ElFewja
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A Knight to Remember M/F feet (Knight of Punishment 2)
First bit:
http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?236521-Knight-of-Punishment(a-challenge)-M-F-feet
Next bit:
(N/A)
A precarious song wept through the trees above, the silky sheen on the leaves fluttering into shadow as the breeze tussled the leaves together into a forbidden dance that they far too willingly joined into, their bodies glowing with the ethereal golden light of the setting sun as they sambaed off into pairs, scraping against one another with great gusto. As her greyish-white horse cobbled down the wavering, out of use path, tufts of grass bustled through the dusty dirt, vying for attention while overgrown roots sat idle, meticulous in their planning. Deep in the forest behind her, past the shadows that leapt up and stole away the road, a long, thick buzzing grew in and out. Huddling over the mane of the horse, she shivered, the hood of her cloak falling unevenly over her eyes. Pushing it up, she shook her head and sat straight, the chilled fingers of the evening breeze wringing themselves around her shoulders as her hood fell over her eyes again. Withdrawing a piece of parchment from her sleeve, she stared at the poorly sketched line leading to an X, her eyes scribbling up and down from the path to the paper.
Somewhere to her left she heard metal striking wood, two thuds crumbling against desiccated leaves shortly after. Tugging the reigns, she tilted her body to the left, squinting through the small thicket of trees at a large shadow in the distance. Crumbling the map, she threw it over her shoulder, sighing as she did so. Creeping around a bush, the horse forced its way through grass that reached up to its underside, wheeling around one thin, slanted tree then past another that stood upright. Another clonk of metal striking wood resounded as a small cabin peered from around the foliage, a long shadow extending from in front of it in the shape of a man stretched out tenfold, balancing himself haphazardly on his newfound legs.
As the horse pushed through another bush, the leafy branches grasping at the thin, unmarred leather of her boots, a figure crossed from the other side of the cabin, hoisting an axe overtop of his shoulders, the blade behind his neck. Lifting his head, he pointed his chin at her before vanishing back behind the cabin. Seconds passed as she neared, and she found herself spying the splinters and uneven strikes that comprised the logs of the cabin while the horse hobbled along. A thick strike came, splitting the air around her as two solid plinks echoed hollowly, whispering through the air like a ripple.
Raising and slapping her reigns, the horse reared up slightly before stamping its front hooves, the beast snorting and shaking its head. Hopping down, she tied the reigns to a post near the side of the building, a short stack of cut grass and a bucket of water resting nearby. Shaking her shoulders, she grasped the pack that hung down her backside, balancing it on her shoulder as she crossed in front of the cabin, a rising bubble of excitement and worry floating through her chest, lifting her heart.
Peering through the growing shadows of the trees, she watched as Lee struck at a standing log with a chipped axe, splitting the wood into two, the pieces hunkering off to either side just as the metal lodged itself into the stump that had held the wood, a crack like thunder booming around as he hit it. Standing up, he swiped at his forehead with his forearm, his thick biceps bulging with veins as he glistened in the shade. Huffing, he turned and slapped his hands together, one moving up while the other moved down, a cloud of dust bustling around him, dancing in a beam of sunlight that broke through the canopy. His cheeks ballooned as he blew out a breath, his mustache flickering up like the straw of a handmaid's broom.
Smiling, he crossed his arms, planting a foot slightly forward as he leaned away at an angle. "Honestly was beginning to wonder if you would show at all."
Stamping her foot, she threw her hands downward into fists that bent back at her wrists, extending outward as she spit out, "I keep true to my promises!” Crossing her arms tightly, she turned her head away, lifting her chin and closing her eyes as she muttered out “Maybe if we weren’t meeting out in the middle of nowhere,” under her breath.
Throwing a hand to his forehead, he reared back and laughed mightily as though he were a mountain casting a great boulder aside. Turning away and scratching below his jaw line, he exhaled, calling out simply, “You were the one that changed our arrangement.”
Facing her again, he tossed his thumb over his shoulder, towards a wooden pillar with a small bag near it. Snorting noisily, she nodded, stomping towards the wood while his head spun on its neck, following her. As she neared, the pillar revealed itself to be more like a fence with two wooden boards running between them, bolted together by long metal pins that ran through the top. A twin pair of tiny holes ran through the boards, her eyes locking on them as a gleeful shiver ran through her spine while her toes curled tightly within her boots. Cutting off the smile that started to form, she turned her head towards the bag, her eyes remaining focused upon the holes as she flipped open the lid of the sack.
Digging her hands in, she withdrew a small white shirt and a pair of thick, woven pants. Biting her lower lip, she nodded, throwing her hood behind her and shaking her long, brilliant orange hair overtop of the cloak. With a soft thud, she dropped her pack then unfastened the pin at her neck, she raised her arms and cast the cloak aside, revealing a similar, tight attire to the ones in the bag. Turning, she folded her arms as he looked at her and smiled. "Fast learner," he said simply. Kicking aside the bag, she reached for the wooden blade that rested by the prison, plucking it from the soil. Gripping both of her hands around the hilt, she raised it straight in front of her, the handle even with her eyes as her arms grew taut.
Again he laughed, throwing his palms up and straight, his hands near his ears as he shook his head. "There's green," he said, folding his arms as his eyelids slid over the top half of his eyes as they glazed over, his form growing stiff, "And then there are those that know less than nothing. We won't start with that," he said, tilting his chin downward.
"You said you would teach me," she threw out hotly, her words sizzling against the ground, igniting the dried leaves they landed upon.
"Sure," he said, nodding as he stepped back, moving a hand perpendicular to his face so that the center of his thumb was at eyelevel, his fingers slightly bent, "I did, but only having a little knowledge is very dangerous," he breathed out, his chest rising and falling slowly, "You don't start with combat."
Growling, she ran forward, raising the sword above her head as she swung down fiercely. With a quick hop, he stepped to the side and slapped the edge of his hand against the lower middle of her sword, knocking it away before stepping behind her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. The wooden blade spiraled through the air, catching into the dirt, spinning forward slightly before becoming entwined by the earthly realm. Placing his chin on top of her head, he breathed out hot words, "Where did you fail?"
Throwing her hands up, she slipped them between herself and his arm, slapping the hunk of meat away before shoving him back with her shoulder. Skipping forward a few steps, she placed some distance between them. Spinning on her heels, she wobbled, spreading her knees and catching herself, pressing her hands into fists and tucking her thumbs against her cheeks. "You're supposed to be teaching me!"
Sighing, he dropped his hands, knitting them behind his back as he looked away. Licking his lower lip, he nodded, facing her again, "Ok," he said, his head angled slightly as he rolled it upon his neck. Noisily blowing air through his nose, he spread his knees apart, "Right now, you know less than nothing," he said, waving his hand down towards the ground. "Sit."
Kneeling down, he tucked his feet under his knees, placing his hands upon his thighs as he leaned forward, the Princess glaring at him as she edged a boot forward, pointing her shoulder towards him. "You said you would teach me to fight," she spat out, shaking her head, a long beam of hair flicking over her ears.
"And I am trying," he said softly, waving his palm in front of him. "Please, have a seat." Refusing to move, her eyes wavered slightly, her eyelids drooping down as she dug the ball of her boot into the ground. Sighing, he pushed himself upward, leaning forward and scooping up the wooden blade from its defeated pose. Lobbing it slightly above her head, she reached forward, clapping her hands over the middle of the blade before dragging them down one at a time as though she were climbing a rope.
