Say No To This

@ sun spirit

Aerith frowned at Ceren as she spoke, listening to her instructions to come to the infirmary if she suspected that she was pregnant, as well as her explanation of why people did or did not wait until marriage. "Okay... I think I understand everything now... Sorry for pulling you away from your night with Elwin, Cer, but... but I didn't know who else to talk to.." she admitted softly, reaching over to give her friend's hand a squeeze before getting up with a little sigh. She made her way to the door but paused before she opened it, frowning in thought before turning to look at her friend.

"You... You wont tell Elwin, right?" She asked nervously. The idea of him knowing was mortifying enough, but the last thing she wanted was for him or the Council to separate Nyrel and her until their marriage, or have guards follow them around. Technically, she was a princess, and so the Council would probably try to get into her business if they knew about this conversation.

@ katahdin

As Aerith apologized, Ceren immediately shook her head. “No, don’t feel bad! I’m always here if you need to talk about anything, especially if it’s important,” she said with a smile as she stood as well, following Aerith to the door. “I’m glad you came, actually. I thought you knew all this. And I hope you’ll come back if you ever think you’re missing out on knowledge about something else. Even if it makes us both awkward.”

She paused behind Aerith, who stopped at the door, patiently waiting until her friend came out with what was bothering her and smiling as she realized what it was. “What anyone talks to me about in this office stays between me and them,” she assured Aerith. “Unless there’s a medical reason for me to tell someone else. Elwin will probably ask, since he worries, but I could say you wanted to ask about medicine for cramps and were embarrassed to talk about it in front of him, if you want?” Usually, she would never volunteer to lie to Elwin, but she didn’t want him to worry or think there was something wrong with Aerith, and she wanted to respect Aerith’s privacy. In this case, it seemed okay since it wasn’t really anything that anyone else needed to know.

@ sun spirit

Aerith nodded quickly at Ceren's offer to make up some excuse for her to tell Elwin, wrapping her arms around her friend in a brief but tight hug, glad that she had a friend who was willing to lie to a King for her. "Thank you, Ceren. I promise I'll come to you if I realize I dont know something else." She smiled, pressing a kiss to her friends cheek before heading out of Cerens office and into the infirmary, digging through a few of the cabinets briefly, taking a few things here and there, before waving as she hurried off down the hall back to her room. She'd grabbed a few rolls of gauze, some candles and random herbs when digging through the cabinets, but she'd also grabbed the herbal tea that she knew the healers gave out as contraception, suddenly glad that she'd spent so much time in the infirmary over the years.

Once she reached her room, she hesitated a moment before opening the door and hurrying inside, leaning back against it once it was shut as she looked at Nyrel sheepishly, holding the items she had collected in her arms. "Hi, Nyrel.." she greeted softly, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks as she remembered her conversation with his sister.

---

While Ceren had been speaking with Aerith, Elwin had used that time to bathe, relaxing in the hot water long enough for the water to grow cold. Once he was finished he dressed for bed, but sat in one of the chairs by the fire while he read, hoping Ceren would come see him after she was finished. When she did return, the guards outside of his door were gone, and he was beginning to doze off in his chair, his book slipping from his lap and his hair still damp from his bath.

@ katahdin

Ceren smiled at how quickly Aerith agreed to her suggestion and hugged her friend back, glad that she seemed to be back to normal pretty much and to have forgiven her. She’d been worried Aerith would hold a grudge for awhile, so this felt nice. “Any time,” she said, and after they broke from their hug, made her way out of her office. While she noticed Aerith immediately go into the supply cabinets in the infirmary though, it wasn’t exactly unusual for her to help herself to what she needed, so Ceren left it be, as did Lyra, who was watching things for the night, and the young healer made her way through the castle to Elwin’s rooms.

