The morning found the king and queen laying in the same position. With his hardness returning, he thrust himself and entered her with ease due to the wetness of their desire still on and in her. This encouraged him to wake her with his passion of wanting. His desire to paint the inside of her once again with his extract of life.
Sometime during the night, the queen had removed the new gift the king had placed on her nipples that previous night. She had decided that she enjoyed the pleasure it brought the king when she had them on and planned on surprising him with them in the future. The thought of connecting them to the necklace that held the key to their room intrigued her.
During breakfast, the conversation was cheery and light. Their playful banter and teasing caused the others that accompanied them to smile and giggle. The enjoyment the king and queen had by being together was infectious to all they encountered.
The king met with the cook and assembled a simple, yet filling picnic lunch. He helped with loading the provisions on a packhorse and then readied his and the queen’s horses.
The blue sky was sporadically dotted with cotton candy clouds that took the shape of animals. As they rode from the castle grounds and through a field of wildflowers, they could feel the sun smiling at them with its warmth. With each step, the horses assisted the flowers in serenading the royal couple with their symphony of aromas that arose from their colorful petals.
There were moments of laughter that made the horses' ears twitch. Moments of silence that made them aware of and appreciate each other's presence as each quiet second passed. Moments of teasing and giggling. The couple enjoyed the time of being together without allowing the burdens of their positions overwhelm them nor enter their minds.
“Tell me a story my love,” said the queen suddenly. “Tell me a story that will take my breath away.”
The king tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Allowing the warm sun to reach in his mind and melt away all other thoughts except the ones he would use to create a story. He had a story in mind, but he did not know if he had the words to make it take her breath away.
He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly then began.
"Once, a couple had been floating on the makeshift raft for over a week. The ocean rocking them gently now. Lulling them to sleep as the sun was setting on the horizon. The tranquility, even with the suffering they had endured, was not lost on them.
"The woman rested her head on his chest and listened to the slow cadence played by his heartbeat. The heart she knew she owned, the one that also carried all of her love. The heart that has always been so strong, the one that would fail soon if they were not found or found land.
"This thought caused her to sigh then silently weep. No tears formed due to her body trying to conserve every particle of water in order to survive. She knew he would die to protect her, but she never thought that they would be in this situation. A situation that made them both powerless in their ability to help one another.
"'Before the sun sets my love, you need to drink,' he said to her as he rested her head on an improvised pillow made out of folded up clothes.
"She knew that he was as weak as she was, and was amazed that he could still sit up and remove the cork from the water skin. He held her head up and allowed some of the freshwater to enter her mouth. She held it there and allowed the refreshing nectar of life to revitalize her cracked lips and permeate the dryness of her parched throat.
"He then placed the water skin to his lips and tilted it back. As he replaced the cork, he licked the droplets of water from his lips and said, ‘ahhhh,’ as he looked back down at her."
The king and queen then rose and went to the horses. As they rode he continued with the story and how each time at dusk, the man would give the woman a drink of water then place it to his lips.
The king said, "He would feed her with what little provisions he was able to salvage from the wreck. Without her knowledge, he was only saving a bite of the food for himself and giving her the rest.
"Then one morning, just before the sun lifted its brow above the horizon, he heard a sound that he had not heard in over two weeks. It was the sound of lapping water, splashing playfully on the sand.
"They were being guided to the shore of an island by small waves. He was able to get out and stand on the sand with water reaching up to his neck. He pulled the raft towards the shore and was able to help the waves land it on the sand.
"Exhaustion overtook his weakened body," the King continued. "He laid next to the raft and felt the dry part of the sand warm his back and the sun warm his face while he thought of what to do next.
"He could hear his love's voice calling to him in a gentle coo. He could feel her hand as she pressed it alongside of his face. 'Honey, I need you to be ok. I need you to come back to me.'
"When he opened his eyes he could see her angelic face with a halo encompassing her head. He closed his eyes again then realized that he had fallen asleep on the shore of an island. As he opened his eyes to look at his angel, he was greeted instead with the sunlight staring at him directly in his face.
"As he sat up, he looked over his shoulder and saw her at a small stream that lead to the ocean. She had filled up the water skin and was bringing it to him so he could drink. She realized by the weight of the bag that he had not taken a drink or as full of a drink that he gave her every night. He had kept his word and was willing to sacrifice his life to save hers.
"Once they had both been refreshed by the cool and clean water, they sat in the shade under the trees. After eating the last of the food they were able to save, they decided to follow the creek upstream so that they may find a place of refuge out of the weather.
"The sound of bubbling water brought a lift to his heart. He knew what they were going to see as they rounded the corner of trees. They had reached a place of solitude, comfort, and safety, and he knew he had succeeded in saving her.
"The waterfall was about as tall as the trees. It gracefully peeked over the edge before it greeted them with a splash and gentle churning bubbles in a cool pool.”
As the king finished his last sentence, they turned the horses around a grove of trees. He had stopped his horse in order to see the queens face. A look of awe would be a mild expression to try and describe the way the queen looked at the waterfall.
“This is the waterfall from your story!” she exclaimed. “How did you…you knew I was going to ask for a story?”
“No, I did not know you were going to ask for a story. I was going to try and lead you up to the waterfall anyway, but I did not know how I was going to be able to tell you without just stating we are going to a waterfall. Once again, your timing is impeccable and you allowed me to carry you away and release you from the bindings of this world.”
He helped her down from her horse then picketed all three of them in a shaded area under the trees. He gave each of them a quick brush and a pat on the rump to remind them that they have served them well. After the oat sacks were strapped on each of the horses, he turned his attention to his queen.
She was standing on the edge of the water, mesmerized by the gentle fall of the water and the deep and dark color of the pool. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her tummy. She locked her hands within his and leaned back into his embrace.
“You know,” he said into her ear.
“I do.” she returned.
While kissing her neck, he pulled his hands away and untied the back of her dress. The criss-cross pattern of the lace opened eagerly and fluttered as her dress crumbled at her feet. She turned to him and kissed him. As she reached up to remove her undergarments he gave her a quick shove! She landed in the water with her arms outstretched and the look of revenge on her face.