Crossing his arms as she held the sword up, her elbows straight and the hilt at eyelevel, the tip far above her, he ran a hand to his mouth, smoothing the ends of his mustache with his index finger and thumb. Spreading her knees wide, she straightened her shoulders, boxing her hips towards him. "Basically," he said, dropping his hand into a fist and coughing as he turned away, "your form is wrong. You're holding the sword incorrectly and you're standing inappropriately, you’re gripping the hilt too hard." He sighed, closing his eyes and drawing a hand to the bridge of his nose, pinching as he slightly lifted his forehead towards her, her chest falling and rising quickly as her face grew hot with color, steam practically lifting from her blazing cheeks. "Your breathing is all wrong, you're not focused, your eyes are," he said, quickly lifting a fist and spreading it far to his side, her eyes following it as she tensed, "not following the right things, and most importantly," he said, drawing in a deep breath as he stepped forward once, the Princess sharply jumping back, "you're getting too flustered."
Spreading his arms out wide, he slowly stepped forward as she hopped back, stumbling over a root and tumbling to the ground, her blade falling with a tinkling thud, half raised by the block of grass it landed upon. Groaning, she pushed herself back as she threw her head to the sky, staring at a passing cloud through the leaves, Lee's footfalls approaching her as her eyes watered up. "It takes time," he said slowly as he extended a hand. Reaching up, she grabbed at it with both hands as he tugged her up. Losing her footing, she fell forward, her face plastering into his chest. Quickly pushing him away, she turned around, crossing her arms and huffing. "This isn't an easy task," he simply said, "It will take at least two months before we can spar properly."
"Months!" she shouted, spinning around on her boots, craning her head forward as she slammed her hands onto her hips, "I want to be better now!"
Throwing his hands up, he turned his head and exhaled a loud, exasperated sigh while tucking his hand to his face, pinching the tip of his nose. "It's not like that," he said, turning towards her. "Baby steps."
Gritting her teeth, she ushered her boot forward, the sound of dirt grinding beneath her sawing through the air. "I said," she spewed out hotly, her face like the lid of a bubbling cauldron. "I want," she continued, stepping forward, "to be better," she took another step forward, shoving her chin into his chest as she looked up to his face, "Now!"
A sudden, warm pressure nipped at her shoulders as the world spun around, Lee tilting her onto her heels and twirling her in the opposite direction, her weight falling into his sturdy frame. Righting her, he placed a hand on either wrist, lifting her hands in front of her waist, placing her left hand below her right on the hilt of the sword as he tilted the tip forward. Dropping his hands slightly, he pushed down on her elbows so that they bent ever so slightly, then pushed her feet together with either boot as he let his chin fall onto the top of her head, resting it there. Bringing his hands up, he set them heavily on her slightly curved shoulders, pulling them back so that they were straight. "Close your eyes," he mumbled, bringing a hand to his hair, slithering his fingers between the strands, "and focus on this position. Hold it and focus on your breathing, feel the air enter your throat and roll down your lungs, how they expand and contract, then feel the air as it exits. Let your body grow accustomed to this form, memorize it until its imprinted on you and is second nature," he said, stepping backwards, falling to the ground with a thud.
Letting his left leg drop to its side, he firmly planted his right boot upright, crossing his hands behind his neck as he watched closely. Deep beyond the trees, down the hill to his right, a quick think-think-think motored through the air as a bird hammered away at a tree, the branches above him rustling with dissatisfaction at the noise. Back at the side of the cabin the horse whinnied, stamping its hooves and kicking at the dirt. At each sound -- the rustle of a bush as a rabbit hopped through, or the crinkling of leaves as a nearby snake slithered across – the Princess tensed up, her shoulders pointing forward as she spun her head in the direction of the noise. Each time, Lee clicked his tongue and she sighed loudly, slowly readjusting her form, piece by piece, to the statuesque pose he had informed upon her.
Soon her muscles relaxed, her shoulders falling slightly, the sword seeming to grow attuned with her breathing. Looking above, a squirrel ferried across a branch noisily, its nails scratching at the wood as he pushed past the leaves, plucking a single acorn from the tree. The Princess' shoulders tensed as he brought the seed to his mouth, his long teeth cracking and chittering against the sides of it, tossing the cap to the ground, the thing riveting down the backside of the sword with a titter-tattering plunk. Inhaling deeply, the Princess remained frozen like a block of steel submerged in the snow.
"Good," Lee said, twirling the edge of his mustache.
With a sigh she lowered her blade, dropping a hand from it and rubbing at the back of her neck as she rolled her head around as she groaned out, "This shouldn't be so hard."
Laughing, he slammed his left foot into the ground as he shoved against the ground, kicking himself upright. "It's not," he said simply, crossing his arms.
Spinning on the toes of her boots, she sliced through the air, recomposing into her form, her shoulders level and her arms bent slightly as she pointed the tip of the blade at his chest. Cocking a smile, he tilted his head, "Good," he said, plucking at the tip of his nose with his left hand, then drawing up and tapping between his eyebrows, "but the tip should be pointed at your opponent's eyes."
Nodding, she tilted the blade up ever so slightly, biting the inside of her lip as she mewled out, "like this?"
"Correct."
Smiling, she swung the thing to her right side without moving her legs before immediately realigning herself. "Excellent," Lee called out, lightly clapping his hands together. "You'll have the form down in no time."
Her jaw dropped. "You mean I don't already?!” she called out, her words echoing through the woods, slithering around and up the trees.
Placing his hands on his lips, he spread his knees, threw his head back and guffawed into the canopy, the Princess' lips curling forward into a pout. "You're doing fine, a little stiff, just need to practice that for a few weeks before we spar." Turning, he reeled his left arm back, waving it up and above his head towards the cabin as he moved towards it.
"Weeks!" she shouted, lodging her sword in front of her as she stomped forward behind him, placing her delicate hand on his shoulder, tugging at it, "Weeks before we even spar?!"
Tossing an eye over his shoulder, "That's what I said, yes. After we're done here, head back and practice for a few weeks, then contact me when you think you're ready." With a nod towards the cabin, he shrugged off her hand and moved forward, "Until then, let’s keep your end of our bargain."
Spreading her boot with a swish, she kicked up a layer of dirt as she stoutly twisted her arms into a bundle before her. "If you think you get to tickle me for this amount of training, think again!"
Sighing, he placed a hand on a shoulder and threw his head up, rummaging a hand in his hair. Turning, he crossed his arms, "I do expect that, yes. I told you before, you know less than nothing. Until you have that form imprinted into your muscles and can lock into it in less than a heartbeat, you're not ready for anything else. It's the most basic of basics." The muscles at the upper left side of her lip rippled as she spun around, firmly planting a shoulder in his direction while she looked up and away, closing her eyes. "You're the one that said you keep true to your promises," he said simply, tilting his head away from her at an angle.
Huffing, she stomped past him, her hands balled into fists as she strode forward, snatching up her pack and forcing the door to the cabin open, slamming it shut behind her. Rubbing a hand at the back of his neck, he tilted his head and blew out the winds of exasperation that rumbled through him, mumbling under his breath, "no feet are worth this."
Steadfastly moving towards the stockade, he knelt down, tugging at the metal pins in the top, freeing them of their bindings as the upper most piece of wood lurched forward, clunking against the bottom piece and falling to the ground with a wet thud. Sitting back, he extended his hands behind him, balancing on them, his eyes piercing through the canopy above, staring at the pinkish orange sky that peeked through the twisting leaves, their faces melded into shadow.
