Say No To This

@ sun spirit

Elwin hummed a little in thought, not liking the idea of Nyrel knowing, but he knew Aerith wouldn't tell anyone if she had promised not to, although now that she and Nyrel were married, he wondered if she would tell him anyway, as she'd probably argue that he wasn't just 'anyone'. He sighed, pressing a little kiss to her forehead before continuing on their way back to the main part of the castle, stopping outside of his room. "Alright... Even if he does find out, I suppose it's not the end of the world... But if he gets mad I'm going to tell him it was your idea." He grinned a little, leaning down to press one last kiss to her lips before stepping away.

"I'll let you get back to the infirmary.. I ought to get to work, and keep the Council busy so they don't notice that Aerith is missing. The longer we give those two to get to Ashwick and make their marriage official the better." He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before heading into his room with a little sigh, not looking forward to going back to doing boring paperwork after such an exciting morning.

---

Aerith settled into Nyrel's side with a content sigh, her eyes closing for a moment as she relaxed into him, opening them again when he kissed her knuckles to smile up at him. "I like it when you call me that.. Wife. It sounds so official. I... I never thought I'd get married, to be honest.." She said with a little blush as she snuggled closer. "I'm very glad I did though, especially to you."

She scrunched up her nose as she saw his mischievous grin, shifting a bit in her seat to better face him, her hands resting lightly against his chest. "Please, Nyrel? No leeches. I'll give you whatever you want if you promise not to throw me in, I swear." She looked up at him with a little frown. "Besides, if you do decide to throw me in the pond, I may be inclined to start putting mud and worms in your bed again... But you're not allowed to hate me if I do, because you just promised to never hate me." She stated matter of factly, holding up her hand to show the ring he'd put on her finger less than an hour ago, although she was struggling to hide the little smile that wanted to spread across her lips, wanting him to think that she was serious.

@ katahdin

Ceren laughed softly, shaking her head at Elwin’s teasing. “And I just bullied you into it? I’m too young and sweet for that!” she said, returning the banter, though she knew it was reaching time that they part. Despite her worry about leaving the infirmary for too long, she’d actually found herself looking forward to a whole day of nothing except her and Elwin. She didn’t say that though; at this point, they were still helping Nyrel and Aerith so they wouldn’t be separated.

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything,” Ceren said, pressing a kiss to his lips, and as he slipped into his room, she turned away to head to the infirmary. She barely made it a dozen steps before she turned back and quietly knocked on his door, poking her head in with a sheepish smile. “I just remembered I needed my shoes,” she explained to his questioning look and stepped inside. They were at the edge of the bed where Elwin had left them earlier, and after putting them on, Ceren gave him one more kiss and made her way to the infirmary, where she quietly thanked Alwyin again and found the pile of work she’d barely made a dent in yesterday waiting for her.

She was only needed in her capacity as a healer twice that day: once for medical advice and once when a child was brought in after eating wild berries—which had turned out to be poisonous—and she cleansed the poison from the boy’s system. Cleansing poison with magic was difficult; if even a little was left and the healer didn’t know it or didn’t have an antidote, it could be deadly to the patient. If the child had only ate a couple of berries, he wouldn’t have been in danger, albeit it sick for some time. Because of how much he had eaten, Ceren had to step in. It drained her—not as badly as saving Aerith last year had—but enough that she didn’t argue when Taliesin, forever acting as if he were her mom, told her to sit down. Of course, he hadn’t specified where, so she sat at her desk and continued to clear out the paperwork that had gathered in the past three days. At some point though, her eyes became heavy, and she stopped, intending to just rest her eyes for a few minutes and instead fell asleep at her desk, the papers scattered across it acting like a pillow for her head.

---

“Well, I hope you’d be happy to be married to me,” Nyrel teased with a chuckle, continuing to rub her arm as she snuggled closer. Despite the fact that she didn’t like dresses, he couldn’t help but notice she seemed to be comfortable in this one—and surprised that she hadn’t ditched the heels as soon as the carriage left.

