Work Text:
Zelgadis and Amelia are married, have been for a few years. They were in their side of the mansion. Amelia's father was in the other side. He was an official. Amelia handled all of the finances. Zel was an artist but also helped out.
Amelia was sitting on the couch, looking out the window. It was a hot day, but she yearned for the outdoors. Zel did not enjoy it as much, but he of course wanted his wife to be happy.
"Amelia, this year for our anniversary I have a surprise planned."
"Oooo! I love surprises! What is it?" He smiled and pulled out his phone. He opened up an app that was for renting houses, like getaway ones. He pulled up his profile and showed her the top result.
"It's a cottage! I thought it would be perfect since it's secluded enough but there's a lot of activities still. The couple who run it seem really nice just from the listing. What do you think?" She was scrolling through the pictures.
"Hmmm. Looks a bit small and rustic." He was surprised at her comment. Usually she would be happy to get away even if it was small.
"It's not supposed to be a mansion. It's a cottage. I'm sure you will love it when we get there."
"So you booked it without asking me first?"
"What's wrong? I thought you would love it. It's outdoors! You were looking out the window just now."
"True." She sighed. "Okay, when do we leave?"
"Tomorrow. Happy anniversary!" He said. She was not enthusiastic for some reason.
"Thanks, you too." They went to pack for a week's worth of cottage life.
Upon arrival, Zel got out of the driver's side, completely exhausted. He had been driving for four hours. And the traffic was brutal. But they made it, somehow. There were a lot of winding roads leading up to it, which he also did not like.
"Wow! This is actually really cute!" Amelia said, getting out.
The front of the cabin was actually the back. There was a screened in room on the first floor. Then stairs leading up to a big deck. It had tables and chairs and a swing. The house itself was wood. It truly was a cottage. They could hear both lake sounds and road sounds. Zel did not want to hear any more road.
"That was awful. Remind me again on the way home to not take that route." He got the luggage out of the back which Amelia helped him with.
"Oooh! There's bean bag toss! And an archery target! And a hammock. Oh and a riding lawn mower!"
"We don't want to get into trouble with the owners to ride it."
"No, silly. I just have never seen one up close." Usually they had people come and cut their grass. They took the luggage through the bottom door. Zel had a key that could open all the doors. The alarm was inside. He turned it off.
The basement had a full bar, a piano, a Foosball table, a pullout couch, chairs, a TV, and the floor had carpet to make it look like a football stadium. Amelia was loving all of it. She went in the bedroom. She squealed. Zel freaked out at first.
"Look at this! It has nautical stuff in this room!" She called. He set the luggage down and went in. He liked the blue and white toned room. There were two queen sized beds. Both had blue sheets and pillows.
"I like this room. It's very calming. Plus it's cool down here." Amelia nodded. She ran over to the piano and started playing. Zel cringed. "Maybe save the piano for later."
"What? You're teaching me."
"I know, I have a slight headache."
"Oh you're being like you used to. I thought you wanted to come here?"
"I do, yes. I'm just tired and hungry." Amelia had to agree with the hungry. They packed enough food to feed an army. When they got upstairs, Amelia squealed again. This time quieter.
"This is SO cute! The kitchen is tiny. And the fridge is too. But look at all these pictures! Awww kitties!" She immediately went to the two kittens. She looked on the back. It said
"George and Grady, our kittens when we first got them."
"They are cute. Let's unpack the food and eat." Amelia was busy looking at all the pictures. They were Polaroids of people at the cottage. There was a camera on the counter next to the fridge. There was an island that had a note on it.
"Please enjoy your stay! Eat anything in the fridge or snack pantry. (There is a lot.) Also don't forget to take a Polaroid of you two. Since we like to have pictures of everyone who has come here.
There are instructions and keys to both the pontoon and speed boat. If you fish you have to get a license for the area, otherwise they take your equipment and your boat, since it's on tribal land/water. But have fun! Feel free to use any of the games here as well. Hope you enjoy the stay!
From,
G and S"
Zel was unpacking as she was reading it. He saw the manuals and keys on the counter.
"I wonder what G and S stand for?" Amelia asked, helping out now. Zel shrugged. He noticed the water and put some in the fridge upstairs.
"Gwen and... Seth?" He suggested.
"Hmm. Maybe. Wow, how much food did we bring? Lina and Gourry aren't here." Zel laughed.
"Enough to feed an army. Plus they have snacks."
"I see that. They really know how to treat their customers. I'm impressed. Thank you for taking me here." She kissed him.
They got sandwiches together and chips. They sat outside on the patio. It was a gorgeous day, not as hot as the day before. Plus it was cooler by the lake. Amelia sipped her coffee.