The crackling thunder of the door slamming resounded, waking him from his stupor as the slosh of clothes falling against one another cried out in vain. Tilting his head, he watched as her boots sank into her discarded shirt and pants, her bare arms crossed in front of a long, glittering black dress with silver sparkles glistening in the ghastly sunlight. Raising her hands, a length of rope swung between her fingers as she fidgeted with a golden band that wrapped around her head. Her pale, black lacquered toes peeked out beneath the wavering fabric, their bottoms preserved by a thin pair of gilded sandals. A smile pushed across his lips as she crossed her arms, the thin straps at her shoulders falling ever so slightly as she swam forward, shivering. "Your training best be worth this," she said curtly as she approached, "I very much despise this attire."
"Oh," he said, smiling as he sat up, crossing his knees and planting his hands upon them, "I guarantee it is." Stretching his right hand up, he flipped it palm side up, motioning towards the small wooden barricade. Huffing, she stepped forward and fell with a plop, throwing the length of rope at him as she pulled herself forward, setting her ankles in the small crevices. The rope thunked against his chest, plopping into the ground as he lifted the board, locking her ankles in place with it as he thrust the pins into their holes. The dress crumpled around her ankles, cropping up like the budding petals of a sunflower, her soles seeming to follow his hands as they moved.
Extending her hands towards him, she set her forearms on the wood as he lifted the ends of the rope, setting the middle against the bottoms of her wrists before spinning layers around them, knotting it together. Tugging with her wrists and ankles, her hands and feet remained in place. Looking him straight in the eyes with those green, gem like daggers, she nodded, her orange hair cascading into a waterfall behind her back. Nodding at her feet, she wiggled them defiantly, the flawless bottoms of her sandals devoid of any scuffs or dirt. Smiling he quickly asked, "Your sandals?"
With a smirk, she snorted, turning her head away as she wiggled her toes, pointing her feet forward. "Very well," he said, kneeling down as he rubbed the end of his mustache between his thumb and index finger, placing his other hand around the Princess's right sandal. Giggling, she smiled, ducking that foot behind the other, pressing tightly against the bottom as he tugged, baring only a sliver of her heel. The leather creaked as he tugged, the wood clacking together with her movements as she shifted her bottom, her knee twitching as she held fast, her ankles rattling the stockade. Chuckling and grunting, he lowered his second hand, placing one on either side of the sandal as he reared back, pulling, the sandal slipping away ever so slightly, baring the Princess's rounded, dainty heel.
Smirking, he locked eyes with the Princess' glittering gems, lines around her eyelids forming as she smiled wickedly, pointing her feet and flicking her toes as he released his grip. Shaking her foot gently, she let the sandal slide back down her foot ever so slightly just before he could touch the bottom of it with his finger, halting its progress. As his finger landed upon the rubbery bottom of her sandal, the Princess clenched her toes, squealing lightly at the touch, turning her shoulders away from him and fanning her teeth in his direction. Stealthily reaching up, he grazed the tips of his fingers against the exposed sliver of her heel, forcing her to let out a quick, sharp gasp followed by a trickling "tehehe."
With his palm up, he continued scratching at the edges of her heel slowly and maliciously, shaking his head and scattering his short hair from his eyebrows. Her feet bucked in the stocks, tapping the end of the wood with a clittering clack as she brought her hands to her chin, chattering out a chilly, "tehehe." Drawing in air through her nose sharply, she continued her chorus with another "tehehe," and another gasp, repeating the process as she alternated lifting her knees. Tugging with her feet, the wood refused to yield to her demands as she shirked back and forth on the ground, tilting one shoulder his way, then the other.
Her still garbed feet fluttered side to side, then up and down as the untouched foot flicked over to cover the top of her targeted foot, spinning wildly so that the former stretched across the arch of the latter, her toes spreading, reaching for her heel. Pushing his free hand between the feet, he shoved away the would-be sentinel, allowing his fingers to understand her heel more intimately.
Whispering out her "tehehe,"'s, she pressed her knuckles into her cheeks, tilting away from him almost entirely, her eyes still focused on his gaze, though his remained enamored with her trembling feet. Clenching her toes, the sandal dashed upwards, revealing a fraction of the ungarnished center of her foot. With a wicked smirk he cast his eyes up, locking his together with hers before striking upwards with his middle finger, dashing a straight line up her foot, sandwiching his hand between her flesh and the sandal. Her eyes flew wide open as she leaned forward, gripping the top of the stockade and shaking it while crying out with a surprised, "Heeuuaahhaaahh!"
Dumping his finger behind his thumb, he quickly flicked upwards, scraping his nail against her flesh while kicking her sandal upward further, the end of it against the ball of her foot, her toes reeling backward, balancing the inept warrior between her foot and the wood of the stockade, exposing the center of foot and the crevice of her arch. Clicking his tongue against his teeth, he tilted his head and smiled as pleasantly as cool summer rain just as his hands leapt for that taut flesh. The wood creaked loudly as he paraded his fingers triumphantly back and forth over the makeshift cliffside that jutted out down the center of her foot, calmly separating her arch and side. Rattling his fingers there, coveting her flesh, he took in her whistling cries, her jaw dropping so that her face took on a V shape, her cheeks puffing out as she shrieked out a "Huwaahahahaha!"
Resting her forehead against her forearms, the muscles in her arms stiffened as she continued to dispel the sickled silence of the forest, gasping sharply and screeching out another "Huwaahaha!" Scratching with the skin just south of his nails, he let his fingers hungrily lap up her ticklishness, his skin starved for hers, his fingers oversaturating themselves with the pleasures she so willingly offered him. With a thud and a click, the wood vibrated, her un-bothered foot shaking violently as the toes of her harassed foot flickered, her sandal's resolve wavering. Shaking her head, her hair scattered in front of her like a veil.
Through her hair he watched her bite her lip, her front teeth shimmering over top of her pink lips. Clenching the toes of both feet, her sandal dangled precariously by the tips of her nails, the clumsy thing clinking against his hands, hanging dangerously at a wide angel, leaving the ball of her foot and the bottoms of her toes exposed. Shifting her feet towards the middle, she angled them together, pushing her ignored foot in front of the one he targeted, forming an X with her flesh, her sandal dripping down her toes, trickling down with a click, barely hanging off her middle toe.
Chuckling, he pushed his hands between her heels, bringing them upward and pushing back, using his left wrist to keep them separated as his right hand returned to work, diving underneath the flapping sandal and wiggling its fingers at her foot, a renewed determination twinkling in his eyes as he watched the sandal dangle.
Her knee buckled, her foot rearing back, dismissing the sandal simply. It dropped away, pattering against his arm and then the ground. Withdrawing his hands, he admired her for a second just before she crissed her foot behind her still clad one in the X pattern again. Sighing, he shoved forward, splitting the two apart, cherishing her naked foot, wondering why she would dare hide it away from the world, let alone him. Placing a hand around her delicate, thin ankle, he lifted his arm up so that she could not barter for a defensive posture, though she struck against him with the other bound culprit in an attempt to batter down the barricade. Her bare foot sat there before him, curving from heel to toes like a boomerang, her skin seeming to melt away towards the center of her arch, her clenched toes like little bubbles that demanded popping, the lovely wrinkles that riveted up her arch and barely into the sides of her foot crying for attention. A few smaller wrinkles scattered across her toes, while a few more spun around and into the ball of her foot, her skin a stark, pale color leeched into a virulent, wonderful pink at the tips of her toes and the very edge of the sides of her marvelous foot as it rounded upward. Smiling, he raised his fingers, dribbling them up and down her sole, thinking to himself that this is why she hides them away, why she must hide them away. Twisting his hand, he scattered his fingers apart as she began flicking her toes while emitting a squirrel like chattering and chuckling.