She surprised him when she sat up though, no longer looking happy or content as she asked him not to throw her in the pond and then proceeded to inform him that if she retaliated with mud and worms, he wouldn’t be able to hate her. She’d taken him seriously? He frowned at her, taking her hand. “No, Aerith, I was just teasing you. Of course I’d never throw you in a pond, and you don’t have to give me anything.”

@ sun spirit

Elwin spent the rest of the afternoon working on preparations for the upcoming wedding, while also pretending to help the Council start the search for a good marriage match for Aerith. He'd told that Nyrel was on his way back to Ashwick, and that Aerith had been quite upset by the news and had decided to go on a hunting trip, and that he didn't know when she would return. He assumed that they would eventually find out where she really was and what had happened when Aerith didn't return in the next day or so, but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. By the end of the day he was exhausted, and surprised that Ceren hadn't stopped by at all, although he'd heard about the little boy earlier and assumed that she was still busy with him.

He asked for dinner for the two of them to be prepared and set up in his room before heading to the infirmary to get Ceren, hoping to be able to steal her away for at least a little while. He made his way to her office, knocking lightly on the door before opening it, although he smiled when he saw that she was asleep. He told Taliesin that he'd be taking her back to her room for the night before walking over to her and carefully lifting her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he carried her out of the infirmary and to his room, where he set her down on his bed and tucked her in with a little kiss to the forehead.

---

As Aerith snuggled closer and carefully slipped out of her heels so she could tuck her legs up on the seat beside her, head resting comfortably against his shoulder, the swaying of the carriage making her sleepy. "I know you're teasing... But I didn't know if maybe it was some wedding tradition to throw the bride in a pond unless she gave her husband something.. I wouldn't know what to give you. I'm sure if I asked most people would recommend giving you a son, but I don't know where to get a baby on such short notice.." she sighed as she curled into his arms, closing her eyes sleepily.

"Are we there yet?" She asked after a few moments of silence, opening one of her eyes to look up at him with a little pout. "I was looking forward to our spending the day in bed together.. Not that I'm upset that we got married, but that was a lot of excitement earlier and yesterday too, and even though I slept in I'm exhausted.." she admitted soflty, sitting up enough to carefully take off her veil and fold it and set it by her suitcase, afraid she'd rip it if she wasn't careful.

"...Do you like my dress?" She asked after another moment, looking up at him sheepishly. She knew he'd called her beautiful earlier, but that didn't mean that he liked the dress.

@ katahdin

Ceren didn’t wake up immediately when Elwin picked her up, although towards the end of the walk back to his room, she started to stir, aware of the feeling of her body being in motion, and when she was laid down, opening her eyes, realizing that she’d been carried. She blinked blurrily, finding Elwin above her, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead, and realized... “What time is it?” She started to sit up, finding that she was in Elwin’s room and judging by the candles burning throughout the room, it was already dark outside. She must’ve fallen asleep at her desk, just like she hadn’t meant to. As she started to wake up, her mind cleared a little more, and she sat up fully, searching Elwin’s face as she reached for his hand. “Did you need something?” Even as she asked, a tendril of her recovering magic reached out to him, feeling for anything wrong within his body. Most didn’t feel the magic of healers except for a warm sensation, although those with magic more closely related to healing were a little more aware. Although Elwin’s magic could be anything it wanted, Ceren hadn’t seen him use it since her return to the castle and wasn’t certain if the disconnect would affect how it reacted to hers.

---

“No,” Nyrel smiled softly, unable to help it as she alluded to kidnapping a baby, “I think there’s only one tradition left... and besides, you gave me the greatest gift you could when you agreed to marry me,” he told her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Then, since he thought she looked a little uncomfortable, he had her sit up while he moved to turn sideways on the bench, then let her lay down in between his legs where she could rest against him again, but hopefully a little more comfortably.

