Marlot woke up to the sun shining in her window, Jinx sleeping on her chest, and Jack bursting through her door.
“Happy Birthday Marlot!”
She pushed Jinx off then rolled over smiling at the golem standing in her doorway. Jack had a big grin on his face and a brown paper package in his arms.
“Whaaaat’s that?” she asked, failing to stifle a yawn as she stretched.
“It’s your birthday present Marlot, the one I went to the village to get.” He sat down next to her on the bed and handed over the parcel. Marlot quickly untied the cords and pulled back the paper to reveal a dress the color of Jack’s leaf green hair. The fabric was thick and warm to protect from the cold but soft enough to move comfortably in.
“Jack, it’s beautiful, thank you.”
“I sold some of the less interesting stuff from my room to pay for it,” he said proudly.
Marlot paused as she smoothed the dress out on her bed, admiring the workmanship. “Like what?” she asked, suddenly anxious.
“I figured since they were in storage you wouldn’t miss them.”
“Jack what did you sell?” Marlot watched him closely as he shifted nervously under her gaze.
“An old beat up pair of boots, a glass jar half full of beans, a handful of ribbons, a pretty comb, an apron, a cloak ,a very fancy wine cup, and a bottle of wine. What was wine doing in my room anyway?”
Marlot looked at him in disbelief, “Jack! Haven’t you been reading those fairy tales, or were you just admiring the craftsmanship of the book!”
“Of course I have been reading them.” He sounded hurt but she needed him to understand just how serious this was.
“Do you remember reading anything about magic beans, 7 league boots, invisibility cloaks, or maybe something about a pretty little princess whose stepmother kept trying to kill her so she would be the fairest in the land?”
“Yes…” he twitched under her intense glare.
“Well that is exactly what you just sold to the villagers, not to mention that the comb, Snow White’s comb no less, is actually dangerous.”
“The one the Queen tried to kill her with?”
“The very same, if one of the villagers tried to use that they would be poisoned on the spot.”
“Oh.” Jack bit his lip and looked down at his lap. “I’m sorry Marlot, will you forgive me? I didn’t mean to sell anything important; I just wanted some money to buy you a present.”
Marlot jumped off of the bed and after looking longingly at her new dress she quickly changed into one of her black robes and folded her present into a sack. As she threw the sack over her shoulder and ran out of the room Jack called after her, “Marlot, where are you going?”
She snatched her broomstick out of the corner where she had left it the night before and threw open the front door. “To warn the villagers,” she called over her shoulder. Jack ran after her and jumped on the broom behind her out in the yard, holding on tightly as they sped over the forest below.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Part 30 In which everyone makes mistakes
She wasn’t sure how long she flew, or where she would go. Having left without thinking, all she had to keep her warm was her robe, and the air was chilly so high up and so late in the year. Jinx was warm and used to flying but even he was fidgety.
Around midnight Marlot touched ground outside the cabin once more, where she could see a cheery fire burning inside. She opened the door cautiously and saw the golem asleep in the window seat, his forehead against the cool glass. There was also a bowl of stew on the table. It was cold now but he had obviously put it there in hopes of her return. She smiled at Jack then quietly went into his room and pulled the blanket off his bed.
She watched him sleep for a moment then gently tucked the blanket around her beloved golem. He twitched then turned to face her. Marlot dropped to her knees next to him. “I’m so…”
He didn’t even let her finish her apology before dropping to the ground next to her hugging her so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe.
“I’m sorry Marlot, I really didn’t believe anything they said, honest. I love you Marlot you know that right? Why would I ever leave?”
“I’m sorry too,” she said into his boney shoulder, she really should feed him more.
“Your freezing.”
“I was flying. It’s really cold.”
Jack took the blanket that had fallen off of him when he woke and wrapped it around them both. They sat on the floor, their backs to the window seat, in silence for a long time while Jack ran his fingers through her tangled curls and Marlot breathed in the smell of him.