Her eyes bulged as she leaned forward, shaking the stockade with her hands, her head plummeting downward as she spun her shoulders, twisting about, her hair spilling all around her. Flicking his fingertips across her sole, her flesh melted away like a rich, buttery cream, the swishing of his fingers striking across her flesh rippling through the air. Thrusting her arms forward, she shook the stockade as she chirped out a hasty "Chehehooohoo," while he silently reprimanded her flesh for hiding from its most natural of states while simultaneously punishing it for returning to its original conception. Compelled to strike her all at once, her supple skin crying for reprieve his harvest, he pinched the third finger and thumb of the hand that held her, his middle and index finger curving around the outside of her foot and coiling around her heel, striking at it. Meanwhile, his other hand pressed its fingertips together and began swinging wildly at her toes, flaying back and forth quickly, her toes pinching together, wrinkles diving across her flesh as the black paint glimmered hotly.
Shaking her arms once, her form tightened and froze, her head spinning up as she cried out a long, shrill "Aiee!" Her lips parted as far from her teeth as they would go, little lines dancing around her chin and cheeks as she shut her eyes tightly, her head bobbing back and forth as she yelped out, "Not my toes!" before descending into a cavalcade of cursed chuckles and grandiose giggles. Shaking her head back and forth, she lilted out several levels of laughter, her eyes streaking open as she laughed long and loud while bubble like giggles punctuated the shrill shrieks and dashes of lyrical chuckles paraded through the boisterous mob that she exhaled. The near-indescribable melody of "Aiieehahaha-teheheHEHEAHHAHAHA, tschhhhhhehehehe,” filled the air like a noxious, purple mist that coyly clawed at the bark of the trees.
As she clenched her black-clad toes even tighter, curving her foot to the side, towards her other foot, she slapped at his arm with the side of her sandal-clad brethren. Burrowing his fingers beneath her toes as she spun her foot around, he wiggled his fingers, then cast them aside, dashing back and forth, arcing slightly as he curved across the center of her foot, from the edge of her heel to the side of the ball of her foot. Meanwhile, the fingers that struck at her heel dug in, leaving long pale streaks down the sides of her heel as they scraped pathways across it. The stockade rattled as her knees pivoted up and down in unison, her still clad foot slapping wildly at his forearm.
Gasping suddenly as he wrapped his fingers around the upper edge of her heel, he struck at that petty yet perfect bulb of flesh with all six of his fingers. Shirking back, she screeched out an "Eeehp," followed by several strong gustos of "Eeeeeheheheeeeh!," the toes of her other foot spreading wildly, extending above her sandal as she whipped her foot far to the left, curving it away from her other foot. The sandal flipped upwards, exposing her heel slightly. Bending backwards, she hopped on the ground, tugging with her legs as her fingers nipped at the wood, her nails scratching against it with a slight crackling. Looking up, he imagined her, sword in hand, stepping backward as he swept forward, his footing in tune with hers. Leaping backward, she neared the corner where two stone walls behind her met. Ushering forward, he shifted his arms up half an inch, her arms leaping wildly, extending the blade slightly above her head as she turned the tip to the side, ready to block the oncoming attack. Moving up, she stepped back again, thudding into the wall, her eyes bouncing wide with surprise as she tilted her gaze away for but a second. Smirking, he spiraled his blade through the air, feinting and preparing a riposte as she raised her blade, swinging down hard. Catching the blade, he spun on his heels, knocking it into the air and placing his at her throat, her hands leaping to the wall behind her.
Swinging her lonely, still garbed foot back and forth, the sandal slid further and further up her flesh. Suddenly shifting it straight up, she clenched her toes, then extended them wide, the thin thing slipping up and down, the top catching at her toe nails. Digging into her heel hard, the toes of both feet clenched at once, her sandal flapping forward and towards the ground alongside the other. Smirking, he lifted his free hand, sweeping the back of his nails against the skin above her heel.
Immediately, she shouted, "Stop!" Flinching for a second, he pulled back, looking up quizzically as she quickly huffed in air. Lifting her hands, she brought them in front of her nose, flicking her hair to the sides of her face, over top of her cheeks. Wiggling back and forth in place, she fidgeted with her hands, biting at the rope as she slithered free of her bondage.
Crossing his arms, he sat back, raising an eyebrow as he muttered, "Is that all you can take?"
Scoffing at his question, she reached forward, unhinging the pins from the board, kicking it away as she coughed out, "Hardly. But if that's all the training I get, that's all the tickling you get." A half growl, half groan rumbled within his throat as he snatched at the metal pins before plucking away the top piece of wood, freeing the Princess’ ankles. Clearing her throat, she raised her chin towards her feet. Grumbling and pulling his lips together into a long line, he snapped his hand forward, snatching up her sandals as she wiggled back and forth in place, flexing her toes. Daintily tucking the sandals onto her feet, she nodded, a secret smile curving on her face as she turned her head slightly away, casting her hands behind her neck and throwing her hair up, letting it fall into a straight waterfall behind her.
Standing up, she smoothed the wrinkles out from her dress, the sun spilling around from behind her, giving her form an ethereal golden-orange glow. Crossing her arms, she raised her chin regally, her eyelids batting halfway over top of her eyes, all emotion vanishing from her face as her form melted into a regal one. Scratching the back of his head, he sighed as thoughts of breaking that regal look crossed his mind. Hissing, she lifted her head sharply, "Kneel."
His mind frozen, he found his form collapsing to a single knee, his face planted firmly on the ground before he realized what he had done. Balling his fingers into a fist, he lightly tapped at the ground, licking his lower lip. His thoughts raced, images of the Princess flickering before him; he had seen her here and there in the throne room, but before their last meeting, he had never heard her speak and her presence was all but invisible at any royal gatherings. To think that she commanded such presence that, even after turning her into a whimsical, screaming girl, she could fell him with a single word: a feat not accomplished by any other knight or even the king.
Stepping forward, her black clad toes harkened his presence, his lungs growing tight, his shoulders tensing. Clenching the toes of her right foot slightly, she slipped it out from the sandal with a whispering swish. Raising it in front of him as though she stood upon an invisible block, he looked up towards her, raising his hands, palm up. As she set her foot into her hands, the sun blew glowed around her, his breath faltering and hastening as his eyes widened, her flesh melting into his gently. A gift from the gods, he mused to himself, his eyes twinkling with the light she shrouded herself in. "These feet I swear to you and you alone," she spoke out, her voice hammering her breath into steely words as sharp as a guillotine, "Help me become strong enough to lead my people, and they are yours." Tilting her chin downward quickly, she locked her sparkling eyes with his. His fingers twitched, curving around the sides of her foot as they bartered with her skin, negotiating with her for her wonderful smile once more. The ends of her lips curved upwards as she brought a hand to her lips, touching her bottom lip with her knuckles as she balled it into a fist, two quick, breathy exhales parting her nose as a quiet, throaty chuckle bubbled within her. Lifting her leg, she stepped back into her shoe, gliding across the grass as it parted for her. Shifting into the shadows, she spilled around the side of the house, her horse whinnying. Seconds later, the beast pranced through the trees, her form gobbled up by the shadows, her voice trailing behind her, "I will leave my belongings here, for my next lesson."
