The moon was high in the sky and shining in the window of the room when I awoke with Isabella tugging on my coveralls. She was trying to undo them and pull them off me, but she lacked the strength to tug them down off my sleeping frame. Looking up at her, I couldn’t help but half laugh at her pouty expression and then tug her down in my arms. “Don’t worry, we’ll all get a bath in the morning and get cleaned up better. Just lay down here with me tonight and relax.”

“But,” she started and I just wrapped both arms around her and held her tight. “No butts tonight. Just relax and rest.” Isabella wiggled a few times against me, then finally gave up and went to sleep as I rocked her gently and hummed. Seeing us together, Brandr came over and gently lited my head and then wiggled her legs under it and she gently stroked my hair. She was softer than any pillow that I’ve ever rested on, and soon I too was back enjoying the peaceful fancies of my youthful dreams once again.

The next morning I awoke late, with the sun coming through the window and casting the sky outside vibrant shade of reds, oranges, and yellows. Stretching, I tilted my head and was greeted by the sight of both of Brandr’s lovely mounds. I would have thought that she’d moved or gotten up during the night, but I was still using her legs for my pillows. Slowly I reached up, placed a hand on both of them, and gave them a light squeeze – only to have a fine mist of milk spray out upon Isabella and me!

“Good morning,” came the gentle voice in my head and I blushed slightly. Busted squeezing the busts!

“Umm… Morning,” I said as I slowly let go of her chest and sat up slowly. Isabella was still asleep in my arms, and I was trying to be gentle and not wake her just yet. “Why don’t you go see how things are outside for us real quickly. Make certain the goblins and girls are OK after last night.”

Brandr nodded and eased up and headed towards the door. She didn’t bother to get dressed for such a short trip out, but she did pick up her sword and carry it with her. As the door shut behind her, I yanked Isabella up a little higher in my arms and then started kissing all over her face and neck. I bit her ear lightly. Licked on her neck. Sucked on her lower lip, and then was starting to move myself down to those soft warm areas along the base of her neck when she finally giggled sleepily.

“S’morning,” she yawned, and I tilted her back in my arms and gently bit her across the right nipple. I’d pierced the left one for her, so she could wear her enchanted earrings there, but the right one was fine for a quick morning attack. I sucked it, licked it, and then wiggled my fingers back and forth and up and down across it. Isabella giggled, stretched, and arched her back so I could get to it easier. Lightly, I sucked it between my teeth and then moved my head back and forth tugging it with me.

“What’s gotten into you this morning?” Isabella was wiggling and starting to moan slightly under my morning assault.

“It’s the First Day of Winter,” I told her. “The shortest, darkest, most miserable day of the year. Normally we’d be home with our families at this time, but not this year.” Since I was talking, I let my hands keep playing with her chest. I had one breast in each hand and was gently tugging and kneading on each one of them. I was even indulging in lightly tugging and playing with the earring in her left breast. If it hurt in the least, she didn’t show any sign of it, as both her nipples were as erect and hard as the bulging volcano was in my coveralls.

“I’ve been wanting to give you something, ever since the other day, but I never could get around to it. We’ve been through so much together, and I seem to stay confused about a lot of things anymore – What’s right? What’s wrong? What’s the best way for us to grow and stay safe? – but I came to realize one thing that I wasn’t confused about anymore: I truly care for you.”

I could feel my cheeks blushing, but I was determined not to let that stop me in this moment. “In fact, I really think I may have came to even worship you. Without you, I don’t know how I’d handle the things in this world. My body might heal and live on, but I’m afraid my mind would crack and crumble as bad as the girls we found.”

Isabella was moaning and trembling from head to toe in my arms. I looked up, and a few gentle tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. Silently, I let go of her right breast and dug my hands through my pants pocket. With my own hands trembling, I pulled out one of the pieces of the minotaur horn that I’d put so much effort into working on last night. Taking a deep breath, I held it up so she could see the small bone ring that I had carved out of a segment of the horn I’d chopped up.

I might not be a great craftsman, but I did know a few things about a bull’s horns from working on a neighbor's farm on summer. They’re not hollow when they’re on the animal, but the inside of them are filled with tissue just like the rest of the beast. As the minotaur’s body rotted and decayed, so had that flesh inside the horn, leaving it hollow. By slicing it into different “chunks” with Brandr’s blade, I’d managed to basically make several dozen different rings out of it, of various sizes. I’d then chose the one that seemed closest to Isabella’s finger size and spent a while scraping and cleaning it up as much as possible last night before I want to sleep.

“This is for you,” I whispered as I slowly raised the bone ring up in front of her face. “It’s not much, but you can consider it a token of my lo..” I was embarrassing myself, so I had to take a slightly pause to collect my breath. “.. of my love, admiration, and affection.”

Isabella squealed, bounced two feet into the air in her excitement, and crashed down into my lap. With a “Woooooghf!”, I dropped the ring and it tumbled across the floor. Isabella pounced after it, not even realizing the damage she’d done to the volcano in my pants when she bounced down on it a moment ago! Tears were rolling up in my eyes, and it wasn’t from being embarrassed or emotional at the moment.

Thank goodness for a quick healing CON!

Moments later, Isabella was bouncing back into my lap and kissing up and down my cheeks and face wildly. “Oh, I do! I do! I do!” She squealed and hopped up and held up her left hand to me, showing me the ring nestled snugly on the finger next to her pinky.

Suddenly she hopped back up and started running towards the door. “Oh! I’ve got to let Brandr know the good news!” She was so excited, it took her half a dozen times before she got the door unlatched and banged it hard against the wall as she dashed out it and down the hall.

Never would I have imagined that a girl would get so excited by an early Christmas present. I’d thought about waiting and giving it to her on Christmas – I had another one for Brandr as well, to show her my appreciation for all she was doing for us also – but I thought she might enjoy it a little early after yesterday. And, today was considered the longest, darkest day of the year, so I figured a little light of love and friendship would go a long ways towards making everyone feel better.

I just never imagined that it’d make Isabella feel that much better!

And then her voice echoed up the hallway and into the room to me, “Brand! Bran! Brandr! Guess what! Drake just proposed and I accepted!”

A chill ran down my spine and my damaged volcano collapsed completely.

I did what?!

OH, BLOODY HELL!!