It was so nice to just sit there and Marlot was starting to drift off to sleep when Jack’s fingers moved from her hair to her face. He traced her soft cheeks and slightly turned up nose, the lines around her eyes, and finally her lips. She shivered under his gentle touch and lightly kissed his finger when it paused on her mouth.
“Marlot?” he asked quietly.
“um hum.” She said under his finger.
“What is kissing exactly? It seems so important in the fairy tales, waking princesses and all of that. But…” He blushed and pulled his hand away.
She bit her lip for a moment, “Well its...” she hesitated and for the first time realized that the strange feelings she had when she saw the way Lilly looked at Jack wasn’t being protective, she was jealous of the pretty young woman. “It’s like this Jack.” She gently placed the tip of her fingers under his chin until he turned to face her. His cheeks were still red and she could feel her own face heating up. She leaned into him until their lips touched. It was as though every happy feeling she had ever felt flooded into her at that moment. His mouth was so soft, his hands now buried in her hair were warm, and she knew every point where they touched, their knees and legs on the floor where they sat, her arms on his chest. It only lasted a moment but it felt like a lifetime. They pulled apart, both blushing like silly children and sat back against the window seat.
“Oh.” Jack said, sounding a little breathless. “That was nice.”
“Well now you know.” Marlot muttered to her lap, too shy to look at him.
“Yes, I supposed your right.” His hand found her’s and their fingers folded around each other. “And here I thought only the person with the birthday got a present.
Marlot giggled and squeezed his hand.
Around midnight Marlot touched ground outside the cabin once more, where she could see a cheery fire burning inside. She opened the door cautiously and saw the golem asleep in the window seat, his forehead against the cool glass. There was also a bowl of stew on the table. It was cold now but he had obviously put it there in hopes of her return. She smiled at Jack then quietly went into his room and pulled the blanket off his bed.
She watched him sleep for a moment then gently tucked the blanket around her beloved golem. He twitched then turned to face her. Marlot dropped to her knees next to him. “I’m so…”
He didn’t even let her finish her apology before dropping to the ground next to her hugging her so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe.
“I’m sorry Marlot, I really didn’t believe anything they said, honest. I love you Marlot you know that right? Why would I ever leave?”
“I’m sorry too,” she said into his boney shoulder, she really should feed him more.
“Your freezing.”
“I was flying. It’s really cold.”
Jack took the blanket that had fallen off of him when he woke and wrapped it around them both. They sat on the floor, their backs to the window seat, in silence for a long time while Jack ran his fingers through her tangled curls and Marlot breathed in the smell of him.
It was so nice to just sit there and Marlot was starting to drift off to sleep when Jack’s fingers moved from her hair to her face. He traced her soft cheeks and slightly turned up nose, the lines around her eyes, and finally her lips. She shivered under his gentle touch and lightly kissed his finger when it paused on her mouth.
“Marlot?” he asked quietly.
“um hum.” She said under his finger.
“What is kissing exactly? It seems so important in the fairy tales, waking princesses and all of that. But…” He blushed and pulled his hand away.
She bit her lip for a moment, “Well its...” she hesitated and for the first time realized that the strange feelings she had when she saw the way Lilly looked at Jack wasn’t being protective, she was jealous of the pretty young woman. “It’s like this Jack.” She gently placed the tip of her fingers under his chin until he turned to face her. His cheeks were still red and she could feel her own face heating up. She leaned into him until their lips touched. It was as though every happy feeling she had ever felt flooded into her at that moment. His mouth was so soft, his hands now buried in her hair were warm, and she knew every point where they touched, their knees and legs on the floor where they sat, her arms on his chest. It only lasted a moment but it felt like a lifetime. They pulled apart, both blushing like silly children and sat back against the window seat.
“Oh.” Jack said, sounding a little breathless. “That was nice.”
“Well now you know.” Marlot muttered to her lap, too shy to look at him.
“Yes, I supposed your right.” His hand found her’s and their fingers folded around each other. “And here I thought only the person with the birthday got a present.
Marlot giggled and squeezed his hand.
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