First bit:
http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?236521-Knight-of-Punishment(a-challenge)-M-F-feet
Next bit:
(N/A)
A precarious song wept through the trees above, the silky sheen on the leaves fluttering into shadow as the breeze tussled the leaves together into a forbidden dance that they far too willingly joined into, their bodies glowing with the ethereal golden light of the setting sun as they sambaed off into pairs, scraping against one another with great gusto. As her greyish-white horse cobbled down the wavering, out of use path, tufts of grass bustled through the dusty dirt, vying for attention while overgrown roots sat idle, meticulous in their planning. Deep in the forest behind her, past the shadows that leapt up and stole away the road, a long, thick buzzing grew in and out. Huddling over the mane of the horse, she shivered, the hood of her cloak falling unevenly over her eyes. Pushing it up, she shook her head and sat straight, the chilled fingers of the evening breeze wringing themselves around her shoulders as her hood fell over her eyes again. Withdrawing a piece of parchment from her sleeve, she stared at the poorly sketched line leading to an X, her eyes scribbling up and down from the path to the paper.
Somewhere to her left she heard metal striking wood, two thuds crumbling against desiccated leaves shortly after. Tugging the reigns, she tilted her body to the left, squinting through the small thicket of trees at a large shadow in the distance. Crumbling the map, she threw it over her shoulder, sighing as she did so. Creeping around a bush, the horse forced its way through grass that reached up to its underside, wheeling around one thin, slanted tree then past another that stood upright. Another clonk of metal striking wood resounded as a small cabin peered from around the foliage, a long shadow extending from in front of it in the shape of a man stretched out tenfold, balancing himself haphazardly on his newfound legs.
As the horse pushed through another bush, the leafy branches grasping at the thin, unmarred leather of her boots, a figure crossed from the other side of the cabin, hoisting an axe overtop of his shoulders, the blade behind his neck. Lifting his head, he pointed his chin at her before vanishing back behind the cabin. Seconds passed as she neared, and she found herself spying the splinters and uneven strikes that comprised the logs of the cabin while the horse hobbled along. A thick strike came, splitting the air around her as two solid plinks echoed hollowly, whispering through the air like a ripple.
Raising and slapping her reigns, the horse reared up slightly before stamping its front hooves, the beast snorting and shaking its head. Hopping down, she tied the reigns to a post near the side of the building, a short stack of cut grass and a bucket of water resting nearby. Shaking her shoulders, she grasped the pack that hung down her backside, balancing it on her shoulder as she crossed in front of the cabin, a rising bubble of excitement and worry floating through her chest, lifting her heart.
Peering through the growing shadows of the trees, she watched as Lee struck at a standing log with a chipped axe, splitting the wood into two, the pieces hunkering off to either side just as the metal lodged itself into the stump that had held the wood, a crack like thunder booming around as he hit it. Standing up, he swiped at his forehead with his forearm, his thick biceps bulging with veins as he glistened in the shade. Huffing, he turned and slapped his hands together, one moving up while the other moved down, a cloud of dust bustling around him, dancing in a beam of sunlight that broke through the canopy. His cheeks ballooned as he blew out a breath, his mustache flickering up like the straw of a handmaid's broom.
Smiling, he crossed his arms, planting a foot slightly forward as he leaned away at an angle. "Honestly was beginning to wonder if you would show at all."
Stamping her foot, she threw her hands downward into fists that bent back at her wrists, extending outward as she spit out, "I keep true to my promises!” Crossing her arms tightly, she turned her head away, lifting her chin and closing her eyes as she muttered out “Maybe if we weren’t meeting out in the middle of nowhere,” under her breath.
Throwing a hand to his forehead, he reared back and laughed mightily as though he were a mountain casting a great boulder aside. Turning away and scratching below his jaw line, he exhaled, calling out simply, “You were the one that changed our arrangement.”
Facing her again, he tossed his thumb over his shoulder, towards a wooden pillar with a small bag near it. Snorting noisily, she nodded, stomping towards the wood while his head spun on its neck, following her. As she neared, the pillar revealed itself to be more like a fence with two wooden boards running between them, bolted together by long metal pins that ran through the top. A twin pair of tiny holes ran through the boards, her eyes locking on them as a gleeful shiver ran through her spine while her toes curled tightly within her boots. Cutting off the smile that started to form, she turned her head towards the bag, her eyes remaining focused upon the holes as she flipped open the lid of the sack.
Digging her hands in, she withdrew a small white shirt and a pair of thick, woven pants. Biting her lower lip, she nodded, throwing her hood behind her and shaking her long, brilliant orange hair overtop of the cloak. With a soft thud, she dropped her pack then unfastened the pin at her neck, she raised her arms and cast the cloak aside, revealing a similar, tight attire to the ones in the bag. Turning, she folded her arms as he looked at her and smiled. "Fast learner," he said simply. Kicking aside the bag, she reached for the wooden blade that rested by the prison, plucking it from the soil. Gripping both of her hands around the hilt, she raised it straight in front of her, the handle even with her eyes as her arms grew taut.
Again he laughed, throwing his palms up and straight, his hands near his ears as he shook his head. "There's green," he said, folding his arms as his eyelids slid over the top half of his eyes as they glazed over, his form growing stiff, "And then there are those that know less than nothing. We won't start with that," he said, tilting his chin downward.
"You said you would teach me," she threw out hotly, her words sizzling against the ground, igniting the dried leaves they landed upon.
"Sure," he said, nodding as he stepped back, moving a hand perpendicular to his face so that the center of his thumb was at eyelevel, his fingers slightly bent, "I did, but only having a little knowledge is very dangerous," he breathed out, his chest rising and falling slowly, "You don't start with combat."
Growling, she ran forward, raising the sword above her head as she swung down fiercely. With a quick hop, he stepped to the side and slapped the edge of his hand against the lower middle of her sword, knocking it away before stepping behind her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. The wooden blade spiraled through the air, catching into the dirt, spinning forward slightly before becoming entwined by the earthly realm. Placing his chin on top of her head, he breathed out hot words, "Where did you fail?"
Throwing her hands up, she slipped them between herself and his arm, slapping the hunk of meat away before shoving him back with her shoulder. Skipping forward a few steps, she placed some distance between them. Spinning on her heels, she wobbled, spreading her knees and catching herself, pressing her hands into fists and tucking her thumbs against her cheeks. "You're supposed to be teaching me!"
Sighing, he dropped his hands, knitting them behind his back as he looked away. Licking his lower lip, he nodded, facing her again, "Ok," he said, his head angled slightly as he rolled it upon his neck. Noisily blowing air through his nose, he spread his knees apart, "Right now, you know less than nothing," he said, waving his hand down towards the ground. "Sit."
Kneeling down, he tucked his feet under his knees, placing his hands upon his thighs as he leaned forward, the Princess glaring at him as she edged a boot forward, pointing her shoulder towards him. "You said you would teach me to fight," she spat out, shaking her head, a long beam of hair flicking over her ears.
"And I am trying," he said softly, waving his palm in front of him. "Please, have a seat." Refusing to move, her eyes wavered slightly, her eyelids drooping down as she dug the ball of her boot into the ground. Sighing, he pushed himself upward, leaning forward and scooping up the wooden blade from its defeated pose. Lobbing it slightly above her head, she reached forward, clapping her hands over the middle of the blade before dragging them down one at a time as though she were climbing a rope.
