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Princess Yum-Yum lounged on the right end of her sofa, reading a book that had arrived yesterday along with the biweekly shipments from the neighboring kingdom. She was quite fascinated with their literature and mythos, and as such was very engrossed in her novel.
On her left sat her beloved husband. His legs were folded underneath him and he rested his head on her shoulder. He played lazily with a strand of her hair. He twirled it around his spindly fingers and into a tight curl, then released it. After doing so a couple times, he combed his fingers through it. For a while, he alternated between the two movements, occasionally leaning forward to catch a glimpse of her book.
His hand brushed across her neck to the other end of her hair, sending shivers down her spine. She shifted so that her back was to him, leaving her hair more accessible to his nimble hands.
The feeling of Tack’s fingers raking through her hair, twisting it this way and that was very soothing. She was brought back to a time when her mother used to do the same with her and how she had adored the attention. Yum-Yum leaned into his touch and refocused on her book.
She had just started chapter fifteen when she felt a tug on her hair and heard a frustrated grunt. She plucked out her bookmark tucked a couple pages ahead and placed it where she stopped reading. Turning to Tack, she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. He had the cutest little pout on his face, coupled with slightly flushed cheeks.
She smiled softly at him. “Is something wrong, dear?”
In response, he reached over and gently pulled her hair in front of her. It was woven into a messy braid that was clumsily held together. Taking another look at Tack’s face, she giggled. “Oh, is that what you’re so upset about? It takes time to learn and plenty more to perfect. Watch me.” She turned so she was facing away from him and ran her fingers through her hair, easily undoing the braid. Skillfully and swiftly she divides a section of her hair into thirds and begins to braid, starting at the top of her head and adding more hair to each section as she braids lower and lower.
When she was done, she held the ends of her hair so her braid wouldn’t come loose and held still so Tack could admire it. “This is a bit more advanced than the braid you were doing, but do you have a better idea of what to do?”
He hummed in reply. He pulled the hair out of her hand and began undoing the braid. The following couple hours were spent in comfortable silence, Yum-Yum reading her book and Tack braiding her hair. She had just gotten to the climax of the book when one of her maids politely knocked on the doorframe to their room.
“Your Highnesses, it is time for dinner,” she chirped, giving a hasty bow before flitting away like an excitable bird.
Yum-Yum put the book aside. In one fluid motion, she stood up and, grabbing Tack’s hand, pulled him up and out of the room. Their fingers naturally intertwined, putting a smile on her face. Her smile widened as a couple strands of hair from her unfinished braid tickled her cheek.
As they ate, she noticed how her husband began braiding some loose strings from the table cover, but thought nothing of it.
The days passed, and Tack’s obsession with braiding grew, along with her amusement with it. She began finding braids all over their castle. Ropes, tassels, and strings were not safe from his skillful hands.
And skill, there was. Every time he practiced on her hair, she would look at the mirror with surprise and joy as the designs and weaving grew more and more intricate.
Her biggest surprise, however, came in the form of a pair of shoes.
That morning, after she used the bathroom, she re-entered their room to find her love sitting cross-legged on their bed, a big smile on his face and a shoe in each hand.
She walked forward and took the one from his right, and turned it this way and that, admiring the intricacy. It was a sandal with a slight heel, a dark copper color. The vamp and strap of the sandal was made of a creamy twine, hemp twine she guessed. She put her hand into the shoe to lift up the twine, better appreciating the complex braids and knots it was woven into.
Yum-Yum sat down on the bed beside Tack, then slipped her right foot through the sandal. It fit perfectly, and as she brushed her foot against the twine she was happy to find that it didn't itch or irritate her at all. Tack handed her the other pair and she slipped it on as well.
To test them out, she stood up and walked across the room and back, grinning the entire time. When she was back at her starting point, Yum-Yum threw her arms around her husband and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, my darling Tack. What a wonderful present this is!”
He hugged her back just as firmly, and his face snuggled into her neck. “I'm better at mending shoes than making them.” Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the sound of his voice, a deep, low rumble.
“Don't put yourself down; these shoes are wonderful.” She drew back from the hug, but stayed where she was, halfway in Tack's lap. “You're a man of many talents, aren't you, my cobbler?” She cupped his face and peppered it with kisses, all the while holding in giggles. By the time she pulled back, his blush was dark enough to be visible.
She was focused on his eyes, however, eyes that sparkled with adoration and a hint of mischief that made her face warm up. He brought up her hand and kissed her palm, then threaded their fingers together. With half-lidded eyes, Tack leaned forward. She did the same, but a low growl stopped both of them in their tracks.
Yum-Yum giggled, then pulled away, dragging Tack up with her. “You heard my stomach: breakfast first. I cannot wait to show off my new sandals.”