By the time she got there, the guards that had been posted had left for the night, probably to get to sleep, and she hesitantly considered whether or not to knock. On one hand, he’d accidentally seen her undressed because he hadn’t knocked once, but on the other, she didn’t want to accidentally wake him up. After mentally arguing with herself for several moments, she cracked the door and peeked into the room, finding Elwin sitting in a chair with a book in his lap but otherwise looking as if he were asleep. He must’ve tried to stay up for her. With a little shake of her head, Ceren moved into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her, and walked over to Elwin. Rather than immediately wake him up though, she carefully picked up the book that was slowly sliding out of his lap and set it on the table beside him. Then, crouched beside him, Ceren reached out and covered his hand with hers. “El, you need to get into bed,” she whispered, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. “You’re going to be sore if you don’t.”

---

While Aerith was gone, Nyrel cleaned up their dinner mess and ended up poking out her room a bit. This led him to discover a book about rare plants that he’d gotten a fair ways into reading when she came back, arms full of medical supplies. “Did Ceren give you all that?” He asked in surprise as he put the book down, a moment later noticing the blush and sheepish look she gave him. “Judging by that look... Ceren explained everything. Look, it isn’t as if it’s something that has to happen or will if we’re in the same room together or anything, and I’ll stay somewhere else if it makes you feel better. I just... I thought you should know, at least.”

@ sun spirit

Elwin stirred a little as she crouched next to him and took his hand, his eyes slowly opening to look at her sleepily. He gave her a little grin, turning his hands to grasp hers in his, giving them a little squeeze as he sat up a little in his seat to look at her. "I thought if I read some that it would help me stay up to wait for you.. Obviously that wasnt the case." He chuckled, standing slowly to stretch before he helped her stand from her crouched position, pulling her into a hug as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I dont want to sleep yet, we havent finished our evening together." He complained when she told him to go to bed, smiling down at her. "Who knows the next time we'll both have this much time to spend together, I want to make every moment last."

---

Aerith briefly glanced down to the items in her arms, shaking her head a little bit. "No, I took it.." she murmured softly, although she frowned as he began to speak, quickly setting the medical supplies down on the table before walking over to him, taking one of his hands in hers and squeezing it tightly. "I want you to stay here, with me." She said quickly, blushing faintly as she looked down at him. "I know that being in the same room doesnt mean that it will happen, but... when you asked me to marry you, you did it because it felt right. Having you in the same room as me feels right, and I think forcing ourselves to ignore what feels right to us in favor of not upsetting some stuffy old man is dumb. If it feels right to be with each other before our wedding night, then I think that we should, because I dont care about what anyone else thinks or feels, I only care about you." She spoke softly, gently brushing her fingers over his cheek as she looked down at him, nervous about what he would say.

@ katahdin

Ceren smiled as Elwin woke up--and immediately grinned at her, not acting half as sleepy as she would've expected considering the fact that she caught him dozing. "I thought I told you to go ahead and get some sleep if I stayed too late," she chided gently, brushing his hair away from his face and kissing his cheek. Of course, he wasn't going to listen to her though. And while she wanted to spend time with him as well, she didn't want him to lose sleep either.

"How about we compromise?" she offered after a moment. "We'll both get in bed, and we can relax and talk. I'll just stay until you fall asleep again, then go back to my room." She was a little tired, but probably not as much as him, so she didn't doubt that she'd be able to stay up longer.

---

Nyrel was worried Aerith would feel uncomfortable or pressured somehow, but as she began speaking, he knew that wasn't the case, even if she did seem a little awkward, judging by the way she was blushing. He gripped her hands, smiling as she finished speaking. "Then I'll stay, because I love you and I want to. I just thought maybe you'd probably change your mind once you knew everything. I wasn't really sure what you'd think," he admitted a bit sheepishly.

Nyrel stood, leaning down to kiss her, and when they parted, he gave a curious look towards the supplies she'd brought back from the infirmary. "What's all this for anyway?" he asked curiously, stepping toward the table. He recognized the gauze and candlesticks, though even with his sister being Royal Healer, he was hopelessly inept in telling one herb from another.

@ sun spirit

Elwin hummed a little in thought at her offer, but nodded, smiling down at her. "That seems fair." He leaned down to press a gentle kiss fo her lips, before carefully lifting her into his arms and carrying her to bed with him. With a little grin he tossed her onto the mattress like he often did when they were children, laughing as he joined her soon after, pulling back the blankets and adjusting the pillows for them both.

