To Be Chosen By A God

Chapter 9

                “I’m right here.  How are you feeling?”

                “This is just another dream, isn’t it?”  Tears began to fall from her eyes.

                “It’s not.  I can prove it.”

                “How?  Nearly anything you can do in the waking world you can do in dreams.”

                “Do you remember the picnic?”  He smiled as he went over to his pitcher of water and poured a glass of cold water.  He helped her to sit up and helped hold the cup for her as she drank.  “Real water quenches thirst.  Dream water would not.”  She drank deeply.  He had kept her hydrated, but feared trying to put any water in her throat, worried that it would choke her.  “Easy, Chelsea.  You don’t want to choke.”  He pulled the cup away for a moment as she took a few deep breaths and then helped her to drink some more.  She ended up draining the cup.  “Do you want more?”

                “I’m hungry.”  She whispered.

                “Do you want me to bring you down to the kitchen with me or stay up here?   Your body will be very weak so I will have to carry you, not that I mind, but I don’t want you to be alarmed.”  She looked around the room and the cot and finally at her clothing, confused.  “I wanted to be nearby in case you woke up, so I built you a cot for the attic.  It was Margaret who changed you out of your clothing.  I’ve just be using my power to keep the night gown and your body clean.  I didn’t think you would want me to bathe you.”  Color tinged his cheeks as she also blushed at the thought of him cleaning her naked body.  “I’ve been using my power to also remove any waste before it left you, so you don’t have to worry about that or be embarrassed that I may have had to clean up after you.”  She blushed deeper at his words.  “I’m sorry.  I’ve embarrassed you.  I…”

                “I would like to go down to the kitchen with you.  I’m not sure what I’ll be able to stomach just yet.”  She interrupted.  He had been babbling, she knew.  She was very happy to be awake again but was disheartened with how weak she felt.  She wouldn’t have even been able to sit up if he hadn’t helped her.  He scooped her up into his arms.

                “Would you like to Step with me into the kitchen, or would you prefer I walked?”

                “Stepping is where you go from one place to another instantly, right?”  He nodded.  “Ok.”  She laid her head against his shoulder.

                “Ok.  I want you to take a deep breath in.  It will help.”  He waited for her to take a breath in.  He then quickly Stepped into the kitchen.  “And breathe out.”  He felt her breathe out.  “I find it’s easier to do it that way.  Do you feel ok from it?”  She nodded.  “Do you think you can sit in one of the chairs?”

                “I can’t hold myself up just yet.”

                He kissed her forehead.  “That’s ok.”  He brought the cot down to the kitchen with a thought, and laid her on it and adjusted her so that she could watch him.  “Do you think you have the energy to chew?”  She shook her head.  “I have an idea then.”  He combined ice from the cooler with fruit and milk and blended them together to a smooth finish.  He made it a little more watery than it would normally be so that it would be easier to drink.  She loved watching him move around in the kitchen.  The way he would reach behind him and the item he wanted would just zip into his out-stretched hand.  He brought the glass over to her, helped her up, and helped hold the cup to her lips for her to drink. 

                “I’m afraid I’ve eaten all of the baked goods you made.  If you tell me how to make your honey cakes, or anything else, I can create them so I can keep up my energy easier.  I can cook basic things, but I’ve never made any sweets before.”  They took frequent breaks with the drinking.  When they were done, he laid her back down and she told him how much of each item he would need to make various sweets.  He used his power to make the items, but he still needed to know how it was made in order to create them correctly.  He ended up making several batches of the honey cakes, but also a chocolate cake, cookies, and even an apple pie.  He ate a few of the cookies and honey cakes while they were still warm and put the rest into stasis domes for later.  By then it was the time they usually would spend in the sitting room.

                “Normally, we would be having dinner right now.  I need to check on my lands one last time and make sure nothing needs to be seen to.  Do you want to wait for me in the sitting room or in our bedroom?”

                “The sitting room, I think.”  He nodded and lifted her into his arms.  He walked into the sitting room.  He set her in one of the big armchairs and she leaned heavily against the chair back.

                He kissed her temple.  “I’ll just be gone for a few minutes.”  She smiled weakly and nodded.  He rubbed her cheek and then quickly turned and Stepped from the room.  She was afraid to go back to sleep, to doze, and so held on to consciousness as she waited for Micah to return.  It wasn’t long before he returned.

                “How are you doing?  Hungry? Thirsty?  Tired?”

