Stuck Midst the Peasantry (Non Canon, R, for Aviaris)

Lucas quietly thanked her, then nodded. "Yes, I think I can walk a bit... um... lead the way, I guess..." Going to her cabin to live with her, for any length of time, was daunting. It meant he'd be living alone with a woman, who was not a relative. A beautiful woman. A elven woman, who was likely older than she appeared, so he'd likely make a fool of himself somehow, doing some stupid thing young men like him did, that made their elders wonder just what the hell they were thinking.

Elise led him out of her brother's house, into the bright spring day. To the left of the house stood a barn and near that a chicken coop. To the right was the outhouse and a tanning shed. Apple, cherry and plum trees dotted the yard around the house, with a kitchen and herb garden in back and the grain fields beyond that. But straight ahead of the house when one walked out was the pasture. A green fenced field, in which grazed about a dozen horses. Mares and foals mostly, but all looked as though they'd been playfully splashed with white paint over their black, bay and sorrel coats. Elise smiled when she gazed at them, the painted horses weren't common among the humans, being bred mostly by gypsy elves. She watched Lucas to see his reaction.

Lucas didn't generally feel one way or the other about horses, but even he had to admit some surprise over the painted horses. "Huh... I've never really seen horses like that before... kind of nice, they aren't as... I don't know, uniform, as what I normally see. Seem more unique, I guess."

Elise smirked to herself. Not a horse guy, this noble she'd found. "We've started a breeding program, bringing the color into more of a riding type horse instead of just the drafts. The program's just getting on its feet though." Leaving it at that she led the way towards the woods, letting him set the pace. "I know you're not comfortable at the thought of staying in my cabin. When people stop at the farm, business is conducted at my brother's. Your presence would bring up questions."

She kept a keen eye on him, making sure he wasn't overdoing it.

Lucas blushed again, reminded of the situation. "Ah, yes... I understand that, I just... well, the idea of staying with a woman, even innocently...." He paused, then sighed heavily. "This is no way for a noble to behave. The nephew of the King should stand proud, and show no weakness..." He sounded like he was reciting from memory. He was.

Elise lifted a brow at him, then mimicked him in a low voice standing stiffly, "A noble should be stuffy, boring, and stomp the little people." She smirked, "Am I close?" They'd entered the woods, leaf litter crunching underfoot while aspen, oak, and maple towered around them. Scruff bounded ahead of them, disappearing over a rise.

At her words, Lucas frowned a bit. "Make your voice a bit deeper and you'd have sounded just like my father, yes." He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. Sleeping in a place not protected by high stone walls would be tough to deal with... he hoped he didn't cause too much trouble for Elise.

Elise bit her lip, thinking she'd hit a nerve. "Well, here's my home." she waved her hand at the log cabin. It was half the size of the her brother's house, with vines of honeysuckle growing over the walls and a woodpile to one side. A short distance away stood an outhouse. All in all, it was rugged, but well- built. She unlocked the door with key from a chain about her neck and invited him in. The main room served as kitchen, dining and sitting area. There was a single door to the left and a set of stairs along the back wall. "There's where you'll sleep," she pointed to a cot with some blankets folded on it at a cozy distance from the fireplace. "I'm upstairs, and the door there is my....pantry." There was a lock on the pantry door. The stone floor was strewn with rugs and she'd hung herbs to dry from the rafters, giving the room a kitcheny smell. Scruff went and lay happily near the fire, pink tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Lucas again took a look around, and nodded. "Ah... looks a bit like the servants quarters..." There was a pause, and then he was waving his hands about in a flustered manner. "I didn't mean that in a bad way, I swear!"

Elise looked around her home, thinking of the days she and her brother had put into building it. They'd done everything from felling the lumber to placing and grouting the stonework floor and fireplace. "I suppose it would, but it suits me well enough. Sit," she motioned to the bench at her table. As he sat, she dished stew from over the fire into red stoneware bowls and served them both. "Do you live in the castle then?"

"Ah... yes. My father's personal castle, and the Royal castle. I was heading back home from the royal castle when I was attacked... I wonder when I'll be able to go home... though... it's kind of nice, not dealing with my father and his politics." He shrugged, making himself comfortable in his chair.

"We'll listen to the rumors and news carriers, make sure it's safe for you to head back. Although for now you should rest some more. You could consider roughing it with me and mine as a life lesson, of sorts," Elise smirked and shrugged.

Lucas blinked, and looked at her oddly. "Life lesson? I have tutors. I'm sure they can teach me anything I need to know..." He didn't sound entirely sure though. Was there something the tutors couldn't teach him? They were supposedly some of the greatest minds in the kingdom, but...