Crossing his arms as she held the sword up, her elbows straight and the hilt at eyelevel, the tip far above her, he ran a hand to his mouth, smoothing the ends of his mustache with his index finger and thumb. Spreading her knees wide, she straightened her shoulders, boxing her hips towards him. "Basically," he said, dropping his hand into a fist and coughing as he turned away, "your form is wrong. You're holding the sword incorrectly and you're standing inappropriately, you’re gripping the hilt too hard." He sighed, closing his eyes and drawing a hand to the bridge of his nose, pinching as he slightly lifted his forehead towards her, her chest falling and rising quickly as her face grew hot with color, steam practically lifting from her blazing cheeks. "Your breathing is all wrong, you're not focused, your eyes are," he said, quickly lifting a fist and spreading it far to his side, her eyes following it as she tensed, "not following the right things, and most importantly," he said, drawing in a deep breath as he stepped forward once, the Princess sharply jumping back, "you're getting too flustered."
Spreading his arms out wide, he slowly stepped forward as she hopped back, stumbling over a root and tumbling to the ground, her blade falling with a tinkling thud, half raised by the block of grass it landed upon. Groaning, she pushed herself back as she threw her head to the sky, staring at a passing cloud through the leaves, Lee's footfalls approaching her as her eyes watered up. "It takes time," he said slowly as he extended a hand. Reaching up, she grabbed at it with both hands as he tugged her up. Losing her footing, she fell forward, her face plastering into his chest. Quickly pushing him away, she turned around, crossing her arms and huffing. "This isn't an easy task," he simply said, "It will take at least two months before we can spar properly."
"Months!" she shouted, spinning around on her boots, craning her head forward as she slammed her hands onto her hips, "I want to be better now!"
Throwing his hands up, he turned his head and exhaled a loud, exasperated sigh while tucking his hand to his face, pinching the tip of his nose. "It's not like that," he said, turning towards her. "Baby steps."
Gritting her teeth, she ushered her boot forward, the sound of dirt grinding beneath her sawing through the air. "I said," she spewed out hotly, her face like the lid of a bubbling cauldron. "I want," she continued, stepping forward, "to be better," she took another step forward, shoving her chin into his chest as she looked up to his face, "Now!"
A sudden, warm pressure nipped at her shoulders as the world spun around, Lee tilting her onto her heels and twirling her in the opposite direction, her weight falling into his sturdy frame. Righting her, he placed a hand on either wrist, lifting her hands in front of her waist, placing her left hand below her right on the hilt of the sword as he tilted the tip forward. Dropping his hands slightly, he pushed down on her elbows so that they bent ever so slightly, then pushed her feet together with either boot as he let his chin fall onto the top of her head, resting it there. Bringing his hands up, he set them heavily on her slightly curved shoulders, pulling them back so that they were straight. "Close your eyes," he mumbled, bringing a hand to his hair, slithering his fingers between the strands, "and focus on this position. Hold it and focus on your breathing, feel the air enter your throat and roll down your lungs, how they expand and contract, then feel the air as it exits. Let your body grow accustomed to this form, memorize it until its imprinted on you and is second nature," he said, stepping backwards, falling to the ground with a thud.
Letting his left leg drop to its side, he firmly planted his right boot upright, crossing his hands behind his neck as he watched closely. Deep beyond the trees, down the hill to his right, a quick think-think-think motored through the air as a bird hammered away at a tree, the branches above him rustling with dissatisfaction at the noise. Back at the side of the cabin the horse whinnied, stamping its hooves and kicking at the dirt. At each sound -- the rustle of a bush as a rabbit hopped through, or the crinkling of leaves as a nearby snake slithered across – the Princess tensed up, her shoulders pointing forward as she spun her head in the direction of the noise. Each time, Lee clicked his tongue and she sighed loudly, slowly readjusting her form, piece by piece, to the statuesque pose he had informed upon her.
Soon her muscles relaxed, her shoulders falling slightly, the sword seeming to grow attuned with her breathing. Looking above, a squirrel ferried across a branch noisily, its nails scratching at the wood as he pushed past the leaves, plucking a single acorn from the tree. The Princess' shoulders tensed as he brought the seed to his mouth, his long teeth cracking and chittering against the sides of it, tossing the cap to the ground, the thing riveting down the backside of the sword with a titter-tattering plunk. Inhaling deeply, the Princess remained frozen like a block of steel submerged in the snow.
"Good," Lee said, twirling the edge of his mustache.
With a sigh she lowered her blade, dropping a hand from it and rubbing at the back of her neck as she rolled her head around as she groaned out, "This shouldn't be so hard."
Laughing, he slammed his left foot into the ground as he shoved against the ground, kicking himself upright. "It's not," he said simply, crossing his arms.
Spinning on the toes of her boots, she sliced through the air, recomposing into her form, her shoulders level and her arms bent slightly as she pointed the tip of the blade at his chest. Cocking a smile, he tilted his head, "Good," he said, plucking at the tip of his nose with his left hand, then drawing up and tapping between his eyebrows, "but the tip should be pointed at your opponent's eyes."
Nodding, she tilted the blade up ever so slightly, biting the inside of her lip as she mewled out, "like this?"
"Correct."
Smiling, she swung the thing to her right side without moving her legs before immediately realigning herself. "Excellent," Lee called out, lightly clapping his hands together. "You'll have the form down in no time."
Her jaw dropped. "You mean I don't already?!” she called out, her words echoing through the woods, slithering around and up the trees.
Placing his hands on his lips, he spread his knees, threw his head back and guffawed into the canopy, the Princess' lips curling forward into a pout. "You're doing fine, a little stiff, just need to practice that for a few weeks before we spar." Turning, he reeled his left arm back, waving it up and above his head towards the cabin as he moved towards it.
"Weeks!" she shouted, lodging her sword in front of her as she stomped forward behind him, placing her delicate hand on his shoulder, tugging at it, "Weeks before we even spar?!"
Tossing an eye over his shoulder, "That's what I said, yes. After we're done here, head back and practice for a few weeks, then contact me when you think you're ready." With a nod towards the cabin, he shrugged off her hand and moved forward, "Until then, let’s keep your end of our bargain."
Spreading her boot with a swish, she kicked up a layer of dirt as she stoutly twisted her arms into a bundle before her. "If you think you get to tickle me for this amount of training, think again!"
Sighing, he placed a hand on a shoulder and threw his head up, rummaging a hand in his hair. Turning, he crossed his arms, "I do expect that, yes. I told you before, you know less than nothing. Until you have that form imprinted into your muscles and can lock into it in less than a heartbeat, you're not ready for anything else. It's the most basic of basics." The muscles at the upper left side of her lip rippled as she spun around, firmly planting a shoulder in his direction while she looked up and away, closing her eyes. "You're the one that said you keep true to your promises," he said simply, tilting his head away from her at an angle.
Huffing, she stomped past him, her hands balled into fists as she strode forward, snatching up her pack and forcing the door to the cabin open, slamming it shut behind her. Rubbing a hand at the back of his neck, he tilted his head and blew out the winds of exasperation that rumbled through him, mumbling under his breath, "no feet are worth this."
Steadfastly moving towards the stockade, he knelt down, tugging at the metal pins in the top, freeing them of their bindings as the upper most piece of wood lurched forward, clunking against the bottom piece and falling to the ground with a wet thud. Sitting back, he extended his hands behind him, balancing on them, his eyes piercing through the canopy above, staring at the pinkish orange sky that peeked through the twisting leaves, their faces melded into shadow.
