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Ashe’s hands were fascinating.
Crooked and calloused. Thin, white lines on his palms and rough skin especially on his finger tips. There was nothing soft about it.
And yet, they were so tender when they held her. When he stood behind her and massaged her shoulders, when he held her hand, when he helped her down from her beloved Dorte even when she was just fine on her own. But he insisted anyway.
He was always so gentle. His hands cupping her jaw to kiss her, when he touched her in the places she felt her pleasure peak, when he held her in his arms in the afterglow, his hands combing through her hair and letting her feel the tranquility she once felt unworthy of having.
Of course, Marianne was no fool – she knew that his hands were proficient. He was once a thief and he proved himself even more capable when they once lost the key to one of the room in Castle Gaspard and he unlocked the door with nothing but a needle. He was a warrior, one of the kingdom’s generals during the war and became a knight under the reign of King Dimtiri.
A bow knight, probably one of the most skilled and proficient archers in the whole kingdom, despite the fact that he always had to blush whenever someone praised his skills, from the king over to the queen and all his former classmates.
Even now, in this very moment, sitting across from each other during breakfast, she couldn’t help herself but to look at them from time to time. The sight of his finger adorned with a plain silver ring always let a shudder run through her body and she played with her own ring, listening to the list of duties he has yet to tackle on this day.
“Ashe, can I ask you for a favor?”
He had just risen the teacup to his lips, the steam of the freshly boiled tea bringing a light red hue to his freckled cheeks and she had to suppress a blush on her own. “Yes, of course. What is it?”
“Do you think you can teach me archery?”
“Archery?” His eyebrows shot up, surprise and confusion bathing his face in an even mix. “Uh, of course, if you want to.” He looked to the outside through the window of their little dining room, the one they used when it was just the two of them and no other guests were present in their home. “If I remember correctly, the mayor of Arianrhod comes this afternoon, probably in the evening. Right?,” he mumbled under his breath, catching her attention at once.
“Uh...” She recalled there was something: since the battle at Arianrhod is coming closer to its 3rd anniversary, the lands of former House Rowe were divided to the people and were turned into a piece of democracy with multiple mayors taking care of the biggest cities and forming a direct link to the royal capital. Since the territory of House Gaspard were directly next to former Rowe territory, they were also asked to contribute to the festivities. “I think so. The mayor said that he would send a messenger boy ahead to inform us.”
“Great.” With sudden enthusiasm, Ashe rose from his seat, rounded the table and held out his hand. “That leaves us with enough time to start with the basic.”
The light in his eyes and the beam on his face let her melt once more. She accepted his hand with a smile and stood up from her chair, thanking the servants for the nice breakfast and following her husband to the training grounds, their arms linked and his hand on her under arm.
From far away, she could hear a couple of maids swoon.
“It’s not difficult per se, you just need much practice and develop a feeling in your fingers,” Ashe said while he picked out one of the bows with a couple of arrows from the weapon room they still kept, despite not having it used for a very long time. After all, Marianne didn’t need any weapon except one and she had it locked away as far from her as possible and only prepared for an immediate emergency.
She was a healer, after all.
“It will probably hurt at the beginning because you need to stretch the bowstring and it takes strength to do that.” A second passed and a blush spread on his cheek. “Not like you don’t have any strength, you wielded a heroes relic after- Oh goddess.”
Marianne chuckled, putting her hand on his and her other on his cheek. “Ashe, it’s alright. I understand what you’re saying.”
“Okay, I, phew-” A sigh escaped his mouth, exasperated and she had to stifle a laugh to not embarrass him further. Despite the fact that they had been married for two years already, it seemed like old habits die really hard. “Let me get a target to practice on, I’ll be back in a minute.” He passed her both the bow and the few arrows he has picked and as if he wished to compensate for his little slip a moment ago, he kissed her suddenly on her cheek, his smile so boyish that she felt her own blush climb up her cheeks.