"Can your tutors teach you what it is to be one of the lower class? Or what it feels like to build a home, a life and living with your own two hands? Can they show you what it really means to be an elf in this kingdom?" Elise shook her head. "Tell me, what is it they do teach you?"

Lucas paused, and sighed heavily. "No, they couldn't teach me any of those things. All they teach me is 'the things that those of noble blood should know.' I know I couldn't do any of the things you and your family do here... honestly, without servant or people to help me, I'd probably last less than a week on my own."

"And I'm sure that those 'things' are important to know as a noble," Elise conceded a bit. "But, while you stay here, you have no servants. I'll teach you to do whatever work you're physically able to do--that way your hands won't be idle." Strange how such a small, feminine looking elf could make her voice stern as steel. "If you're still hungry, you can serve yourself some stew from the pot, otherwise wash you bowl and spoon and put them on the shelf." She washed her own dishes, so he'd know where things went. "I'm going up to bed. Good night." She climbed the stairs and closed the door at the top behind her.

Lucas was silent after she left, looking at his bowl. "Huh... this is really going to take getting used to... have no choice though. Besides, I always have wondered about this stuff... and think it's stupid for the servants to have to do everything for us, so..." He shrugged, and, after finishing eating, made sure to do exactly what he'd seen Elise did, not wanting to mess it up. When he went to bed, he was anxious about the next day. Should be interesting. However, before he could get to the new challenges of tomorrow, he needed to get through the harsh nightmares of his sleep.

Elise woke with a start, searching the dark for the noise that'd bothered her. Downstairs, she thought and tiptoed down. She turned to see Lucas in the light of the embers, thrashing and murmuring in his cot. She sat by him, trying to soothe him by petting his hair, "Shhh, it's alright. Nothing here will harm you." The elf was oblivious to the fact that her soft muslin night gown was almost see-through, her ample breasts clearly outlined and the mid-thigh hem riding up her legs a little.

It took time, but Lucas eventually started to calm in his sleep. Once he finally had, however, his brow furrowed, he grunted slightly, and then opened his eyes slowly. "Wh-...wha?" He glanced around, and his eyes snapped onto Elise, surprise registering. "...Elise?" After a moment, however, he turned a bright red. He noticed her attire and, more importantly, what it didn't exactly hide. Teenage hormones took control, and he looked away, shifting in bed to try and hide the fact that a certain part of his anatomy was now giving Elise a standing ovation.

"You were having a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?" Her long ebony hair framed her face and fell loose down her back, violet eyes worried as they peered at his face. "Lucas? Are you alright?" She saw his blush, but it was early in the morning, "You don't have to embarrassed about having a nightmare, you know. I still have nightmares too sometimes."

Lucas' blush actually worsened. He'd noted before that she was beautiful, but here and now, in this light, with her this close and with concern for him in her eyes, he realized just how beautiful she was. This thought triggered a twitch in his crotch, and thus the blush became even worse. "I... yeah..." He'd rather she believe he was embarrassed over the nightmares, than realize he was standing at attention for her. Again he shifted, trying to make sure it wasn't visible. He was sure if she noticed, she'd either be upset, or mock him.

"Was it of the attack?" she crossed her legs, the nightgown slipping up the side of her thigh again. "Hey, you can talk to me," Elise lay a gentle hand on his shoulder, the neck of the gown dipping down to show some of her cleavage.

Lucas' eyes bugged out, and he shut his eyes, refusing to look at her. "Y-y-yes, it w-was of the attack...." Now it was just painful, his erection. He knew, or at least he believed, that Elise was not doing this on purpose, but he still felt like screaming and asking why she was doing this to him.

Elise's brow furrowed in confusion, making her look him over again. She blinked at the sight of what had to be a massive erection beneath the blankets, then looked down at herself and blushed momentarily. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable." She sat up, tugging the hem of her nightgown down. Her kind smile turned to him, "You're a kind, handsome young man Lucas. I'm glad there's someone like you counted amongst the nobility." Her smiled turned wicked before she grasped his chin and pressed her lips against his. It was a sweet, chaste meeting. Then she poured a bit of heat into, her tongue flicking out a moment before she pulled away. "Now, I can go put a robe on and we can talk about your nightmare, or we can just sleep." She waited to let him decide.

When Elise pulled away, Lucas was staring at her in complete shock, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. After a moment, he swallowed hard. "Uh... w-we c-can t-t-talk a bit, if y-you want..." His voice was quiet and uncertain, but he didn't seem upset at all, simply caught off guard and embarrassed.