Say No To This

@ sun spirit

Aerith couldn't help but giggle a little against his lips as he kissed her again, wanting to just wrap her arms around him and stay like that forever, but she knew that they were in a semi-busy hallway, although it was pretty deserted at that point, and they should get going. She happily followed him down the hall, nodding a little in agreement when he pointed out how gross his room must be now. "You're right.. It might take a while for it to get cleaned up, but you're more than welcome to stay in my room until then. Plus dinner sounds great right now, seeing as how I missed breakfast and lunch.." She gave his hand a squeeze, smiling up at him as she studied his face.

"How many people do you want to come to the wedding?" She asked suddenly, realizing that they would have to talk about planning it eventually. Plus, she figured if they started planning it Elwin and Ceren would see that they were serious about it. "Ceren and Elwin are the only ones who I want to invite, but there must be tons of people you want to have there.."

---

Elwin nodded at her suggestion, already starting to head toward the door when Ceren stopped him for a kiss, which he gladly returned, smiling down at her. "You're too perfect, Ceren. I don't know what I would do without you." He smiled, pressing one last quick kiss to her lips before heading out of his study and to his Council meeting. He knew that in addition to what they had already planned to discuss, he needed to mention Nyrel's return and Aerith's engagement to him. He was still a bit skeptical of the whole thing, mostly out of concern for Aerith and Ceren, but if Ceren trusted Nyrel, then he would too, however reluctantly. Of course he would keep an eye on them, and one mishap and Nyrel would be sent back to Ashwick.

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled as Aerith offered to let him stay in her room until his was habitable again, despite her earlier concern--though he had a feeling he'd be sleeping in a chair. "Thank you. I might have to take you up on that, at least for tonight. Maybe tomorrow, I can see about temporarily taking over a guest room. Then, I can just move back to my room once it's ready." It wasn't that he didn't want to be around Aerith. It was just the opposite, actually, but he was aware of the unspoken rule she'd pointed out earlier and her apparent lack of knowledge. When she mentioned missing the first two meals of the day, he frowned at her and shook his head. "Then it looks like we'll definitely have to get dinner when we get back," he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

She surprised him, asking about their wedding out of the blue, but he recovered quickly as she mentioned the two obvious people she would want to invite. "Not necessarily," he corrected, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know if I've ever had a real friend. As soon as I was banished last year, I lost correspondence with everyone I'd ever been on good terms with." He shrugged. "That's how it is with nobility though. Favor depends on your position more so than if you actually like someone. Ceren is honestly the only person I can think of off the top of my head that I'd want there," he said easily.

---

Ceren blushed as she returned his kiss. "I don't know what I'd do without you either," she admitted freely. She left the office with him, though when he turned to head to his meeting with the Council, she turned towards the infirmary, a small stack of papers in her arms. She was greeted warmly by the healers, with smiles and hugs, which she returned. It was a little hard opening up to them and asserting her place at first, but now the castle healers had adopted her into their little family. She was especially happy to see Taliesin, the first person to accept her into the fold, and her unofficial second-in-command.

After greetings and questions about her trip, Ceren was caught up on what had happened while she was gone and what was waiting for her now that she'd returned. There were a few nobles who had requested to see her specifically, and her first job upon entering her office was to write them back and set up times for them to meet with her. There were some other things for her to take care of that Taliesin hadn't been able or had yet to get to, and she started on that, setting the wedding paperwork momentarily to the side. She would get to it, but she had other things to do first.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled as he kissed her cheek, her stomach growling a little causing her to blush. "I wonder what they'll bring for dinner.. I hope it's good. If not maybe we can sneak into the kitchens later and make something ourselves." She smiled a little at the thought, thinking it would be fun to teach Nyrel how to cook, plus it would mean that they would have to spend more time with each other. She didn't yet understand why there was a rule about them being together all the time, but she figured that Ceren would explain it to her later. But she had the feeling that even after she understood everything, she would still want to be around him, even if it was against the rules. After all, when they had gone to Elwin's office Ceren had practically been sitting in his lap, and so if she weren't allowed to be in the same room alone with Nyrel, she'd be very upset and very likely to complain a lot about how it wasn't fair.

