, rubbing her shoulders, “I’m sorry, my armour doesn’t have laces; it has leather straps.”
Her eyes rolled shut and she went a bit limp under his hands. “Oh, you can do that /forever/, Medraut … ” He was easing aches she hadn’t even noticed, they were so familiar, so connected to Dobria castle and the folk there. “Please don’t stop.”
“You won’t let Edward marry me off to someone just for advantage,” she said softly. “Will you? So there’ll be no need for a handsome young knight to kidnap me from imprisonment.”
“Of course I won’t,” he tells her, “besides it takes a very long time for someone to organize a kidnap.”
“I shan’t ask why you know that. Still,” Summer said firmly, “you tickling me is not at all the type of wandering hands or pawing I was talking about, and well you know it.” She pulled at the lacing on the cuirass, breathing hard when it loosened. “I think you tied this more like a corset than armour.”
“Well, but there is you, and so I don’t think there’s likely to be a problem that way.” She pulled away to turn around, still looking up at him. “Is there?”
“What do you mean by problem?” He asks, looking down at her with a confused look on his face.
“You won’t let Edward marry me off to someone just for advantage,” she said softly. “Will you? So there’ll be no need for a handsome young knight to kidnap me from imprisonment.”
“Not in the least,” she shot back. She looked up at him upside-down with a wry smile. “A horrible old man who would paw me and have no concern whatsoever for me and keep me locked up in his castle for fear of a handsome young knight like you kidnaping me away from him.”
He groaned, lolling his head back and sighed. “Expectations,” he says, turning his attention back to her “there are so many.”
“Well, but there is you, and so I don’t think there’s likely to be a problem that way.” She pulled away to turn around, still looking up at him. “Is there?”
Summer tried to squirm away and discovered she was trapped between Mordred and the table. Elbowing him did no good either; he was wearing his chain mail, and his fingers sought out every gap in her cuirass. “Mercy!” she gasped through giggles. She fell back against his body. “That’s not the sort of wandering hands I meant!”
Mordred chuckles, not stopping when she cried for mercy, but stopped when she fell back against him. “Close enough,” he tells her with a smile.
“Not in the least,” she shot back. She looked up at him upside-down with a wry smile. “A horrible old man who would paw me and have no concern whatsoever for me and keep me locked up in his castle for fear of a handsome young knight like you kidnaping me away from him.”
She spluttered into laughter. “Did you pay attention to my family at all? Normal? Without you, I should have been trapped here, at the mercy of whomever Edward decided to pawn me off on — likely some old man with no teeth and wandering hands.”
Mordred chuckles, “oh I fit only one of those criteria” he tells her, moving around behind her to tickle her, “I have wandering hands.”
Summer tried to squirm away and discovered she was trapped between Mordred and the table. Elbowing him did no good either; he was wearing his chain mail, and his fingers sought out every gap in her cuirass. “Mercy!” she gasped through giggles. She fell back against his body. “That’s not the sort of wandering hands I meant!”
Summer blinked, and a tear splashed on the tabletop. “Mordred … ” She managed a wavering smile, and started to work on the buckles to the vambraces. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Mordred shrugs, stepping forward to help her. “Have a normal life?” He suggests.
She spluttered into laughter. “Did you pay attention to my family at all? Normal? Without you, I should have been trapped here, at the mercy of whomever Edward decided to pawn me off on — likely some old man with no teeth and wandering hands.”
“Do you really want to deal with what my mother would have to say about that? Because I don’t.” She just stood there, trembling slightly. “Tell me something nice,” she whispered.
”You’re beautiful, and amazing,” he tells her without blinking.
Summer blinked, and a tear splashed on the tabletop. “Mordred … ” She managed a wavering smile, and started to work on the buckles to the vambraces. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”