Beyond The Stone

Chapter 10

The healers had been different from anything either one of them had encountered. One of them was an elf – a human looking creature with the most sublimely delicate features and gently pointed ears. Both Tristan and Ava had found it difficult to resist the urge to reach out and touch those ears. The man had somehow manipulated the energy in the air with his hands and pulsed light along his broken leg, creating a warm, tingly and sometimes slightly unpleasant sensation deep within it. By the time he was done, Tristava could put weight on the injured limb without any sharp, shooting pains. The healer warned them that it might still be some days before the limb would stand up to abuse, but for now they could expect to sleep and to travel reasonably comfortably. It was a relief to know.

After Tristava's less significant injuries were tended, they were escorted to a simple bed chamber near the barracks. Though sparse and small, it was still a far cry from the unpleasant dungeons that had very nearly become their lodging for the night. They were locked inside behind a thick wooden door, whereupon Tristan devoured the simple supply of food left to him. Then he stood, stripped down to his trousers, and threw himself on the straw-topped pallet in the corner of the room. He put one arm behind his head to cushion it, then let the other fall haphazardly on his stomach. It had been a long day. The pain of the journey and the stress of court had worn them both out. Rest would be a welcome respite from it all.

His hand trailed over his stomach inquisitively.

'Did I not instruct thee to cease that?' Tristan growled as he took his hand away.

He felt Ava's blush on his cheeks. Tired as he was, he found her curiosity intriguing. She seemed to know much – to be worldly-wise in many ways - but her shy curiosity told him a different sort of story.

'I'm not shy,' Ava grumbled softly

'Stop attending mine thoughts,' Tristan shot back.

'I will if you will,' Ava replied childishly.

Tristan smiled to himself. He liked irking her. He liked it even better when he got the last word in and he could sense her annoyance.

'I'll prove it!' Ava growled with masked irritation.

She took his hand and started to feel his body – really feel it. Her touch felt so good after the stress of the day. Tristan relaxed and reveled in it for a brief moment, until Ava's touch broke away suddenly.

'Me thinks thou art perhaps a little shy after all,' he chided playfully.

'Why is it doing that again?' Ava hissed.

'What?' Tristan asked as he glanced around.

After a moment of confusion, he noticed the tent in his trousers.

'Oh that. Did I not tell thee once before that thou hast yet to become better acquainted with my body?' he asked slyly.

'How can it be doing that again already?' Ava gargled awkwardly as it surged happily against the soft, laced leather, providing her with the most sensitive sensation she could imagine.

Tristan's mouth widened into a massive grin.

'My nether eye likes to be thought about. It likes to stretch itself and yawn," he informed her. "It doth yawn many times in a day. Most of all, however, it likes to be touched,' he told her mischievously as he started unlacing his trousers.

'Nope. Hell no. We're not going through that again,' Ava squeaked as she quickly pulled the laces closed again.

Tristan chuckled and let her. The blood was already surging eagerly to his nether regions just thinking about how flustered his body was making her. His burgeoning wood was pressing deliciously against his trousers, making it hard for him to resist relieving himself. He bent his legs so that his trousers could tent more easily instead.