                “I don’t ever want to go to sleep, Micah.  The thought scares me.”  She turned her head away.

                “How about I make that couch from your last dream and I hold you for a while?”  She nodded.  He concentrated on the materials needed to create the couch.  She watched as they entered the room and swirled around and formed into the couch.  He turned back to her and placed her arms around his neck as he lifted her back up.  She was lighter now than the time he had carried her up the stairs when she fell asleep.  He sat down and positioned her as she had been in the dream.

                He ran his hand through her hair, enjoying the realness of it.  He loved the feel of her body next to his, against his.  She was finally choosing to be in contact with him and it wasn’t in a dream.  Granted, she was in a weakened state, so he wondered if this really counted.  His grip tightened around her and she sighed with contentment.  It wasn’t long before she fell asleep, unable to deny her body’s need for more rest.  While she rested, he moved the cot back to the attic with a gesture.  He would need it there tomorrow.  When she was completely out, he carefully lifted her back up and carefully Stepped into the bedroom.

                He laid her down on the bed and prepared himself for bed.  He laid down and waited for the evening prayers.  As they began to flow through his mind, she opened her eyes.  She looked over at him and realized what was happening.  Being in his arms seemed to ease her mind about waking up again.  She scooted over to him and the movement caused him to look over at her.  He understood what she was trying to do so helped her by wrapping an arm around her and drawing her in close.  With her head on his shoulder, her body pressed close to his, he was happy.  She was back asleep by the end of the prayers.

                The next morning, the prayers woke him up.  He stayed in bed, not wanting to wake Chelsea up, and waited for them to end.  He brushed back her hair from her face and she began to rouse.

                “Good morning.”  He whispered.

                “Good morning, Micah.  I’m sorry I came over here while you were listening to the evening prayers, it’s just…”

                “I don’t mind, Chelsea.”

                “But the reason…”  She looked ashamed.

                “I understand, Chelsea.  You’re still afraid to sleep.  I probably make you feel safe enough to sleep?”  She nodded.  He kissed her temple.  “It’s really ok.  You should be able to find your comfort in me.  And you should feel safe with me.  How are you feeling today?”

                “Still pretty weak.  Wait, what about the morning prayers?”

                “Already done.  I didn’t want to wake you, so when they came in, I stayed in bed so you could continue resting.  I’m going to go take a shower.”  He gave her another peck to the forehead and got up from the bed.  She watched as he walked around the bed and into the bathing chamber.  She heard the water start.  She was closer to his side of the bed than to hers so she pulled herself to the edge of the bed.  She slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.  She immediately fell over.

                Her muscles were weak.  She tried to stand up, even using the bed for support, but just couldn’t stand.  It was only a few moments, but she felt arms around her, helping her to stand up.  “Easy.  Easy.”  Micah whispered.  “You aren’t ready to walk on your own yet.  We’ll get you there, but I need you to take it easy.”  Her nightgown was becoming wet as he had come straight from the shower.  As he helped her back onto the bed, she realized he wasn’t even wearing a towel.  She blushed deeply and averted her eyes.  He chuckled at her actions and after being sure she wasn’t going to try to get back up, trotted back to the shower.  When he did come back out, he had a towel wrapped around his waist.  She looked away as he got dressed.

                “I’m decent again.  Now, you have three options.  I can have Margaret come in and help to cleanse and clothe you, I can help you take a bath and get dressed, or I can use my power to cleanse your body and hair and change your clothing.”

                She was still blushing about the first two options as she replied, “I’d rather you just use your power.”  She bowed her head, not wanting to meet his eyes.

                “I’m glad you did not want me to help bathe you and change your clothing.  I’m not quite ready for such a leap in our relationship.”  He smiled as he gestured over her, first cleaning her hair, body and nightgown, and then another that changed her clothing so that she was wearing a dress.  He helped her to stand.  “Just a few steps for now.  Hold on to me.  Put your arm around my waist.  It will take some time, but we are going to slowly build up the strength in your legs.”  He had his arm around her as she clutched his waist.  They walked from his side to the door which was on the opposite side of the room. 

                She was clearly tired by then, so he steadied her, and lifted her up.  “We might try some more later.”  She nodded and he walked down to the kitchen.  He set her on one of the dining room chairs and readied breakfast after getting directions on how pancakes and syrup were made.  He squeezed some orange juice for them both as well.  He cut up her pancakes for her, knowing her energy was still low.

                “Thank you.”