When she asked if they were there yet, he chuckled, rubbing her arm. “Sorry, we’re going to be stuck here for a little while yet,” he told her. “I think you’re right about all the excitement though. We won’t be arriving until after dark, so if you can get comfortable enough to take a nap, now’s the time.” He leaned back against the carriage wall, wrapping his arms around her so that they casually rested against her stomach. The question about her dress took him by surprise though, and he blinked down at her for a moment before saying, “Of course I do. Why do you ask?”

@ sun spirit

Elwin smiled gently at her as he saw her wake, sitting at the edge of the bed as she took his hand. "It's a little past seven. Not too late for dinner, if you're hungry, but definitely time for you to get out of the infirmary and stop working for the day." He explained, giving her hand a little squeeze.

Elwin could feel her magic working it's way through his body as she checked to make sure that he was alright, a smile forming on his lips as he leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. "I'm fine. A bit tired, but I'm fine, Cer, no need to fuss." He promised, his own magic flaring up as it reacted to hers, his working it's way through her to check to make sure that she was alright, although he hadn't intended to do so. Despite the fact that he never used it his magic was strong and full of light, leaving a warm tingling feeling as it coursed through her before subsiding as he pulled his hand from hers.

---

"A tradition? What's that?" Aerith asked as she adjusted to lay back in his arms, her head resting comfortably against his chest, letting out a content sigh as traced little patterns on his chest with her fingers. "I'm glad you're happy that I married you.. But I'd still like to give you something if I can. It seems right."

She whined a little when he mentioned how long the ride would be to Ashwick, although as he pulled her closer she rested her hands over his on her stomach, letting out a little sigh. "Are you going to sleep too? I don't want you to get bored if I take a nap.." she murmured, blushing a little as he asked why she'd asked about her dress, giving a little shrug. "I dunno.. I just wanted make sure.. Mama and Papa had a portrait done of them in their wedding clothes, and if Elwin makes us get on done I wanted to make sure they you liked what I wore, because I wouldn't want you to have to look at a picture of me dressed in something you hated.."

@ katahdin

She’d been sleeping nearly three hours, Ceren realized once Elwin told her what time it was. And still tired. She hadn’t had a chance to check on the boy before leaving either, since she hadn’t been woken up. If no one had come into her office, though… He must be fine. As long as nothing happened overnight, he’d be able to leave the infirmary tomorrow. She gave Elwin a little smile. “Thanks. I’m starving.” Food and rest, the best things for a sick body and to replenish magic. “I had planned on spending the night at the infirmary though. I’m sure you heard about the boy who ate those berries—he seems fine, and if things hold up tonight, he’s good, but I want to be there to make sure myself. He even made me promise to play cards with him.”

Ceren certainly wouldn’t have called asking if he’d needed something from her fussing, so as her magic finished making sure everything was fine and drew back, she could only guess that he’d noticed, and she gave him a little smile. “Just making sure,” she assured him, though she was surprised when she felt his magic, almost as if in answer, sweeping through her almost as if it were searching as hers had. And it was strong. Stronger than she’d known. She stopped him when he tried to pull away, twining their fingers together as she looked at him. “I know you haven’t really had a reason to… but that’s the first time I’ve seen you use your magic since I came back. Did… Did something happen while I was gone? To make you stop using it?”

---

Shit. He shouldn’t have mentioned anything. Nyrel cleared his throat, searching for the words, though her comment about giving something provided as an easy distraction. “I think it’s others that are supposed to give us both gifts, actually,” he told her. “Although if you really want to give me a gift, I wouldn’t argue if you said you’d let me clean and organize your—our room a bit. And I promise I won’t try to get rid of anything. Just some order to the chaos,” he told her with a smile, his tone halfway joking.

“I’m being jostled around a bit right here, but I’m sure I’ll try,” he promised in answer to her question, kissing the top of her head. “And if I can’t, I’ll be sure to let you know how many trees I counted out the window while you were asleep,” he added, pausing as she answered his question regarding her dress. He hummed, contemplating it for a moment. “Well, we don’t have to have a portrait done if you don’t want,” he started, noting how she’d mentioned Elwin making them, “But you should know that even if we had a huge portrait of me in Elwin’s old clothes that didn’t fit me and you in your night-dress sitting out for everyone to see, I’d love it just as much as a serious portrait. I don’t think I’ve seen you dressed in anything yet that I’ve hated.”