"It's so peaceful," she said. Zel was starting to drift off to sleep. "We could take a nap and then go on the pontoon. Oh, I'll get a fishing license. Go lie down."
"Okay. Thanks. I'll only be a bit." He went into one of the rooms. The bed felt so nice. He soon drifted off to sleep.
After their nap they gathered the fishing equipment. There were hooks, but Zel had to drive to the gas station to get worms. It was not far. His headache was better. Amelia did not want to put a worm on the hook. She didn't like looking at them even.
"It's just... a worm. It won't bite," Zel said, getting the motor on the pontoon started and they got the ropes untied. Then they were off. He had a bit of a time driving it away from the pier. Then he got the hang of it. He could get things figured out pretty fast. Amelia admired that about him.
"I know it's just a worm. But they're still slimy and gross. Kind of like how Lina is afraid of slugs. I just don't like gooey." He did not like that word. He was focusing on driving. Instructions said they had to speed up at some points. Amelia liked going fast. He did not. He got motion sickness, but the pontoon wasn't bad. The things he found out when he regained his human form again.
"Okay. I will put the worms on and string them. The fish finder was reading a lot in this area."
"Fish finder?"
"Oh, this device." He pointed to the black box by the steering wheel. He had slowed it to a stop. "It beeps when there's fish in the area."
"Cool! Like a video game!" Zel laughed.
"Sort of." He was done stringing the poles and putting the worms on. He showed Amelia how to cast it. She waited. He did it next to her. Within about thirty seconds, a fish bit Amelia's worm! She was so excited. She reeled it in, but just before she could raise it up, it jumped and swam away.
"Darn. That always happens to me in games too."
"Be patient. Fishing is all about being patient and waiting for the right moment. It's supposed to be a relaxing time." She nodded. She did not like being patient. But she had to, she wanted to like fishing as much as he did.
"It is relaxing." Then a boat with about ten people, including some small children, went past. They waved and Amelia and Zel waved back. Amelia liked that. "If we have kids we have to bring them here. I want to teach them fishing too." Zel smiled. They hadn't talked about it much.
"You're right. We could bring Lina and Gourry, who can be like children sometimes."
"True." They laughed. "I'm kidding." She kissed him on the cheek and just then he caught a big fish! He reeled it in and was able to get the fish in the boat.
"Yay! You did it!" She clapped hard. Zel liked fishing quite a bit.
After most of the afternoon on the water, they took a break and had dinner. Amelia wanted to go on a sunset boat ride the first night, since the following it was supposed to rain.
They put some desserts in a cooler and drinks. They rode for a bit before settling in a spot to watch the sunset. Amelia took a ton of pictures. Zel took some of her. They enjoyed the quiet of the water and took their time getting back. The bugs even were not bad yet.
"Tomorrow I want to try archery! I always hear from Gourry that it's really fun!"
"Okay, just don't hurt yourself."
"Hey, that was one time during ping pong!" She stuck her tongue out. He laughed. When they got back they played a card game until they were both falling asleep.
The next morning Amelia was already up bright and early. Zel liked to sleep in. She started making breakfast. She loved cooking. The only thing she hadn't cooked yet was steak. There was a grill, and they brought steak with, so she asked him to show her.
Zel finally came out to an array of breakfast food. He rubbed his eyes.
"Are we actually feeding an army?"
"Well it's always good to have a great breakfast! Oh, here's your coffee." Amelia handed him a mug. He took it graciously. He sipped and his eyes went wide.
"What is this coffee?" Usually he did not like any flavor in it, but the sweetness was not overloading.
"It's a thing that makes one cup at a time. And the flavor is maple donuts."
"Wow. I wouldn't think I would like this normally."
"Right? I've already had one cup." She usually only has about two a day, otherwise she gets too hyper. Zel had some eggs and bacon. Amelia had pancakes, eggs, bacon. They ate until they could not anymore.
"I think I'll be sick if I eat more."
"Yeah. Let's go do archery!" She said, raring to go. Zel did not share the enthusiasm. They put sunscreen on and headed downstairs. They grabbed the archery bows and arrows and headed to the target. It was a big bean bag with a target on it filled with straw. It was propped up on some baies of hay. Zel figured out how the arrow should go on the compound bow. He tried pulling it back, it was pretty hard.
"Oh it can't be that hard!" Amelia said. She tried. It was extremely hard. "Okay, fine, we'll just use the regular bow." She grabbed it and an arrow. She lined it up right and took a stance. But when she went to pull it back and the arrow flew back and hit her in the face!
"Amelia!" She had a line on her face.
"I'm fine. Really, I'm fine." She tried again, this time adjusting her fingers. She let go and it hit the target but on the top. "Hey! I did it! Ow." She held her face.
"Do you need ice?"