                “Just wanted to ensure you would be able to eat enough.  You will let me know when you need to use the toilet?”  She blushed again.  “I will remove the waste like I’ve been doing until you have your strength back enough.  I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”  She nodded.  “Do you need to go now?”  She nodded so he relieved her.  She placed her hand over her abdomen and the sudden relief was shocking.  When they were finished, he cleaned the plates with a thought and put everything away.

                “Time to go to work.”  He lifted her up, told her to breathe in, Stepped into the attic and felt her breathe out.  He set her on the cot and began working.  She watched as he started by checking his lands for demons and dragons.  “I have to admit, it’s been a while since anyone has watched me work.  Do you want me to explain what I’m doing as I do it?”

                “Sure.”

                “Well, I just finished checking the land for demons and dragons.  Sometimes I catch them before they become a problem and sometimes I don’t.  But I do try to check several times throughout the day.  Next I’m going to check in with each of my priests and priestesses and make sure their villages don’t have any specific needs.”  As he listened, he would make notes every now and then on a piece of parchment.  He sprinkled some sand on the ink when he was finished to help it dry faster and then folded it, wrote something on the outside, sprinkled more sand on it and then he closed his eyes with the paper in his outstretched hand.  She watched as it disappeared.

                “That was a list I just sent to Margaret of baskets I want prepared for the various temples.  She will also have baskets of items we have too much of that can’t be utilized by the people here.  Those items will either be distributed to the poor or sold in the market for other items to help the poor such as clothing or boots.”

                He took the water pitcher and poured himself a glass of water.  He drank deeply, refilled, and then dipped his fingers in it, flicking his fingers over an area.  She watched as clouds seemed to form there and she could see it begin to rain.  “One of the prayers this morning was that it hadn’t rained for a long time in Rolance.  I am not very good with weather, but I can at least make it give a light shower.  I don’t dare mess with the weather too much because it could become unbalanced and cause other areas to drought.”

                “Did Darius deliver the basket to my family?”

                “I’m so sorry.  I completely forgot to show you.  When you fell ill, I knew you would want to see it so I recorded it on a crystal.  I’ll be right back.”  He Stepped into their bedroom, retrieved the crystal and then Stepped back into the attic.  He smiled as he walked to the cot and sat on the floor next to her.  He showed her how to operate it and sat with her while she watched it.

                “I’m so glad you were all able to come.  Chelsea has sent you a message.”  Darius explained.  He handed her mother the letter and set the basket down in front of them.

                “I can’t…..”  Her mother started.

                “It’s ok.  I can read it to you if you like.”  Darius replied.  She nodded so he opened the letter and began reading it to the gathered family.

                “Hello everyone!  Micah has been having me taught to read and write and let me know he can get messages to you though Darius.  I’ve finally gotten the hang of writing and I’m sorry, Darius, if my hand writing is hard to read.  I don’t have much need to write here, but reading has become invaluable, so I don’t have a lot of reason to practice writing.

                I miss all of you terribly and while things have not gone as I expected them to here, they have been going well.  I’ve been getting to know Micah as a person and he absolutely loves your honey cakes, mother.  I never expected a god to love sweets, but he does.  He looks just like his statues too though the face is a little off; the cheekbones are a little higher and you can’t see that his hair is black and his eyes are steel grey.  He’s been very kind to me.

                I’ve enclosed a basket of what I hope will be useful items.  Micah suggested I send the jar of honey.  If you have needs, let Darius know and I might be able to meet some of them with the next basket.

                I love and miss all of you.

                Chelsea.”

                They both watched as her mother hugged her sisters and her father shook hands with Darius.

                “Thank you so much!  I thought I’d never hear from her again.”  Her father said.

                “Micah would never want to completely separate you from your daughter or your daughter from you.  Do you have any needs she can help you with?”

                “Anything really.  Fruit is always appreciated, as is cloth and thread.  Candles are always needed too.  I don’t know if she’ll be able to, but if she could find a way to get me a new belt, I’d appreciate it.  This one is getting ready to fall apart and we have other expenses to worry about that will come before purchasing a new belt.”  Her father replied and her mother nodded in agreement.

                “Does she know how long of a belt you will need?”  Darius asked.  Her mother gave the measurement.  When it seemed there was nothing else, he added, “Don’t be alarmed when you’ve emptied the basket, that it disappears.  It just means that it has returned to Micah.”  They nodded their understanding and soon left the temple.  The recording ended.