@ sun spirit

Elwin frowned a bit as she took his hands again and asked him about his magic, panicking a little as she mentioned him using it. He hadn't meant to use it on her, he never used it, even for little things. If he couldn't even control his magic, what sort of King was he?

"I.. My parents were killed because of their magic, I was almost killed because of my magic. People are afraid and jealous of it, and I don't want to give them any reason to be. My father used his magic to win wars, and in doing so showed everyone how powerful he was, and how powerful I might be. After he was killed, I promised myself not to use it anymore... I don't want to give anyone a reason to fear me." He frowned as he looked down at his lap, pulling his hands away. "I didn't even mean to use it then.. What sort of a King am I if I can't even control my own magic?"

---

Aerith smiled as he asked to clean their room, nodding a little as she rested her head comfortably against his chest. "You can do that. I've been trying to convince Elwin and the Council to give me a bigger room, but they keep saying no. But maybe now that we're married they'll agree. Then there'd be more space for my things and for your things." She pointed out, scooting up a little to press a small kiss to his lips. "And I know you changed the subject on purpose, but if you don't want to talk about it all you have to do is tell me." She reassured him before settling back down in his arms, tucking her head in against his chest.

She smiled into his shirt as he spoke about getting a silly portrait made, closing her eyes happily. She'd never thought she'd be in this situation, marrying the man she loved and running away with him. She always assumed that if she married it would be because she was forced to, and that she'd hate every minute of it. But she wouldn't trade this for anything.

"I love you, Nyrel.." she whispered softly as she finally started to drift off to sleep, curled up comfortably in his arms.

Ceren stilled as something close to panic entered Elwin’s eyes, about to back off and say that he didn’t have to tell her anything if he didn’t want to when he started his explanation. And her heart hurt for him when she realized why. She’d never once thought of it in that way.

When he pulled his hand away again, Ceren didn’t attempt to take it again, but she did get out of the bed and face him where he sat, pressing a kiss to his forehead and wrapping her arms around him in a hug, hoping he’d accept this comfort from her. “El, it’s okay. What happened... you’ve studied history; you know it happens to kingdoms everywhere. Small kingdoms are attacked by larger ones and the big ones lash out at each other too. It wasn’t just because your family has powerful magic.” She pulled back a little, enough to meet his eyes. “I don’t think you should hide it and try to pretend it doesn’t exist, but if that’s what you really want... I’ll help you control it. However I can.” She never wanted to see him look so panicked or afraid ever again. “And you’re a good King.” She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. “Your magic copied mine. All it did was search and make sure I was okay.”

---

Aerith never failed to surprise him. Nyrel thought perhaps he’d gotten away with simply changing the subject, only to find she’d let him. Always amazingly observant—he’d almost forgotten that about her, perhaps because it wasn’t too often that she showed it. “I’m sorry. I’ll remember that,” he said softly, kissing the top of her head. “I think Elwin will have mercy on us, although the Council might not like it, given that we got married in secret and ran away before they could stop it from happening. I doubt they’ll be doing us favors anytime soon.” He probably should’ve been a little more worried about making an enemy of the lords that advised Elwin and helped him rule, but... he was married to Aerith, when they would’ve stopped it.

Nyrel looked down at Aerith, watching her with her eyes closed, looking completely at peace despite the fact that she was laying on a bench in a bumpy carriage, and smiled. This woman, whom he’d hated as a child, was now his wife and singularly the best thing to ever happen to him. “I love you too,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure if he deserved her love and acceptance, but he knew he wanted to.