She frowned a little as she listened to Nyrel speak about what had happened after he had left, giving his hand a little reassuring squeeze. "If I had known you were sending me letters I would have replied.. And if I weren't marrying you, I'd invite you to the wedding as my friend." She smiled up at him, squeezing his hands again as they arrived back at her room. "But maybe having a small wedding is a good thing. I've been listening to Elwin and Ceren complain about planning their wedding for a year, and it seems awful. It's probably just easier to not plan anything and just do it and get it over with." She said with a little shrug as she opened the door to her room, letting him inside before moving around the room to tidy things up so that they would have a place to eat once their food arrived.

---

Elwin's Council meeting was long and boring, as usual, but they did manage to finish before dinner, so Elwin sent Ceren a message letting her know that he was finished and that they could meet for dinner in his study, and arranged for meals to be brought for both of them. While he waited for Ceren he went back to his desk, reorganizing the mess of papers that he had left, and adding the new ones that he had left the Council meeting with, sighing as he saw how much work he still had to do before he could get to sleep. He didn't like being King, but knew that he didn't have a choice, and while the Council would probably say that he was at risk of being assassinated or some other crazy plot, he was confident that all of the paperwork that they dumped on him would be the real killer.

@ katahdin

“Like honey tarts?” Nyrel asked with a chuckle, more than a little familiar with Aerith’s love for honey by now. It wouldn’t surprise him in the least if she “suggested” he learn how to make them at some point. “You know you can request what your dinner is though, right? It’s usually faster to eat whatever is being made, but you don’t have to.” She made it sound as if she didn’t know, but maybe it’d just slipped her mind or she didn’t want to wait any longer than she had to.

Nyrel smiled, squeezing Aerith’s hand in response to her reassurances. “Thank you,” he said, knowing she meant it. “I would invite you to mine too, if I weren’t marrying you.” Then they were in her room, and he moved to help her clear out a table for them to eat at even as she complained about wedding planning. It made sense that Elwin and Ceren were having a rough time—he imagined a great deal of thought was required for a royal wedding. It wouldn’t be the same way for him and Aerith, with how small theirs would be, but something she said gave him pause. “Do you want to... forego planning and just get married?” He asked, looking to her.

---

Ceren had managed to get back to the wedding paperwork by the time Elwin’s note reached her—and just in time. She was happy for the break. She left the papers stacked on her desk when she got out, let everyone know she’d be back and she was having dinner with Elwin, then headed his way. She knocked softly before she opened the door, poking her head in to find him rearranging the papers on his desk into a semblance of order. From the looks of it, he Council had managed to replace what she’d taken off his hands in full. “Looks like the meeting went well,” she ventured as she stepped into the room.

@ sun spirit

Aerith grinned a little when he mentioned honey tarts, shrugging a little as if to feign innocence. "I don't know.. It hadn't crossed my mind." She smiled, carrying a stack of books over to one of her shelves to put them away. "I know I can ask them, but they get upset with me when I do, and they either end up giving me whatever they had already made or they put gross stuff in whatever I had asked them to make.. It's easier just to not ask." She shrugged a little, moving to flop down on her bed with a sigh once she had finished moving her books, laying on her stomach as she watched Nyrel continue to pick up.

She smiled as he said that he would invite her to his wedding, but her cheeks flushed red when he asked about whether or not she wanted to skip the planning and just get married. She shook her head quickly, sitting up. "N-No, of course not. If we do that, then Ceren and Elwin and everyone will just say we're rushing into things, and they won't take us seriously, but if we make plans and invite a bunch of people and do everything the way everyone wants, then they'll believe us and know that we really do love each other." She explained quickly, frowning a little as she looked at him.

---

Elwin was just growing frustrated with all of his paperwork when he heard the knock at the door, his shoulders relaxing as he saw her at the door. "Hey Ceren, I'm very glad to see you. Are you ready for dinner? I had a servant set everything up on that table over there, and I made sure they brought your favorite things." He smiled, gesturing over to a table by the windows where a table with their meals had been prepared. He walked around his desk to take her hand, pressing a kiss to her cheek before walking over to the table with her.

@ katahdin

“Sure it didn’t,” Nyrel deadpanned with a chuckle as he followed her to the bookshelf with another armful of books. She used to keep the table somewhat clear, after they’d started to have semi-frequent meals together, but he supposed she’d reverted back to old habits with him gone. Not that he minded helping to pick up a bit. “I thought that changed? After you got hurt saving those nobles,” he said with a frown. Part of the reason they’d started taking meals together was because if he ordered, it never came back to them burnt, undercooked, or with anything otherwise wrong. “Do you want me to try and see if it’s better?” Considering what happened, he would be surprised, but maybe it would work. He hated that she still had to be careful around her meals though and worry how they’d turn out. Since he’d have to ask about a room tomorrow anyway, maybe he could bring this up too.