                “Thank you, Micah.  It looks like I will be asking how to make leather products when I’m back to normal.”  She leaned over and kissed Micah on the cheek and hugged him.  He was surprised by the kiss, but wrapped his own arms around her.

                “I knew you wanted to see them receive the basket and I probably would have recorded it for you anyway.  By the way, the leather worker likes pies.  Think of it like a bribe.  He wouldn’t tell you no, but he’s getting older and crankier.  There are others you could learn from, but he’s the best.”  She released him and he moved to a kneeling position so he could look at her more directly.  “It’s nearly lunch time.  I’ll be back with some food for us.  She nodded so he stood up and Stepped into the kitchen.

                He came back about a half hour later with a lap tray and two plates of food as well as drinks.  He had prepared chicken breast, mashed potatoes and green beans along with some cookies.  He knelt by her cot and used the cot as his table while she used the lap tray.

                As they ate, they chatted.  “When you said things didn’t go as you expected here, what did you mean?”  He asked her.

                “Well, the search was to find your next wife.  I just thought you would marry me as soon as I arrived, I guess.  I didn’t expect there to be so many people here either.”  She replied.

                “No, there is still The Choice to be made.”

                “The choice?”

                “Yes.  You see, just because I chose you to be my next wife, doesn’t mean that you would actually be compatible with me.  I’ve certainly gotten better over the centuries of choosing women that would most likely be compatible with me, but this is not a done deal by any stretch of the word.”  He could see the unasked questions she wanted to ask as if they had been written across her face.  “I’ll explain.  There wasn’t always The Choice.  You see I was arrogant and assumed that any woman would be happy to be my wife.  I was their god after all.  She would have been my fourth wife.  As you know, any wedding planning stops while The Search is going on.  The woman I chose that time was planning her wedding.  I loved her, so I chose her for my wife, thinking that she would come to love me and forget her betrothed.  It was a full month of crying before I finally realized that it wasn’t going to work out.  She was heartbroken, torn from the man she loved and I was the one that did it.  I felt like such a heel as I listened to her cry herself to sleep every night.

                “I finally told her that we would have her local priest ask her love a few questions.  If he still loved her, I would bring him here to live with her and she would be able to marry him instead.  If he didn’t, she could still choose to find another here to love or to try to love me.  She agreed and when the priest asked him the questions, there was no doubt that he still loved her and wanted to be with her.  He was offered the chance to come to my Haven and he didn’t even have to think twice.  He gathered his belongings, told his parents goodbye and I brought him here.

                “I could have accidently killed him in the process of bringing him here, but I didn’t.  I didn’t want her to wonder if I had or not.  They were immediately married and they entered a pact with me.  The first daughter of her line would always be named for her and her line would take care of the day to day planning and details of the Haven and it’s workers.  Her name was Margaret.  Each Margaret grows up close to me and I’m much like an uncle to them.  I babysit them a lot and they get to know what I like and don’t like and they learn many different skills that would be useful not only for themselves, but for also a new charge to be able to learn from them how to do a thing as well.

                “That is when The Choice came about.  I realized that I couldn’t just expect the young woman I chose to love me too.  When I am ready to ask you to marry me, I will offer you The Choice.”  He smiled and leaned over, kissing her temple.  He waved a hand over their empty plates and they disappeared.  “Back to work with me.”  He stood up and again checked his lands for demons and dragons.  By the time he was finished, workers were arriving with baskets.  They were filled with all manner of things.   There were several that were just filled with wool and others filled with jars of honey, fruit, vegetables, bags of flour, rolls of leather, antlers, and even a few filled with parchment wrapped cuts of meat.  There were also several empty baskets so that he could fill up the baskets from the filled baskets.  She watched as he first turned the wool into bolts of undyed cloth and then how he divided out the items from the other baskets.

                “Micah?”  He looked over at her.  She put a hand to her abdomen.  “I need to….”  She blushed.  He got up and came over to her.  He knelt down in front of her and rubbed her cheek gently.

                “Please don’t be embarrassed about this.”  He put a hand over her abdomen and the pressure disappeared.  “Do you want to try walking around a little bit?”  She nodded so he helped her to stand and he guided her arm around his waist.  He wrapped his other arm around her and they walked slowly around the attic.  They made a couple circuits of the space before guiding her back down on the cot.  “Did you want me to bring your spinning here?  I didn’t think that you might become bored, but you must be by now.”