@ sun spirit

Elwin slowly wrapped her arms around her waist when he hugged her, letting out a sigh as his head rested forward against her. "I know all of that.. I just worry." He sighed, pressing a small kiss to her hand as he pulled back a bit to look up at her. "I haven't had a teacher since before they died, and I don't think I know of anyone who has the skill to teach me how to control it.." He frowned up at her, giving her hands a squeeze. He was relieved that his magic had only copied hers and hadn't taken on a mind of it's own and done who knows what, but it still made him wonder about what else his magic had been doing without him knowing it.

---

Aerith slept for most of the journey to Ashwick, waking up when they were about an hour away from Nyrel's home. Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a long sigh before she shifted a bit to stretch, looking up at her husband to check and see if he was awake, fingers reaching out to lightly brush over his face, a little smile on her lips. She was so incredibly lucky to be able to call him her husband. She couldn't believe she ever hated him, even if it was when they were children. She never thought she'd love anyone like she loved him, and she looked forward to spending the next week with him in Ashwick.

@ katahdin

Ceren smiled softly at him, reaching up to cup his cheek with her hand. “I know you do. That’s why I’m here to reassure you.” Although she wasn’t sure she was doing such a good job right now, even if she was attempting. “I don’t know either, El… your magic is so rare. But I might be able to help, if you’re willing to try?” She was sure she hadn’t ever explained how healing magic worked, but maybe it would help now. “Healers have to have a lot of control. Remember when my magic first started to show, and I would heal you and Aerith after either of you got hurt and immediately collapsed?” She waited for his confirmation before she continued, “That’s because I didn’t have any control. My magic reacted to having an injured person in front of me—and to my emotions, not wanting you two hurt—and healed you. I didn’t have any control of what I healed, how much I healed, or how I did it. My raw magic just washed over you both and fixed everything it could find. That made me use too much too quickly. While I was away, I learned to control it. I learned to hold it back from healing someone who might only need the right herbs, how to focus my magic in a particular area, how to heal partially or fully and different ways to shape my magic so it heals in the most effective way, rather than just attacking the injury. Every little thing I do with it is my choice, completely under my control. And maybe I could try and teach you how to do that too, with whatever medium you want to take.”

---

Nyrel was awake for a couple of hours after Aerith dropped off, and with little else to do in the carriage with no reading material and his peacefully sleeping wife in his lap, he did indeed begin to count the trees he saw passing out the window. He was a little past 200 when tiredness tugged on him enough that he closed his eyes and fell asleep as well, his head listing off to one side and bobbing along with the movement of the carriage as he slept. He still had not woken when the carriage stopped outside the Stonewater residence in Ashwick.

@ sun spirit

Elwin listened to Ceren as she explained how her magic worked, and what she'd done while she was away to learn how to control it, nodding a little in thought. "That seems reasonable.. It isn't like I've never had lessons before, so it's not as if my raw magic gets out of hand like yours did, but if you think you could help me to learn to control it, I'd be happy to have your help." He smiled, standing slowly to press a little kiss to her forehead.

"No lessons today though, I'm starving." He said with a little chuckle, leading her over to the dining table where their dinner had been set up for them. He pulled out her chair for her and pushed it back in again when she was seated before taking his seat, taking a sip of his water before digging into his meal. He hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch that day, on account of their odd schedules, and was quite grateful to finally be eating something.

---

When she'd seen that he was asleep Aerith had settled back down against his chest, dozing off for the last hour before waking once she felt the carriage stop outside of Nyrel's home, sitting up slowly as to not wake him yet while she stretched and looked out the window at the estate in awe. It had been ages since she'd been here, and it seemed so much nicer than she remembered. She turned to Nyrel after fixing her veil back on, afraid she'd forget it in the carriage if she didn't, gently shaking his arm to wake him as she leaned down to press a kiss to his lips.

"Nyrel, wake up. You're home.." She smiled, shaking him again gently to make sure he was really waking up. After sleeping for so long she was very excited to get out of the carriage and explore, and she was sure he would want to change out of Elwin's clothes and into some of his own.