"So, what did Aerith want? Something to do with Nyrel?" he asked after a moment, curious about what she would have wanted to talk about so late at night.

---

"I rarely change my mind." She stated confidently, grinning a little up at him as he stood, and she happily returned the kiss that he gave her. "You owe me two more, at least.." she pointed out with a mischievous grin, intending on making him keep the promise he'd made before she left for her conversation with Ceren.

She blushed a little when he turned to the table to ask about what she'd brought back from the infirmary, wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her head comfortably against his back, her cheek pressed against his shirt. "Oh, just stuff I might need... Candles for burning things, gauze for cuts, tea that will keep me from getting pregnant, you know, normal stuff.." her voice got softer and softer as she spoke, trailing off toward the end as she squeezed her arms around his torso a little tighter, not wanting to let him go.

@ katahdin

“Glad you agree,” Ceren smiled, kissing him back, though Elwin surprised her by lifting her into his arms moments later. She wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively, laughing when he tossed her onto the bed a moment later like when they were little. She helped him with the covers and pillows and when he climbed up beside her, snuggled comfortably into his side. Though it had briefly seemed as if he’d forgotten about Aerith, she wasn’t surprised when the question came. “No, that wasn’t it. She wanted to talk about her cycle and get medicine for the cramping, and I don’t think she wanted to talk about it around you or Nyrel,” she answered, sticking to what she’d come up with when she was talking to Aerith. “Lucky for you, even if someone else wanted me tonight, I don’t think they’d look here,” she added with a smile, turning into him to kiss his cheek.

---

Nyrel chuckled as Aerith brought up the promise he’d made before she went to see Ceren. “Don’t worry, I’ll make good on those two kisses before bed,” he assured her, kissing her forehead. When she wrapped her arms around him from behind, he covered her hands with his, listening as she listed the things she’d brought back, her voice becoming progressively quieter until it was almost a whisper when she mentioned the contraceptive. “You...” He stared at the herbs she’d brought back, unable to look at her with her face pressed into his back. “Do you think you’ll need it?” He asked quietly.

@ sun spirit

Elwin chuckled as he climbed into bed with her, wrapping his arms around her as she curled into his arms, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead as she relaxed into his arms. He chuckled a little when she mentioned why Aerith had wanted to speak to her alone, squeezing her a little in his arms. "That's very understandable... I wouldn't have wanted to be a party of that conversation." He admitted softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he pulled her closer. "And I'm glad that no one will be able to find you, I might have to hide you in here more often." He chuckled, grinning as he leaned down to kiss her.

---

Aerith grinned a little when he said he'd make good on his promise, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as he placed his hands over hers. She blushed when he asked if she thought she'd the tea, shrugging a little as she rested her forehead against his back. "I... I don't know... I just figured it would be safer to have it, right..? I mean, better safe than sorry.... Do... Do you think I'll need it?" She asked softly, slowly loosening her arms from around his torso so she could look up at him nervously.

@ katahdin

Though Ceren knew it wasn’t something Elwin really needed to know, she still felt a pang of guilt for her dishonesty with him concerning Aerith. She wouldn’t let it become habit though. It was just because of the situation this time and because she didn’t want to worry him. She snuggled closely into him, pressing her face into his chest as he held her and smiling when he suggested hiding her more often. “It won’t work if you do it too often,” she argued, pulling back enough to be understood and to meet his kiss, which somehow seemed just a little deeper and sweeter than the kisses they usually exchanged, and as they kissed, Ceren ran her fingers through his hair.

---

As Aerith loosened her arms around him, Nyrel turned to face her, now seeing how nervous she had sounded. “Well,” he said, taking her hands in his, “It would be safe, in case anything does happen,” he admitted. He lifted her hands to his lips and pressed kisses to her knuckles. “I don’t know if anything will happen though... I suppose that’s for us to find out,” he added, giving her a smile he hopes would help put her at ease.