Even though Aerith sat down, Nyrel cleared the table, making sure no terrariums of any sort were left sitting around or whatever odd objects Aerith had laying around. The vehemence of her argument towards planning a wedding caused him to stop though, and he frowned at her words. “Aerith...” he set down the plant in his hand and went over to her, taking her hands. “It’s our relationship, our wedding, our lives. In the past year, I realized how much I hated worrying what everyone would think of me, and honestly, it feels nice just being myself and doing what I want. It’s part of what I admire about you. And all I want is for you to be happy. So if you want a small wedding with almost no planning to it, I’ll do it. It just means we’ll be married quicker, once we decide to do it. If you want something traditional, I’m fine with that too. I just want to know what you want, not what you think we should do. So what if someone thinks we won’t make it because we’re moving fast? We’ll just prove them wrong.”

---

Ceren was surprised to see dinner already waiting and to hear the thought Elwin had put into it, and there was a smile on her lips as he led her over to the table where it was already set up. “You’re too sweet sometimes, you know that?” She asked as they reached the table, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. “What about your favorites though? You can’t just think about me!” They sat down, across from each other as the table was set up, though she reached for his hand.

@ sun spirit

"It had, but after you left I was too upset to do anything, including being polite to the nobility, and so now they hate me again.." Aerith explained, frowning a little, although she felt better as he stepped over and took her hands, smiling weakly as he reassured her that they could do whatever she wanted. She let go of her hands to wrap her arms around him securely, tucking her head in against his neck as she smiled a little. "I don't want to plan anything.. I just want to get married, and if Ceren and Elwin don't want to come, then they don't have to, and we can move to Ashwick or wherever you want." She promised, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

---

Elwin smiled and returned her kiss, pulling her seat out for her before sitting across from her and taking her hand when she reached for his. "I got my favorites too, don't you worry.. But it's been a long day, so I figured we could each use a good meal." He smiled, giving her hand a squeeze as he surveyed the food in front of them, as if trying to decide what to eat first.

@ katahdin

“I see... I’m sorry you’re on bad terms with half the castle again,” Nyrel said with a sigh, and he really was. From little comments she occasionally made, he had the feeling it upset her more than she’d like to let on. The fact that they went so far as to sabotage her food was ridiculous though, and he planned on doing something about that as the only person who knew (or so he suspected). When she tucked into him, he smiled and wrapped his arms around her securely, holding her to him as he listened to what she wanted from their wedding: which, as he suspected, was different from what she’d been saying moments ago. “I don’t think you’re giving them enough credit. Ceren and I seem to be okay, and Elwin trusts me about as far as he can throw me, but if Ceren wants me at her wedding, I know she’d want to be at mine. And even if she didn’t, those two obviously love you. They’ll be there,” he assured her. “I guess since you don’t want to plan anything though, all we have to do is figure out a date and find a minister,” he added with a small chuckle. “Any particular season you favor?”

---

“I see,” Ceren said with a smile, chuckling as she watched Elwin eye the food. She looked at what he’d ordered as well though, finding that he hadn’t exaggerated when he’d said he’d included her favorites. Or what was in season, at least. Her absolute favorite was melon, but it would be summer before she saw that. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to eat all this,” she said at last, pulling a bowl of heavenly smelling vegetable soup in front of her along with a couple pieces of cornbread. As he picked out what he wanted to eat as well and they released the other’s hand, she began to crumble cornbread into the soup. It wasn’t the way most people ate it, but she thought it was the best way.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled when he encased her in his arms and held her to him, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek as she snuggled close. "But they weren't good friends.. And neither of them acted well when I told them... But I suppose they'll come if I ask." She sighed a little, tucking her face into his chest. "I like Spring the most, but it's not all about what I want, Nyrel. It's your wedding too." She smiled a little, ready to press a kiss to his lips, although when she heard the door opening she quickly untangled herself from him and stood, smiling politely as a servant arrived with their dinner. She thanked the maid after she set the tray down on the table, letting out a little sigh once she was gone as she looked back over at Nyrel. "I guess it's dinner time... I hope you're hungry."

