Chapter 8 - Fine wine

Panic gripped at her and made her knees weak, but she managed to stay on her feet, although she no longer felt steady.

She darted her gaze from left to right and looked, and turned around on the spot where she stood, before finally looking back to where he had laid several minutes ago, and that was when she noticed that both his sword and it's scabbard were gone too.

But Where could he have gotten to? She wondered.

"Japser!" Her voice caught on the pronounciation of his name as she turned once more on her heels looking for signs of him or what could have happened. She walked to the rock where she had left him and was overcome by another wave of panic.

"Jasper!" she called out, this time louder than the first. She heard the sound of water and took slow unsteady steps toward the stream and she could have sworn her heart sighed in relief.

But her relief was soon washed away with anger.

How dare he scare her like that?

She dropped the clothes and soap she held in her hand in a heap on the Sandy ground and walked toward him, his bare back to her as he bathed.

"Did you not hear me screaming your name like a desolate wife?" Her voice hitched and caught as it rose higher with each word, but she didn’t care. She had been frightened by his sudden disappearance, and was angered at the sight of him, and he ws going to hear it from. Yes, he would.

He turned around quickly, his eyes going wide, at the sight of her. Her hair was tossled, her fist cluctched at her sides. He thought she looked beautiful. Angry, sleepy and beautiful. The cold was doing a number obn him.

"You're awake." He replied, at a loss of words.

"Yes, i’m awake. And just imagine what it was like to wake up and see you laid out asleep one minute and gone the other."

His brows drew together in confusion before clarity dawned on him.

"You were afraid for me?" She thought she heard surprise in his voice, but it didn’t completely register. Of course, she was afraid. terribly.

"Yes! I called out your name, didn't you hear me?"

"No, I swam a bit, I must have been underwater when you called."

He began walking out of the water, and she turned her back to him.

"You could at least announce that you're walking out."

" but then I wouldn't get to see the heat rise up in your cheeks."

"Arse." But he only chuckled, and she smiled, struggled against it, thought 'what the the hell?' then smiled again.

He walked to her and stood before her, still bare chested but he had hisbreeches on now and held his sword in its scabbard, in his left hand.

With his right hand he brushed away her hair from her cheeks, she knew she must have looked a mess.

"I couldn’t find you. I called out twice, but couldn’t find you." He heard the way her voice broke and saw a glimpse of just how terrified she was.

"I'm sorry I scared you like that." She couldn't speak and it wasn't fear holding her tongue together. It was his gentleness with her, how genuinely sorry he seemed, and it melted her heart.

"It's okay now. You're here now. I’m okay now."

"A princess. My princess." He drew her to him, and wrapped his arms around, hating himself for making her fear, loving her for fearing for him.

She sighed deeply against his chest.

"You're okay now." she repeated, and then wrapped her arms around him.

She pulled away from him gently, and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"We are in this together, Jasper. Remember that. We're in this together now."

He didn't want to nod or say yes. He wanted his lips on hers, his mouth one with hers, that mouth which spoke gentle words. But he nodded, and cursed himself for not taking what he wanted, knowing if he took, in that moment, it wouldn't be right, he wouldn't be the man he wanted to be with her. Only her.

And she made him want to be a better man. He wasn't a prince, or a Lord, but he would do his best by her, he would keep her safe, and if she let him, he would love her.

"I want to bathe. Then I'll join you when i’m finished, then we could start today’s journey." He simply nodded at that too and turned around, Leaving her there, her head and heart all a needy mess.

She picked the soap from the heap, she’d left a little distance away, got closer to the stream, and took off all her clothes.

She all but yelped when she got into the water. it was cold and the cold wasn't welcome, but she bathed. Albeit quickly, and ran out of the water when she was done. happy Jasper wasn't there to see, he would have thought her a wuss, and she did not need that.

She put on her fresher clothes and gathered the others and made her way back to the clearing. Jasper had a tunic on now and had taken down the tent.

"There is a tavern not so far from here where we can get breakfast."

"I'm not supposed to be seen, remember?" He seemed to contemplate that for a moment.

"You don't seem so much like a lady."

She pursed her lips at his words,

"Aw gee, Jasper! You really know what to say to a lady." She turned around and began to put her hair into pigtails. His words, had affected her, they had. But she wouldn't let him see just how much, she simply wouldn't.

"What I mean is, you're in trousers and a tunic instead of skirts, no one would expect the princess of brone to be in trousers and a tunic, much less out of the castle on her own." She didn't answer him, she simply kept braiding her hair and then stopped.

If no one expected a woman in a tunic and trousers, she might as well wear her hair in a ponytail than a pigtail, that would get less attention. She was slender and her breasts were small, the big tunic she wore making them almost unnoticeable. She smiled in spite of herself and when she turned around, her smile big, she earned herself a confused stare from Jasper.

"You're right." Was all she said and strode to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rose on her toes. "kiss a man, Jasper."

And her lips were on his, she'd never kissed a man before, the act was completely lost on her. But she knew she wanted his lips on hers as they were now, and she relished the taste of him. He kissed her softly, gently, as if he knew of her lack of experience, as if teaching her. She didn't mind being taught, she liked what she was learning.

He gently pulled away and stared down at her, his hands on her tiny waist.

"There is nothing manly about you, princess." And He was kissing her again. Not soft this time, not gently. But it was frenzied, as if he had a meddening hunger, and she suffered to keep pace with him. If he was poison, he was also the medicine and neither sufficed.

"Jasper." She heard herself sigh, as they came apart, and he rested his head on hers.

Her heart beat wildly, but she didn't mind a bit. She didn't mind a bit.

~~~~

She found a journal she’d brought with her,and wrote into it, while Jasper brought down the tent.

Dear diary,

I kissed him, and he kissed me back.

I kissed him and it was euphoria.

His mouth is honey and his kisses are like fine wine.

Hannah.