@ sun spirit

"But it would work some of the time." Eliwin pointed out before their lips met, pulling her closer, one hand moving up to cup her cheek, while the other rested on her hip. He hummed against her lips when he felt her fingers in his hair, grinning a little before he kissed her again, not quite ready for the moment to end. He hoped that in the future they'd have plenty of moments like this, where they could forget about the rest of their responsibilities and just be with each other in the moment. Part of him wished that they could break the Council's rules, especially when Ceren looked so beautiful, but he knew he'd get an earful if they ever found out, and he didn't want to push Ceren to doing something that she didn't want to do, especially when most of the time he was fine with waiting.

---

Aerith gave his hands a little squeeze as he took hers, a faint smile spreading across her lips as he kissed her knuckles. "It's like a mystery..." she murmured softly, giving his hands one more squeeze before she pulled away. "I'm going to change into my nightgown now, because it's late and bed seems like a comfortable place to be at the moment.. I'll make sure to change behind the thing though, so no one gets embarrassed." She murmured, pointing over to the wooden partition that she rarely used to change behind, and instead mostly used to hide things behind. She hurried over to her wardrobe to pull out her nightgown before heading behind the partition, quickly discarding her clothes-- and throwing them across the room toward a laundry basket-- once she was safely hidden from his view, although at one point she stood on her toes to peek over the top of the partition, smiling and giving him a little wave before she disappeared again to finish changing.

When she was finished she practically shot out from behind the partition to launch herself into bed, tumbling onto the mattress in a fit of giggles.

@ katahdin

Ceren smiled as he returned her kiss and pulled her closer, enjoying this moment with him that was just between the two of them with no worries of having to be somewhere else or do something else. It was this sort of moment that they rarely got with each other, and she treasured them when they happened. "If this is what hiding will always be like, we might have to try it more often then," she hummed against his lips as their mouths met for another kiss. She pressed closer to him as her hand trailed through his hair down the back of his head until it cupped the back of his neck. Her other hand rested against his arm, fingers clasping his shirt, and there was very little room left between them by this point, only a small space separating their bodies.

---

Aerith bringing up changing and sleeping felt like too sudden a change in subject to be coincidental, but Nyrel was more than happy to leave the talk of premarital sex and contraceptives alone for a bit. It wasn't that he was really a prude or generally awkward concerning the subject; that development came with Aerith. Somehow, the fact that he'd had all this knowledge and she hadn't, even if she'd talked to Ceren about it, felt wrong to him, and it made him self-conscious about his behavior. He just didn't want her to feel like there were any expectations or pressure, when he was just happy to be with her again. If the subject never came up again until she was ready to talk about it, he'd be more than fine with that.

He let go of her hands so she could go change, leaving her with a kiss on the cheek, and even after she was behind the partition, did the gentlemanly thing and averted his eyes. While they were fiancés, he was of the opinion that if she had wanted him to see her naked, she wouldn't have used the partition. So he stood, staring at her door, until he heard her leap onto her mattress with a fit of giggles, at which point he glanced back at her with a smile. He still wore the clothes he'd come to the castle in that afternoon, covered in dirt and the gods knew what else after Aerith had tackled him to the ground, but he had nothing to change into at that moment. The plan had never been for him to stay, so nothing had been packed for him. "Ready for the two other kisses I promised?" he asked with a grin as he walked to Aerith's bedside.

@ sun spirit

"I have to admit, hiding with you is quite nice." Elwin murmured against her lips between kisses, grinning as he felt her fingers in his hair. He happily returned her kisses and moved closer, shifting so that he hovered over her as they kissed, one arm positioned to hold himself up while his other hand moved along her waist. He could understand why the Council wanted to keep an eye on them, because he could get very used to 'hiding' with her, and could understand their concerns.

---

Aerith didn't really mind whether or not Nyrel saw her change or not, as she'd grown up training with various members of the guard, so she was by no means a prude when it came to nudity. But she worried that Nyrel wouldn't like it if she just started stripping in front of him, considering he was so concerned about her knowing about sex, and how awkward he had gotten when she admitted to bringing back the contraceptives. She personally wouldn't really mind him seeing her naked, even if she would be embarrassed by it at first, as she thought it would be a good way to get over her nerves. If they just saw each other naked, then she wouldn't have to feel so nervous and worried.