"No. Maybe later." Zel could not hit the target until the very last shot. It hit the second ring. He was proud of himself.
Amelia was holding her face. She did not want to hear the "I told you so", not that he would. She heard it herself in her head. Zel got her one of the ice packs that were in the freezer. She held it on with a cloth.
"Please don't tell anyone. Ow." It hurt to talk.
"Of course not. I never told anyone about ping pong."
"Even if both times were comical." She did not want try and laugh.
"I'll get some lunch things together if you want. We can go on the pontoon for a bit." She liked that idea, if she could see. It did not seem to be swelling, so that was good.
They had another great boat ride. It was a little more crowded since it was a Saturday. They liked waving to people. It was nice seeing kids too laughing and playing in the water. They even saw some water skiiers.
"I am not letting you try that." She pouted.
"Come oooon!"
"No! You know I can't swim well."
"But I can! And we have life vests!"
"I can just see the review. "How did you like your stay?" "It was nice until Amelia hurt herself badly on water skiis.""
"Don't you dare!" He gulped. Then they saw someone on an inner tube, and she forgot about the skiis.
"That looks more safe." She agreed and it looked fun, even if they could hear screams. They weren't out of fear.
"Maybe when there's not a ton of people out." He agreed.
That evening they decided to go to the cute restaurant for their anniversary. Amelia had packed a gorgeous purple dress. It went with her hair. She had white heels. She also had a star necklace he had given her and some earrings. He wore a black suit with a blue tie. They both admired each other. She gave him a kiss before they headed out.
The place was quite crowded, because it was one of the few restaurants in the area. They went early enough. It was a white building that had a wooden sign that said "The Snowhill Inn" in black letters. Amelia liked the name. The host took their name, but they only had to wait a bit.
"Hello! Welcome to the Snowhill Inn! I'm Lily, your server. We have a wonderful salad bar. It has soup and salad, which you get with main courses. The specials are flounder and sirloin steak."
"Thanks." Zel looked at the drinks. "I'll have a glass of merlot, please."
"I'll have a cola," Amelia said.
"Right away! I'll get those in for you!" Lily smiled and ducked into the kitchen. The place had rustic decor. There were antlers and a sled in the one corner. High chandeliers with black frames hung from the ceiling. There were flowers on every table and a candle. Lily came back with the drinks and then gave them a minute more.
"I'll take the ribs. With fries please," Amelia said.
"Excellent choice! Our barbecue sauce is very tasty. And for you?"
"Oh there are so many choices. I think the prime rib? Smallest cut, medium well. Those come with the salad bar as well?" He asked.
"Yes, of course! Help yourselves!" Lily replied, taking the menus and went off again.
"First. Cheers, my love. Happy anniversary." He raised his glass and Amelia did the same. They cheered with them and drank. Zel then procured a long box from his inside suit pocket. Amelia gasped.
"You got me this trip. You didn't have to get me anything else."
"I know, but I like to spoil my princess." Amelia blushed at that. She opened it and inside was a pink and purple jem bracelet. It sparkled in the candle light. She gasped.
"It's gorgeous!"
"Just like you." He got up and put it on her wrist. It fit perfectly. She kissed him. He usually did not like the public display of affection, but accepted it this time.
They both had a wonderful dinner together. The rain also kept away. So they decided to go on a sunset boat ride again.
"I wish we could bring everyone next time," Amelia said.
"Maybe we will. I'm glad you like it here." They were watching the sunset. It was a little chilly so they sat close together.
"I brought the Polaroid with, let's take our picture tonight!" He agreed. They set it up on the dash where the steering wheel was and got into position. They smiled and Amelia held up a peace sign. The flash went off. They looked at the picture. It was really cute. They had changed into more normal clothes.
The rest of the week was spent doing all of the activities, except the skiis. Amelia had forgotten about them. They tried kanoe and kayaking. Zel liked kayaking better. Amelia saw no difference. She had more arm strength than he did, even though they worked out together. They made bonfires and had s'mores. They also played every single game they had inside as well.
When it came time to leave, Amelia was so sad. They were lugging their suitcases out to the car.
"I don't wanna leeeeeave!" She sounded very childish. Zel chuckled.
"We'll be back, for sure. It would be fun in the fall and winter as well."
"I know, but I want a house like this. One we can get away to, not have to rent out."
"Hmm. Maybe in a few years. It is a bit of a journey for your father." Amelia sighed.
"He's still pretty nimble if you ask me." She put the last of the luggage in the car. She hugged him. "Thank you so much, again. This really was a trip to remember." He smiled and kissed her.
"I'm glad you like it, my love. Let's head home." She nodded. They both waved goodbye to the cottage when leaving and the lake. They will definitely be back.