---

Elwin chuckled a little when she pointed out that they wouldn't be able to eat all of this, shrugging a little as he gave her hand a squeeze before taking a bowl of beef stew, humming a little in satisfaction after the first bite, only then realizing that he had skipped lunch to do paperwork. He smiled a little as he watched her crumble her cornbread into her soup, looking over at her. "Is it better that way?" He asked curiously, having never been a fan of vegetable soup, although he did like cornbread.

@ katahdin

“Of course they will,” Nyrel assured her, holding her to him. He hated that she seemed to be holding a grudge when he understood the actions they’d taken and she’d forgiven him so easily. But he kept silent so she could figure out what she wanted to do for herself. She’d forgive them on her own terms, in her own way. He smiled when she pulled back and answered about when she would like the wedding, although he was stopped from answering when she jumped about two feet from them and a maid left their dinner on the table. He held a suppressed grin by this point, and after the door was closed once again, he leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips. “I’m starving. And I like summer. Maybe we could do something between the two.” He moved to the small table and pulled out her chair for her, motioning for her to sit.

---

Ceren looked up at Elwin’s question, catching the curious look he gave her soup, and smiled as she nodded. “I think so. Do you want to try?” She quickly finished crumbling her cornbread into the soup and cleaned the crumbs off her fingers, then scooped up a spoonful of the concoction which now more resembled red-tinted cornbread with bits of vegetables in it. She blew on it gently to make sure it wasn’t too hot, then held the spoon across the table for Elwin, offering him the bite.

@ sun spirit

Aerith had turned to the table to begin setting their places, taking the plates of food and silverware off of the tray and setting them out for them to eat. She blushed a little when she turned and Nyrel was suddenly there next to her, about to say something when he leaned in and kissed her, an action that she gladly returned, smiling a bit as he pulled away and told her his favorite time of year. "That sounds like a good plan.. Early spring can be a bit cold, and summer can be too hot, so sometime between the two would be perfect.." She said as she sat down in the chair he'd pulled out for her, murmuring a soft "Thank you" as she took a piece of bread from the little basket that had been brought and started picking at it, quite hungry but not wanting to be rude and start eating her meal before he had sat down.

---

Elwin chuckled a little as she asked him if he wanted to try the soup, nodding a little as he watched her wipe the crumbs from her fingers. "Sure, why not?" He laughed a little, smiling as he watched her take a spoonful and offer it to him, grinning a little before he leaned across the table a bit to take the bite she had offered, humming a little in thought as he tasted it, sitting back in his seat. "The cornbread does make it better... But it still isn't as good as this beef stew. Do you want to try some?" He asked, gesturing to his bowl as he looked at her. "It's a bit harder to just get a spoonful, but you can try whatever you want from it."

@ katahdin

Nyrel nodded as Aerith agreed to his suggestion, all but grinning now. “Then that’s when it’ll be.” It seemed surreal that they were discussing their wedding. They’d just been reunited hours ago, after all. He wasn’t sure how long it would take for it to settle in that it was all real. He decided to let that take care of itself though, and after Aerith was seated, he sat down as well, following her suit in taking a piece of bread. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until the first bite was in his mouth, but when they got into their meal, he ate nearly as quickly as Aerith despite that the food was, in fact, burnt.

---

Ceren studied Elwin as he took the bite she offered and admitted the cornbread helped, smiling at him. Even if it still wasn’t his favorite, she didn’t mind, although she chuckled when he insisted his beef stew was better. “Sure. You pick what I try,” she said, knowing she would disagree about what was better since they were eating their favorites but willing to play along. It was nice, just spending time like this, after she’d been gone the last few days, without having to think about the work either of them were doing.

@ sun spirit

Aerith returned his smile as they sat, both incredibly nervous and incredibly excited at the fact that they were already setting a time for when they would be married, and that it was only a few short months away. She hoped that everything would work out, and that everything would be easy for them when it came to their planning, although she knew it wouldn't be completely easy. She was glad for the few bites of bread that she took before digging into her meal, and she almost didn't notice the chicken and vegetables were burnt until she saw that Nyrel's food was also burnt, a little frown appearing on her lips. "I'm sorry your food is burnt too.. But burnt chicken is better than raw chicken."