When he turned to look over at her she returned his smile, rolling over so that she could sit up, although once he was close enough she reached her hands out to rest against his chest, keeping him from getting into bed with her. "You know I love you, and I want those kisses, but your clothes are gross, and if you don't change out of them you're not allowed in bed. There are some big shirts that used to be Elwin's in my wardrobe, you can borrow one of those if you want, or you can wear nothing, I don't care either way."

@ katahdin

There had probably been less than a handful of times where Ceren and Elwin had had this kind of time and privacy to themselves, and though they hadn’t drifted from anything they hadn’t done before, something in the mood made it feel as if this moment had that potential. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Ceren recognized that, but while she knew she should say something, she was enjoying this moment with Elwin. It felt nice, being with each other without really worrying about anything else, even if it wouldn’t last long. “Only quite?” She teased softly, and when they met again for another kiss, she deepened it.

---

Nyrel hadn’t intended on getting in bed; in fact, he’d figured he would give her the two kisses he’d promised and then find a chair to try and sleep in. He wouldn’t want to get her bed nasty, after all. However, she stopped him before he could even bend down to kiss her, and he couldn’t help his amused smile as she informed him that he would not be getting in bed in his clothes. “Don’t worry, I had no intentions of doing anything of the sort.” Despite her hands keeping him at bay, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I think I’m going to bathe before I join you though, now that I know there’s clean clothes I can change into. I’m sure I don’t want to know why you have Elwin’s clothes here, so I’ll just ask where to find them and hope they fit.”

@ sun spirit

Elwin grinned at her teasing, returning her kiss gladly before he pulled back just enough to look at her, giving her waist a little squeeze as he pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. "Only quite." He confirmed, before leaning back down to capture her lips in his for a long, passionate kiss, before he began to trail his kisses away from her lips, instead peppering them along her jaw before trailing down the curve of her neck. The little voice in his head that represented the Council was telling him that he should stop, that if he continued something would happen that they would regret, but another voice was talking much, much louder and was drowning out the voice telling him to stop, and instead was telling him that as long as Ceren was interested, he should keep kissing her.

---

Aerith returned his smile as he looked down at her, and was quite content when he leaned down to kiss her. "Elwin gave me... or, rather I 'borrowed' them from him so that I wouldn't have to ruin my shirts during training or when I went on adventures.. He wasn't using them anymore, so I figured I would." She smiled up at him sheepishly, taking his hands in hers and lacing their fingers together to keep him from getting too far away, pouting a little when he said that he was going to go take a bath. "But I don't want you to leave... Can I take a bath with you? I promise I won't stare at your butt, and I won't splash you, and I'll help you wash your hair and make sure your'e nice and clean." She promised, sitting up enough to press a kiss to his lips, hoping that her arguments would convince him, although she wasn't sure if they would.

@ katahdin

Ceren met Elwin in an almost dizzying kiss, a small noise of protest leaving her when he pulled away from her. There wasn’t even the illusion of keeping up a conversation by this point, though she’d started to open her mouth to speak when he started kissing along her jaw and down her neck. Her head angled back, giving him better access as his lips approached her collarbone. As this took place, her hands slipped past the open collar of his shirt and moved over the bared skin and muscles underneath, trailing up his chest and over his shoulders.

---

It was actually a rather good explanation, though Nyrel was surprised to hear it. Really, the surprise lay in the fact that she was careful to take care of her clothes. As much as she enjoyed going out and getting into trouble, he figured it was her own clothes she wore. To hear she’d taken measures to protect her clothing was surprising. “That was probably a good idea,” he said. When he attempted to pull away to go get his bath though, he found himself stilled by Aerith, who’d laced her fingers with his to stop him. He chuckled as she joked about taking a bath with him, returning the kiss she gave him. “That’s an enticing list of promises, but I have to say I absolutely expect my future wife to stare at my butt,” he said with a wink and leaned in to kiss her again. “I’m afraid until you’re willing to take on that task, we can’t bathe together.”