The crackling thunder of the door slamming resounded, waking him from his stupor as the slosh of clothes falling against one another cried out in vain. Tilting his head, he watched as her boots sank into her discarded shirt and pants, her bare arms crossed in front of a long, glittering black dress with silver sparkles glistening in the ghastly sunlight. Raising her hands, a length of rope swung between her fingers as she fidgeted with a golden band that wrapped around her head. Her pale, black lacquered toes peeked out beneath the wavering fabric, their bottoms preserved by a thin pair of gilded sandals. A smile pushed across his lips as she crossed her arms, the thin straps at her shoulders falling ever so slightly as she swam forward, shivering. "Your training best be worth this," she said curtly as she approached, "I very much despise this attire."
"Oh," he said, smiling as he sat up, crossing his knees and planting his hands upon them, "I guarantee it is." Stretching his right hand up, he flipped it palm side up, motioning towards the small wooden barricade. Huffing, she stepped forward and fell with a plop, throwing the length of rope at him as she pulled herself forward, setting her ankles in the small crevices. The rope thunked against his chest, plopping into the ground as he lifted the board, locking her ankles in place with it as he thrust the pins into their holes. The dress crumpled around her ankles, cropping up like the budding petals of a sunflower, her soles seeming to follow his hands as they moved.
Extending her hands towards him, she set her forearms on the wood as he lifted the ends of the rope, setting the middle against the bottoms of her wrists before spinning layers around them, knotting it together. Tugging with her wrists and ankles, her hands and feet remained in place. Looking him straight in the eyes with those green, gem like daggers, she nodded, her orange hair cascading into a waterfall behind her back. Nodding at her feet, she wiggled them defiantly, the flawless bottoms of her sandals devoid of any scuffs or dirt. Smiling he quickly asked, "Your sandals?"
With a smirk, she snorted, turning her head away as she wiggled her toes, pointing her feet forward. "Very well," he said, kneeling down as he rubbed the end of his mustache between his thumb and index finger, placing his other hand around the Princess's right sandal. Giggling, she smiled, ducking that foot behind the other, pressing tightly against the bottom as he tugged, baring only a sliver of her heel. The leather creaked as he tugged, the wood clacking together with her movements as she shifted her bottom, her knee twitching as she held fast, her ankles rattling the stockade. Chuckling and grunting, he lowered his second hand, placing one on either side of the sandal as he reared back, pulling, the sandal slipping away ever so slightly, baring the Princess's rounded, dainty heel.
Smirking, he locked eyes with the Princess' glittering gems, lines around her eyelids forming as she smiled wickedly, pointing her feet and flicking her toes as he released his grip. Shaking her foot gently, she let the sandal slide back down her foot ever so slightly just before he could touch the bottom of it with his finger, halting its progress. As his finger landed upon the rubbery bottom of her sandal, the Princess clenched her toes, squealing lightly at the touch, turning her shoulders away from him and fanning her teeth in his direction. Stealthily reaching up, he grazed the tips of his fingers against the exposed sliver of her heel, forcing her to let out a quick, sharp gasp followed by a trickling "tehehe."
With his palm up, he continued scratching at the edges of her heel slowly and maliciously, shaking his head and scattering his short hair from his eyebrows. Her feet bucked in the stocks, tapping the end of the wood with a clittering clack as she brought her hands to her chin, chattering out a chilly, "tehehe." Drawing in air through her nose sharply, she continued her chorus with another "tehehe," and another gasp, repeating the process as she alternated lifting her knees. Tugging with her feet, the wood refused to yield to her demands as she shirked back and forth on the ground, tilting one shoulder his way, then the other.
Her still garbed feet fluttered side to side, then up and down as the untouched foot flicked over to cover the top of her targeted foot, spinning wildly so that the former stretched across the arch of the latter, her toes spreading, reaching for her heel. Pushing his free hand between the feet, he shoved away the would-be sentinel, allowing his fingers to understand her heel more intimately.
Whispering out her "tehehe,"'s, she pressed her knuckles into her cheeks, tilting away from him almost entirely, her eyes still focused on his gaze, though his remained enamored with her trembling feet. Clenching her toes, the sandal dashed upwards, revealing a fraction of the ungarnished center of her foot. With a wicked smirk he cast his eyes up, locking his together with hers before striking upwards with his middle finger, dashing a straight line up her foot, sandwiching his hand between her flesh and the sandal. Her eyes flew wide open as she leaned forward, gripping the top of the stockade and shaking it while crying out with a surprised, "Heeuuaahhaaahh!"
Dumping his finger behind his thumb, he quickly flicked upwards, scraping his nail against her flesh while kicking her sandal upward further, the end of it against the ball of her foot, her toes reeling backward, balancing the inept warrior between her foot and the wood of the stockade, exposing the center of foot and the crevice of her arch. Clicking his tongue against his teeth, he tilted his head and smiled as pleasantly as cool summer rain just as his hands leapt for that taut flesh. The wood creaked loudly as he paraded his fingers triumphantly back and forth over the makeshift cliffside that jutted out down the center of her foot, calmly separating her arch and side. Rattling his fingers there, coveting her flesh, he took in her whistling cries, her jaw dropping so that her face took on a V shape, her cheeks puffing out as she shrieked out a "Huwaahahahaha!"
Resting her forehead against her forearms, the muscles in her arms stiffened as she continued to dispel the sickled silence of the forest, gasping sharply and screeching out another "Huwaahaha!" Scratching with the skin just south of his nails, he let his fingers hungrily lap up her ticklishness, his skin starved for hers, his fingers oversaturating themselves with the pleasures she so willingly offered him. With a thud and a click, the wood vibrated, her un-bothered foot shaking violently as the toes of her harassed foot flickered, her sandal's resolve wavering. Shaking her head, her hair scattered in front of her like a veil.
Through her hair he watched her bite her lip, her front teeth shimmering over top of her pink lips. Clenching the toes of both feet, her sandal dangled precariously by the tips of her nails, the clumsy thing clinking against his hands, hanging dangerously at a wide angel, leaving the ball of her foot and the bottoms of her toes exposed. Shifting her feet towards the middle, she angled them together, pushing her ignored foot in front of the one he targeted, forming an X with her flesh, her sandal dripping down her toes, trickling down with a click, barely hanging off her middle toe.
Chuckling, he pushed his hands between her heels, bringing them upward and pushing back, using his left wrist to keep them separated as his right hand returned to work, diving underneath the flapping sandal and wiggling its fingers at her foot, a renewed determination twinkling in his eyes as he watched the sandal dangle.
Her knee buckled, her foot rearing back, dismissing the sandal simply. It dropped away, pattering against his arm and then the ground. Withdrawing his hands, he admired her for a second just before she crissed her foot behind her still clad one in the X pattern again. Sighing, he shoved forward, splitting the two apart, cherishing her naked foot, wondering why she would dare hide it away from the world, let alone him. Placing a hand around her delicate, thin ankle, he lifted his arm up so that she could not barter for a defensive posture, though she struck against him with the other bound culprit in an attempt to batter down the barricade. Her bare foot sat there before him, curving from heel to toes like a boomerang, her skin seeming to melt away towards the center of her arch, her clenched toes like little bubbles that demanded popping, the lovely wrinkles that riveted up her arch and barely into the sides of her foot crying for attention. A few smaller wrinkles scattered across her toes, while a few more spun around and into the ball of her foot, her skin a stark, pale color leeched into a virulent, wonderful pink at the tips of her toes and the very edge of the sides of her marvelous foot as it rounded upward. Smiling, he raised his fingers, dribbling them up and down her sole, thinking to himself that this is why she hides them away, why she must hide them away. Twisting his hand, he scattered his fingers apart as she began flicking her toes while emitting a squirrel like chattering and chuckling.