---

Elwin chuckled a little, spooning a few chunks of beef and potato onto a spare plate for her, giving her the chance to pick what she wanted from it. "You're welcome to some broth as well, of course. It's also delicious when you use the bread to sop up the broth." He smiled, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand before digging back into his meal. He was happy to have this time with her, where they didn't have to worry about anything or anyone.

@ katahdin

Though it wasn't the worst thing he'd ever eaten, Nyrel could've done without his meal being charred. The thought that Aerith had to deal with this for every meal for years now didn't sit well with him either, much less that she'd accepted it instead of fighting back. It was little wonder she was a terror on most of this castle--or had been. When she apologized, he blinked at her from across the table, surprised, then shook his head. "Don't apologize, Aer. You didn't do it." He reached across the table and took her hand in his, squeezing it softly. "And even if you had, I'd still gladly eat, because I'm sitting here with you, not in an empty house writing letters."

---

"I'll take it into consideration," Ceren smiled as she accepted the plate. The beef was so tender it was easily cut in half by her spoon, as was a potato, and she scooped half of each into her spoon and tried it. It practically melted in her mouth. "Mmm, it is good," she told him when she'd finished. "I think I like vegetable soup better because of all the flavor it has though." She'd never really been a fan of bland foods, preferring things with plenty of herbs and spices to give it flavor. Unfortunately, beef stew fell into the more bland category, so while she liked it, it just wasn't a favorite.

@ sun spirit

Aerith looked up in surprise when he took her hand, smiling weakly as she listened to him speak. He always said such kind things to her, even though she felt like half of the time she didn't deserve it. "I'm glad you're here too.. I ate a lot of burnt chicken by myself while you were gone, and I'd much rather have you here to share it with." She smiled a little, giving his hand a little squeeze in return before she dug back into her meal. "Besides, it's not my fault Elwin's parents adopted me instead of whoever else, I was just a baby." she said around a mouthful of food with a little shrug.

---

Elwin chuckled a little, giving her hand a squeeze before digging back into his stew. "I think beef stew can be flavorful, it's just that I think sometimes the cook forgets to use the herbs and seasoning when they make it." He smiled, grabbing a chunk of cornbread to eat. "I wish we could spend more time like this, and I hope we get to in the future.. It's nice not having to work or worry about things."

@ katahdin

Nyrel chuckled at her response and grinned as he replied, “I’m glad I can make your burnt meals more bearable.” He continued eating, scooping vegetables into his mouth, though he paused at her next statement, spoken casually. “They legally adopted you?” He asked in surprise. It was commonly known that the royal family had taken in Aerith, but while they took care of her, she’d never been pubically made Elwin’s sister or a princess or anything like that. Just then, he remembered something she’d said to him when they first met. “You told me once that only you or Ceren could ever become queen. I didn’t know what to make of that at the time but... You were made the second-in-line to the throne, weren’t you?”

---

Ceren giggled, shaking her head. “Whatever you say,” she teased gently. She’d managed to get in a few more bites of her soup when he spoke up again, this time with something her own thoughts mimicked, and she smiled at him gently. “Maybe we should just agree to make time for stuff like this once a week or something like that,” she suggested. “It could just be a couple hours where we do something together and get away from everything else.”

@ sun spirit

Aerith looked up from her meal again when he asked if they had adopted her, nodding a little. "Not that long before they were killed, they finished the paperwork and legally adopted me, which makes me second-in-line to the throne.. But only the Council members and Elwin know, and now you I guess... But I think the nobility and servants dislike me mostly because I... I wasn't born a noble." She admitted softly, looking at him a bit nervously, worried that he wouldn't react well to the news. "Some peasant left me outside of the kitchens one morning, and when the King and Queen found out, they decided to keep me instead of sending me to an orphanage, because the Queen had been having problems conceiving another child after Elwin... It took them a long time to convince the Council to make me their legal child, but I didn't want it to be made public, because everyone already hated me, and I didn't want anyone to hate me even more.. And I didn't want people to treat me differently just because I could inherit the throne." She frowned a little, picking at her vegetables as she finished eating, not meeting his eyes.

---

Elwin smiled at her suggestion, nodding a little. "That's a wonderful idea.. I'd like to be able to see you every day if I can, so maybe we could try to have dinner together, even if either of us have to do paperwork during that time.. But I like the idea of making time just for us at least once a week, but I don't want to make it a scheduled thing, I'd rather it be whenever we wanted." He said, reaching across the table to take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "And I'd rather it be able to happen more than once a week, but I do understand that we both have busy schedules." He chuckled a little, lifting her hand up to press a kiss to her knuckles.