@ sun spirit

Elwin smirked a little to himself as her head angled back to give him better access to her skin, continuing to trail his kisses along her collarbone, occasionally nipping at her skin teasingly. He lifted his head as she slipped her hands through the open collar of his shirt to trail across his chest and shoulders, pressing a few lingering kisses back up her neck before connecting their lips again. "You know, if my shirt is in your way, I can take it off.." He offered teasingly between kisses, chuckling a little to himself as he drew her closer.

---

Aerith's eyes lit up at his declaration that he expected her to stare at his butt as part of being married to him, and she happily released his hands so that she could wrap her arms around his neck, grinning a bit. "I can do that. Why do you think I sat around earlier while you were clearing the table?" She teased, grinning mischievously up at him as she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "I'm more than up to the task, I'm actually quite qualified. Plus, if you let me take a bath with you, I can show you all of my cool scars." She promised him, leaning back a little so that she could look at him.

@ katahdin

Ceren eagerly kissed Elwin as his mouth returned to hers, his path up having taken a much shorter amount of time than it had going down. As he spoke, offering to take his shirt off, a little voice in the back of her head argued that it was time to stop what they were doing, before it went too far. Except... she didn’t want to. She wanted this moment with him. And so the voice was silenced as she replied between kisses. “Or,” she kissed him. “I could,” another kiss. “Do it.” She moved her arms, bringing them back to his chest, and as they kissed, she felt for and found where the buttons of his shirt started and let her fingers start undoing them, slowly working her way down.

---

Nyrel had honestly expected Aerith to back off or get embarrassed or red-faced; what he didn’t expect was the excitement that suddenly sparked in her eyes as she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. For a moment, he could only stare at her, stunned at her attitude. Despite how quickly she’d taken to kissing, it hadn’t crossed his mind that it might spill over into other areas. Even so, he felt the need to make sure she really wasn’t joking, so he asked with a raised eyebrow, “Was that really the reason?”

@ sun spirit

Elwin felt his heart skip a beat when she began to unbutton his shirt, having never expected her to take up his offer, let alone do it herself, and although part of him was still telling him to stop... They'd behaved for well over a year, and still had six months to go before their wedding, so it was a miracle they'd made it this far. He eagerly returned her kisses, pulling back to tug off his shirt and toss it to the side once she'd finished unbuttoning it. There was no denying Elwin was attractive, and although he wasnt as muscular and fit as he once was, due to all of the deskwork he had to do since becoming King, he was still pretty fit, enough so to keep up with Aerith when they trained together.

---

Aerith frowned a little as he stared at her, leaning back a bit to look at him better before shaking her head. "Not really.. I didnt really feel like moving anymore stuff, and you were being so helpful, that I didnt think you'd mind. Getting to stare at your butt was just a bonus.." she explained, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before she pulled away, smiling a little as she sat back against the headboard. "I'll stop botheirng you and let you bathe. I'll be here when you get back." Despite still wanting to go with him, she figured it would be better if she stayed, as she seemed to keep sticking her foot in her mouth and saying the wrong thing around him, and figured that maybe he wanted some time away from her and the awkwardness she seemed to carry around with her.

@ katahdin

Elwin seemed just as eager as she was as he returned her kisses and even pushed his shirt off once she'd finished unbuttoning it, leaving his torso bare. Ceren's hands trailed up his chest now, from where she'd undone his last button, moving lightly over his skin. Her mouth broke from his, and she began to trail kisses along his jaw and neck, pausing near his collar to lightly nip and suck at his skin. Since she'd never done anything like this with anyone before, Ceren wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but she acted on what felt right in the moment and hoped it wasn't wrong.

---

Nyrel gave Aerith a smile as she backed off, proving his guess that she was joking. Not that he necessarily would've minded if she'd been serious, but he didn't want to push her into anything if she was joking. He smiled as he returned her kiss, and as she sat back, said, "Well, if you ever want to stare, all you have to do is ask." Before he left, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back before you know it." Nyrel straightened and made his way to Aerith's washroom, which appeared cleaner than her room, in the sense that it was less cluttered, though it could use some picking up. He restrained himself from that though, instead running warm water into the tub and undressing. Plumbing was a luxury found in few places, the castle being one of them, and not having to wait for water to be warmed and then poured into the tub might be the thing Nyrel missed most about living at the castle, second only to Aerith.