                “I’m still pretty exhausted.  Maybe later?”  He nodded and went back to sorting.  Each basket was filled with different things based on the needs of the people in the different villages and cities.

                When all the baskets were finished, he brought them over to his work table one by one, and one by one they were sent down to the appropriate temples.

                “Why antlers?”  She finally asked.

                “They can attach a knife blade to the end or carve designs on them.  It’s cheaper than using more metal and a little nicer than using wood for the handle.”  By the time all the baskets were delivered, it was getting late, so he checked his lands again for demons and dragons.  Satisfied that his lands were safe, he came back to Chelsea and lifted her up into his arms.  She took a deep breath in, he Stepped into the kitchen, and she breathed out.  She was becoming used to how he moved around.  He set her to sit at the dining table as he made dinner for them both.  He cut her meat for her again to her amusement, but she appreciated it all the same.  After dinner they laid together on the couch and she again fell asleep in his arms.  He carried her up to the bedroom and laid her down.  He used his power to change her clothing for her and settled in to bed next to her, letting the evening prayers wash over him.

                Sometime during the night, she snuggled up to him and he helped her to get comfortable.  The next morning, he again waited for the morning prayers to finish before getting up, not wanting to wake her up before he had to.  While he was in the shower, she used the headboard as support as she stood.  She shakily walked to her dresser, using the furniture along the way to support her.  She grabbed the clothing she wanted to wear and tossed it onto the bed before shakily walking back to the bed.  She took a small break before undressing and putting on the clean clothing.  It wasn’t long before the water was turned off and he came back into the room.

                He made a gesture towards her and she felt clean instantly and no longer felt any need to use the toilet.  “I see you’re dressed and ready to go.  Are you feeling better?”

                “Thank you.”  She said as she touched her hair.  “A little better today, but still really weak.”

                “I expected you to be.  Do you want to try walking down to the kitchen?”  She nodded.  He helped her to stand and he again wrapped her arm around his waist while he used his other arm to wrap  around her and offer more support.  It was slow going and they made a few stops to rest, but they made it down to the kitchen.  He set her down at the table and made breakfast.  After breakfast, he cleaned the dishes and put them away with his power.  He then lifted her and he Stepped into his attic.  He set her down to stand next to him so that he could transform the cot into a couch.  To do so, the cot separated into its parts and then reformed.

                “I thought you might be more comfortable on a couch today.  You can still lay down if you become tired, but don’t have to feel like you’re in a sick bed.”  She gave him a hug and he helped her to walk over to the couch.  “Do you want your spinning?”

                “Yes please.  I’ll be finished today with the black and I’d like to start weaving if possible.”  He brought her spindle, the remaining black wool to be spun, the spools of black already done, and the loom up to the attic.

                “Don’t you have to set the wool still?”

                She nodded.  “I was hoping to either do that at lunch or ask you to set it for me.”

                “I can do that for you.”  He brushed her cheek with his fingertips and headed over to his work table.  She lost herself in the spinning, even forgetting that she was in his attic until he made an unexpected noise or moved around.  By lunch she was finished with the spinning.

                “Micah?”  He turned toward her.  “I’m done with the spinning and also if you can help me to the bathing chamber, I can take care of the rest.”

                He helped her up and they traveled down the attic stairs together.  He guided her to the chamber and she entered by herself.  He closed the door behind her and waited several paces away from the room to give her privacy.  When the door opened again, he hurried over and again helped her to climb the stairs.  He sat her on the couch and then set the wool for her.  He left to make lunch while she began stinging the loom.  She was finished by the time he came back up with lunch.  They ate together and then went back to their work.  Baskets were being brought in while the steady clack of the loom filled the air.  He found the sound enjoyable and he liked getting to see her progress.

                “What do you plan on making with it?”  He finally asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

                “I was thinking a pair of pants for you and maybe a blouse for myself.”  She replied.  “It might be nice to have something dark enough that doesn’t stain so easily.”

                “You don’t have to make me anything, you know.”

                “I want to.”  He smiled.

                She took a break from the weaving as he sorted the baskets.  She rubbed her lips with her fingertips, trying to remember what it was like when he kissed her when she was sick.  She remembered that he did, but couldn’t bring up any of the sensations.  She had been fevered and practically hallucinating at the time.  She had wondered if it had been a fever dream when she had asked him about it.  When she had kissed him in her dream, it had felt like kissing his cheek or something similar so still wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

                Micah had felt her eyes on him as he worked.  He looked up at her and saw that she was staring at him while appearing deep in thought.  “What are you thinking about, Chelsea?”  He finally asked.