Her eyes bulged as she leaned forward, shaking the stockade with her hands, her head plummeting downward as she spun her shoulders, twisting about, her hair spilling all around her. Flicking his fingertips across her sole, her flesh melted away like a rich, buttery cream, the swishing of his fingers striking across her flesh rippling through the air. Thrusting her arms forward, she shook the stockade as she chirped out a hasty "Chehehooohoo," while he silently reprimanded her flesh for hiding from its most natural of states while simultaneously punishing it for returning to its original conception. Compelled to strike her all at once, her supple skin crying for reprieve his harvest, he pinched the third finger and thumb of the hand that held her, his middle and index finger curving around the outside of her foot and coiling around her heel, striking at it. Meanwhile, his other hand pressed its fingertips together and began swinging wildly at her toes, flaying back and forth quickly, her toes pinching together, wrinkles diving across her flesh as the black paint glimmered hotly.
Shaking her arms once, her form tightened and froze, her head spinning up as she cried out a long, shrill "Aiee!" Her lips parted as far from her teeth as they would go, little lines dancing around her chin and cheeks as she shut her eyes tightly, her head bobbing back and forth as she yelped out, "Not my toes!" before descending into a cavalcade of cursed chuckles and grandiose giggles. Shaking her head back and forth, she lilted out several levels of laughter, her eyes streaking open as she laughed long and loud while bubble like giggles punctuated the shrill shrieks and dashes of lyrical chuckles paraded through the boisterous mob that she exhaled. The near-indescribable melody of "Aiieehahaha-teheheHEHEAHHAHAHA, tschhhhhhehehehe,” filled the air like a noxious, purple mist that coyly clawed at the bark of the trees.
As she clenched her black-clad toes even tighter, curving her foot to the side, towards her other foot, she slapped at his arm with the side of her sandal-clad brethren. Burrowing his fingers beneath her toes as she spun her foot around, he wiggled his fingers, then cast them aside, dashing back and forth, arcing slightly as he curved across the center of her foot, from the edge of her heel to the side of the ball of her foot. Meanwhile, the fingers that struck at her heel dug in, leaving long pale streaks down the sides of her heel as they scraped pathways across it. The stockade rattled as her knees pivoted up and down in unison, her still clad foot slapping wildly at his forearm.
Gasping suddenly as he wrapped his fingers around the upper edge of her heel, he struck at that petty yet perfect bulb of flesh with all six of his fingers. Shirking back, she screeched out an "Eeehp," followed by several strong gustos of "Eeeeeheheheeeeh!," the toes of her other foot spreading wildly, extending above her sandal as she whipped her foot far to the left, curving it away from her other foot. The sandal flipped upwards, exposing her heel slightly. Bending backwards, she hopped on the ground, tugging with her legs as her fingers nipped at the wood, her nails scratching against it with a slight crackling. Looking up, he imagined her, sword in hand, stepping backward as he swept forward, his footing in tune with hers. Leaping backward, she neared the corner where two stone walls behind her met. Ushering forward, he shifted his arms up half an inch, her arms leaping wildly, extending the blade slightly above her head as she turned the tip to the side, ready to block the oncoming attack. Moving up, she stepped back again, thudding into the wall, her eyes bouncing wide with surprise as she tilted her gaze away for but a second. Smirking, he spiraled his blade through the air, feinting and preparing a riposte as she raised her blade, swinging down hard. Catching the blade, he spun on his heels, knocking it into the air and placing his at her throat, her hands leaping to the wall behind her.
Swinging her lonely, still garbed foot back and forth, the sandal slid further and further up her flesh. Suddenly shifting it straight up, she clenched her toes, then extended them wide, the thin thing slipping up and down, the top catching at her toe nails. Digging into her heel hard, the toes of both feet clenched at once, her sandal flapping forward and towards the ground alongside the other. Smirking, he lifted his free hand, sweeping the back of his nails against the skin above her heel.
Immediately, she shouted, "Stop!" Flinching for a second, he pulled back, looking up quizzically as she quickly huffed in air. Lifting her hands, she brought them in front of her nose, flicking her hair to the sides of her face, over top of her cheeks. Wiggling back and forth in place, she fidgeted with her hands, biting at the rope as she slithered free of her bondage.
Crossing his arms, he sat back, raising an eyebrow as he muttered, "Is that all you can take?"
Scoffing at his question, she reached forward, unhinging the pins from the board, kicking it away as she coughed out, "Hardly. But if that's all the training I get, that's all the tickling you get." A half growl, half groan rumbled within his throat as he snatched at the metal pins before plucking away the top piece of wood, freeing the Princess’ ankles. Clearing her throat, she raised her chin towards her feet. Grumbling and pulling his lips together into a long line, he snapped his hand forward, snatching up her sandals as she wiggled back and forth in place, flexing her toes. Daintily tucking the sandals onto her feet, she nodded, a secret smile curving on her face as she turned her head slightly away, casting her hands behind her neck and throwing her hair up, letting it fall into a straight waterfall behind her.
Standing up, she smoothed the wrinkles out from her dress, the sun spilling around from behind her, giving her form an ethereal golden-orange glow. Crossing her arms, she raised her chin regally, her eyelids batting halfway over top of her eyes, all emotion vanishing from her face as her form melted into a regal one. Scratching the back of his head, he sighed as thoughts of breaking that regal look crossed his mind. Hissing, she lifted her head sharply, "Kneel."
His mind frozen, he found his form collapsing to a single knee, his face planted firmly on the ground before he realized what he had done. Balling his fingers into a fist, he lightly tapped at the ground, licking his lower lip. His thoughts raced, images of the Princess flickering before him; he had seen her here and there in the throne room, but before their last meeting, he had never heard her speak and her presence was all but invisible at any royal gatherings. To think that she commanded such presence that, even after turning her into a whimsical, screaming girl, she could fell him with a single word: a feat not accomplished by any other knight or even the king.
Stepping forward, her black clad toes harkened his presence, his lungs growing tight, his shoulders tensing. Clenching the toes of her right foot slightly, she slipped it out from the sandal with a whispering swish. Raising it in front of him as though she stood upon an invisible block, he looked up towards her, raising his hands, palm up. As she set her foot into her hands, the sun blew glowed around her, his breath faltering and hastening as his eyes widened, her flesh melting into his gently. A gift from the gods, he mused to himself, his eyes twinkling with the light she shrouded herself in. "These feet I swear to you and you alone," she spoke out, her voice hammering her breath into steely words as sharp as a guillotine, "Help me become strong enough to lead my people, and they are yours." Tilting her chin downward quickly, she locked her sparkling eyes with his. His fingers twitched, curving around the sides of her foot as they bartered with her skin, negotiating with her for her wonderful smile once more. The ends of her lips curved upwards as she brought a hand to her lips, touching her bottom lip with her knuckles as she balled it into a fist, two quick, breathy exhales parting her nose as a quiet, throaty chuckle bubbled within her. Lifting her leg, she stepped back into her shoe, gliding across the grass as it parted for her. Shifting into the shadows, she spilled around the side of the house, her horse whinnying. Seconds later, the beast pranced through the trees, her form gobbled up by the shadows, her voice trailing behind her, "I will leave my belongings here, for my next lesson."