She watched how he took out a target, prepared it properly, setting it up and walking back and forth to evaluate the proper distance. She could see his eyes narrow, looking to his feet and to the target and with a simple hand gesture, she went to him. “Now, on your stance. For a beginner, when you’re not used to it,” he started to explain with a certain glee in his tone that it made her smile once more and let it stuck on her lips, “Since your right hand is your dominant hand, you need to point the tip of your left forward and your right one to the right.” She followed his instructions, feeling an unfamiliar stretch in the bottom of her spine. “You need your strong hand to stretch the string.”
He stepped back, looked at her with those green eyes of his. “Give it a try.”
And she did. Marianne wasn’t unfamiliar with the strength her husband held – after all, she knew how his arms looked and that was only one giveaway about it – but she noticed how her left hand shook while her right one was perfectly calm. She stretched her left arm, tried to concentrate her gaze forward but she felt the tension in her left arm.
“Your stance is good, really good.”
“You think so? I’m afraid my left arm is not used to do something this tiring.” She lowered her shoulders, looking at him and picking up an arrow from the ground where she had put them. “I haven’t done anything like this for a long time. I apologize if I will take too much time-”
“Hey, no need to worry about that. After all, someone will tell us if the mayor is close, right?” He shoots her a smile. “And besides, this is no trouble at all. To be honest, I’m really happy that you show interest in archery.” He rubs the back of his head. “It brings back some memories.”
Not only good ones, but she could also recall precisely: the way they fought side by side, both on their respective horses, him with his bow and her with Blutfang. They were a duo to be reckoned with, always staying side by side and never the leaving the other out of their sight.
There were also times when they had gone hunting. Ashe’s formidable archery skills made it easy for him to shoot a boar or a rabbit and whenever they had come together for dinner to eat it, she had prayed to the goddess to thank her for the meal and to hope that the creature would have a good life in the time after death.
“Let’s resume, okay? As I said, you only need time and you will be a pro in no time.”
She nodded and smiled when they continued.
It got better. And it was fun, what she didn’t expect. She has missed her targets twice, miscalculating her strength and shooting too shallow. At the third time, she hit close to the center and the look of pride in Ashe’s eyes let her reciprocate it immediately. She was happy and proud of herself.
“Now, let’s try to shoot the middle. Wait a second, I’ll help you.”
She took her stance, waiting for his comment when she could suddenly feel his two hands on her own and a shudder ran through her body. “Everything alright?”
“Of-of course. Everything’s alright.” She took a deep breath and concentrated at the matter of hand. The way his hands cradled hers so gently, while he contributed his strength to her goal let her heart flutter in her chest.
“Relax, I’ll help you,” he said and his warm breath sneaked right into her ear, making her squeeze her eyes and let out a small hum. “Focus on the point over the tip of the arrow. Take your time, there is no rush. We take this nice and slow.”
Her heartbeat got quicker and she nodded. His fingers were both soft and strong, correcting her posture when necessary. The callouses of his fingers created a wonderful and exciting feeling on her skin, letting it tingle.
“Let go.”
She followed his words, let the tension snap and the arrow hit the bull’s eye, causing a sensation of pride in her belly.
“That was incredible, Marianne!” Her husband put his arm around her shoulders, kissed her forehead with a quick press of his lips against her skin and Marianne smiled. “In no time, you will be a real pro in archery!”
“Will you continue to teach me?”
He lifted his hand, grabbed the one she used to let go of the bow and she felt it once again.
Crooked and calloused. Thin, white lines on his palms and rough skin especially on his finger tips. Nothing soft. But the tenderness in his grip was a language even a baby could speak and a bud of flower started to bloom inside her heart.
Dimitri has once told her that Byleth’s hands have saved him from becoming a beast.
Ashe shot her a smile, filled with pride and love and Marianne wished to weep. “Of course, anytime!”
She wondered if Ashe’s hands did the same for her.