                She started at the sudden question and blushed.  “I was just trying to remember what it felt like when you kissed me.  I wasn’t quite sure it happened until you confirmed it in my dream.”

                “I thought we were going to pretend it didn’t happen.”

                She nodded.  “I know.  I just wanted to know what it was like to be kissed by you.”

                “Are you asking me to kiss you?”  She nodded.  “No.”  She looked like she had been slapped in the face.

                “You kissed me in the dream.”  She protested.

                “It was very wrong of me to do that, Chelsea.  Right now you are vulnerable and not fully yourself again.  In the dream, it was worse.  You were afraid you would never wake again and I took advantage of you.  I will not do so again.”

                “But I’m fine.”  She started thinking horrible thoughts about herself as the ‘real’ reasons he wouldn’t kiss her.  He must think I’m a horrible kisser or maybe he’s rethinking having chosen me.  Maybe what he said in the dream was all a lie.  A couple tears began to form and streak down her face.

                “Chelsea, you are still a little scared about going to sleep.  That is not you back to yourself.  That tells me that you are still in a vulnerable state.  What if I kissed you and you really weren’t ready for that stage of our relationship and hated me for it later.  I couldn’t bear that, Chelsea.  When you are back to yourself, I will kiss you as much as you want me to.  But right now, you’ll have to be ok with me kissing your forehead or temple.”  He walked over to her and pulled her up to stand before him.  He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her temple and hugged her, letting her tears soak into his shirt.

                “I’m sorry, Micah.”

                “There is nothing to apologize for.  I would like nothing more than to kiss you, but I could never forgive myself for taking advantage of you again.  I will hold you for as long as you want.  I think you have become comfortable enough with such contact and I would not want to deny you the comfort I can give you in this manner.”  When she was ready, he released her and she went back to weaving while he went back to sorting.

                Soon enough, it was time for dinner and he helped her down the stairs to the kitchen, rather than Stepping with her there.  She was getting better and would probably be walking on her own by the next day.  He would keep her with himself for at least another day if not two.  They had dinner and he brought her loom down to the sitting room to continue.  He didn’t mind the sound and liked that she was finally feeling better and having the energy to spin and weave.  She again slept with her head resting on his shoulder when they went to bed and he stroked her head and neck as she drifted off to sleep.

                He again waited for the morning prayers to end before getting up for his morning shower.  She also started to get up, feeling physically almost back to normal.  She intended to start breakfast while he showered, but he stopped her before he entered the bathing chamber. 

                “I’m glad to see you doing better, but I want you to stay with me another day.  I wouldn’t want your strength to give out when you really need it.”  He made a gesture.  “The water is filled in the other shower if you want to get clean before breakfast.  She nodded and headed to her dressers, pulled out the clothing she wanted to wear and headed to the other bathing chamber.  He had moved clean towels and her soap to the chamber along with some scented oils for her skin and hair.

                When she was finished bathing, she entered the bedroom to find that he had already stripped himself of the towel and was pulling on a pair of pants.  She blushed deeply as she quickly turned around to face the hallway.

                “I should have knocked.”  She apologized.

                “It’s your bedroom too and I’m not ashamed for you to see me.”  His voice muffled as he pulled on a shirt.  Her blush deepened when she realized he hadn’t been wearing any undergarments when he was pulling on his pants.  “You can turn around now, I’m decent.”  She turned and he saw that her cheeks were still stained red.  He smiled as he sat down on the bench and put on his socks and boots.  He thought it was cute that she still blushed when she caught him without clothing.

                They walked down together to breakfast and she helped him make breakfast.  Mostly she gathered items and he combined or heated it with his power.  She held the plates as he put items onto them and took them over to the table while he cleaned up.

                While they ate, they talked.  “What will you need me to move up to the attic for you today?”

                “I still have some more weaving, but when that’s done, I’ll need the table, scissors, pins, needle, chalk, and tailoring mannequin from the sewing room as well as my measurement paper and a measuring tape.”  He nodded and when they were finished eating, they stopped in the sitting room and he waved his hand at the loom.  It promptly disappeared and she knew that it was now in the attic.  He then led her to the sewing room and she gathered the items she could carry and he transported the larger items.  They continued to the attic and the items were all set in areas that made sense and would be out of his way.  He gave her a quick peck to the temple and a side hug before they went their separate ways; him to his work table and her to the loom.  Soon, the sound of the loom clacking filled the air, making him smile.  He would miss this when she was well again and back to running his house.  Maybe they would choose a day or two a week and she would stay with him the whole day.  He might bring it up to her later after he thought about it more.