@ katahdin

Nyrel squeezed Aerith’s hand gently as she spoke, more as a form of reassurance than anything else as she admitted to her adoption and suspicions behind the reason she was so largely hated by the nobles of the castle. She wouldn’t look him in the eyes—as if she’d said something shameful rather than explain a portion of her past. It took him a minute to try and think of how he could assure her, maybe ease those feelings she was expressing. “I won’t tell anyone,” he promised, first and foremost. She didn’t want to be treated differently, and he would respect that. Besides, it didn’t make a difference in how he felt. “I think you’re wrong about why you’re disliked though. They’re all just jealous. Of anyone that could’ve been picked to be adopted, it was you. And you have the bravery to be yourself against the odds. They all just wish they could be you, one way or another.” That said, Nyrel lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “And if we get sick of burnt meals, we can just learn to cook for ourselves.”

---

“That’s why we’ve made space for each other in both our offices,” Ceren reminded him, absently pointing her spoon at him as she made the point. It would be easier to just combine offices if they really wanted to have time everyday, but her office being just next to the infirmary meant that she was available in an emergency, and the Council was strict on Elwin’s safety. Although the infirmary had also gained extra protection since their engagement. As he went further into what he’d like, Ceren found herself nodding in agreement and smiling sympathetically. “I think it’s just a symptom of our positions that we’re so busy. I don’t even know if we’ll really see more of each other after we’re married and sharing a space, with our tendencies to have odd schedules. But I suppose I can stop sleeping in my office to help things out when the time comes.”

@ sun spirit

Aerith was already nervous over telling him the truth, but his silence made her feel so mfuch worse. What if he didn't want to marry her now that he knew the truth? What if, now that he knew, he'd tell the other nobility? She looked up in surprise when he spoke, however, unable to hide her surprise. Her eyes welled with tears, and she gave a little nod, squeezing his hand in return before gently resting her hand on his cheek. "I don't deserve you, Nyrel.. You're too perfect.. Can.. Can I kiss you now? Cause all I really want to do is kiss you..." She asked softly as she sat back in her seat, laughing a little as she wiped her tears from her eyes.

---

Elwin sighed as he listened to Ceren speak, not liking the idea of not being able to spend more time with her after they married. He had always thought that once he married, their work would just stop or become less important, and they would only have their marriage and each other to worry about. "Maybe we'll find a way to adjust our schedules after our marriage... It's likely that the Council will ease up on all of the work they expect me to do once we marry, as they'll expect us to have a child as soon as possible, although I know we've both decided to wait.. But the Council doesn't know that, and they'll likely take some pressure off of the both of us."

@ katahdin

The amount of surprise Aerith showed in response to his answer to everything surprised Nyrel. With Elwin and Ceren as her friends, he knew she had people who supported her. It was as if she just expected everyone outside of those two to be different, even him, and he couldn’t help but feel like it was his own fault for how he’d acted in the past. He was determined to make up for it though, and as her eyes watered, he reached up with his free hand to brush the unshed tears away. “What are you talking about?” He asked with a little smile, turning his head into her hand to press a kiss to the inside of her palm. “It’s entirely the other way around.” When she followed by asking to kiss him, he chuckled, picking up his hair and moving it to sit beside hers on the other side of the table. As he turned toward her, he cupped her cheek with his hand, brushing aside another stray tear, and leaned in to softly kiss her. “Aerith, I’m all yours. You never have to ask permission to kiss me,” he promised, murmuring the words against her lips.

---

As he spoke, Ceren knew Elwin spoke partially out of hope, not just what he suspected, and she reached out to take his hand, twining their fingers together. Rather than say what she was thinking though—which was that her long hours weren’t dictated by the Council and entirely self-imposed and sometimes disagreed with—she decided a different route might be better. “I’m sure they will, and you’ll definitely deserve the break. It all almost makes you wish we were still kids though sometimes, huh? Back when we could be together as much as we wanted and sneak around and we weren’t watched half as carefully.” She smiled, hoping to take his mind off some of his worries for a bit by getting him to think of something more fun. “What would you do if we were still kids? Before I went to be a Healer and you had to seriously start studying to one day become king and it was just me and you and Aerith.”