                By lunch she was finished weaving and had already set the cloth on the table and was using her measurements of him to draw the shape of the pants with chalk.  She went down with him as he made lunch and he also decided to make a few more sweets as the cake was already mostly gone as well as the cookies and almost all of the honey cakes.  The bread was now all gone so he also created the dough, caused it to rise quickly and then baked the bread with his power.  The soap and candles were now low along with the skin and hair oils, so Chelsea added them to her mental list of what she would need to get done tomorrow.  She would also make some for her family.

                They ate together downstairs and then walked back up to the attic for the rest of the work day.  By the end of the work day, the pants had been cut out, pinned together, checked for size again, and then sewn up.  She laid the pants on the couch and cleaned up her work area so that she wouldn’t leave a mess.

                “They’re finished?”  He asked.  She smiled and nodded.  “I’ll try them on.”  She quickly turned around and heard him chuckle.  She heard fabric rustling as he removed his pants and then again as he put on the other set.  The style was a little different than what he had been wearing, but clothing styles were bound to change over the centuries.  The style he wore laced up at the groin area and these wrapped and tied in three places.  The first was the right side flap which tied at the left hip and then the left side flap covered the right flap going the other way.  It tied at the right hip and there was a second tie a couple inches lower to close off the gap it would create when he sat.  They were more comfortable then he expected them to be and there was room to tighten the flaps if he wanted a tighter fit across his lower abdomen.

                “These feel nice.  The closure is different than I’m used to, but I like it.”  She turned around and saw that he was moving and flexing to test how they would react to movement.  “They feel perfect, Chelsea.  Thank you.”

                “I’m glad you like them.”  He began undoing the ties so she quickly turned back around as he changed back into the pants he had been wearing.  “I’m decent again.”  He called out.  She turned back around and they headed first to the bedroom to drop off the pants and then down to the kitchen to create dinner.  After eating, they headed to the sitting room and he brought down her spinning for her.  She was working on some undyed wool so that she could start making socks.  She combed out the wool so it was able to be spun and then spun.

                “Undyed wool?  What do you plan on making?”  He asked.

                “Socks.  I have a couple pairs that are getting ready to tear.”  She replied.  They were quiet for a while and she finally asked something that had been on her mind since she found out she would be able to send things to her parents.  “Do you celebrate the winter solstice here?”

                “I have in the past.  Most people here don’t because it doesn’t mean the same thing here as it would for the people on the earth.  The temperature doesn’t change much here, so there isn’t much of a need to celebrate that the days will get longer again and the warmth will return to the land.  If you wish to celebrate it, I would be more than happy to celebrate it with you.”

                “Thank you.  I’d like to celebrate it at least this year and to send down solstice gifts to my family.”

                “Of course.  Will you be sending another basket soon?”

                “I’m going to work on candles and soap tomorrow and I was thinking of making extra to send down to them in the next basket.  Would you take me riding again soon?  I’d like to learn to make leather items soon, but I don’t feel comfortable riding alone yet.”

                “Of course.  You can also have Margaret ride with you.  I believe she has a box of some kind for transporting baked goods so that they don’t get damaged with the bouncing.”

                “I was wondering how I would transport the bribery pie.”

                “Let me know that morning when you want to go out to see him.  I can send him a message to expect you as well as a message to the stable hand to saddle a horse for you and Margaret as well as one to her to ask her to ride with you. And then I can make us dinner that evening so you don’t have to worry.”

                “Thank you.”

                “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t try something new because you have chores to do or meals to cook.  This will be a partnership and I will support you whenever you need it and many times when you don’t need it too.”  He gave her a crooked smile.

                That night, she did not snuggle up next to him to sleep, but did lay on her side facing him with her arm reaching out to him to lay on his arm.  He had left his arm upraised so that she could snuggle in if she wanted to, but when the prayers were finished, found that she had just laid a hand on his arm and was otherwise not touching him by a good foot or so.  He was sad that she was no longer sleeping snuggled up to him because he had enjoyed the feel of her body next to his.  He rolled over onto his side so he faced her and laid his own hand on her other arm before falling asleep.