@ katahdin

“Then we’ll have to arrange lessons and see how it goes,” Ceren said with a smile, glad to hear that he was open to help and that—hopefully—she’d at least be able to help him feel more in control of his magic and not worry so much about it.

When he moved to stand, she backed up so he could, laughing as he claimed to be starving. “Me too,” she admitted as they made their way to the table where dinner that she hadn’t realized existed already sat. She thanked him as he pulled her chair out for her, then, with Elwin sitting across from her, dug into dinner with him. Like him, she hadn’t had breakfast or lunch either, the only thing she’d eaten having been an apple Taliesin handed her with a stern look after she’d healed the boy earlier.

She didn’t mind the lack of conversation as they both ate, Elwin seeming as hungry as she felt, and Ceren had to admit, after finishing, that she felt less drained. She drank her water, watching Elwin finish as well, her mind going to how he would probably go back to doing paperwork after she left, despite the fact that he got onto her for how much she worked. “I’ll probably wash and change before I head back to the infirmary,” she started as she set her cup down, an idea forming. “Why don’t you come with me? Castien wants to play cards, which is sure to be more fun with three of us, and we can make it a sleepover. Having someone there who isn’t a healer might help distract him so he doesn’t focus too much on the fact that I’m keeping an eye on him. You’ll have to wear nightclothes though.” Castien aside, Elwin could use the break and a little bit of fun, and she was reluctant to leave him.

---

Nyrel woke up to Aerith kissing him, something he was sure he could certainly get used to, and as his eyes opened, he gave her a small, sleepy smile, returning her kiss. “Home?” He blinked, looking out the windows. Night had already fallen—not unusual this time of year—but sure enough, that was his family’s mansion in the background. “I’m surprised you didn’t jump out as soon as we stopped,” he said, eyes going back to Aerith with a smile.

As she moved away, he started to straighten himself, wincing as he picked his head up to the accompaniment of pain in his neck from sleeping in an awkward position for so long. Rather than just hurt as he sat up, his back popped at least, and he carefully pulled back his legs and set them on the ground so as not to dirty or rip Aerith’s dress.

A servant opened the carriage door, a man of older years who didn’t appear too shocked to see Nyrel back—that had been the plan after all—but showed downright shock as his eyes took in Aerith. “Princess, is that you? In a wedding dress? That awful Council didn’t force you into this, did they?”

@ sun spirit

Elwin happily ate in silence with Ceren, reaching over at some point to take her hand for a few moments, or nudging her feet under the table with his, just little signs that he was thinking about her and happy that she was there with him. Once he finished he sat back in his seat with a content sigh, letting his eyes close for a few moments, wanting to relax at least a little bit before he went back to his paperwork, which never seemed to end. He looked up when Ceren suggested that he join her in the infirmary tonight, a smile spreading across his face as he nodded. "That sounds like fun.. Although I'm sure if the Council finds out you and I were babysitting a kid, theidn'y'll be all the more insistent we start having children as soon as possible." He teased, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead as he stood, heading over to his wardrobe to pull out his nightclothes and a robe to wear, so that he was at least semi-decent for the walk over to the infirmary.

"Are you sure Castien won't mind? And are you sure that having the King in the infirmary all night won't be distracting? I'd hate to be a bother." He said as he turned back toward her as his fingers worked at the ties on his shirt. He'd managed to sneak in a quick bath around lunchtime as a break, so he wasn't worried about smelling too terrible, and he wasn't concerned about undressing in front of Ceren anymore, especially after last night.

---

"I wanted to wait for you. I don't really remember much about the estate besides the woods around it, and I didn't want to scare anyone who saw me wandering around the house in a wedding gown. They might think I was a ghost." She grinned a little, pressing a gentle kiss to his nose before sitting back and smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress, frowning a little as she watched him sit up with a wince.

"You could have pushed me off if I was really that uncomfortable." She murmured as she reached out to gently massage his neck and shoulders a little bit, Ceren having done the same for her after she returned from an overnight trip which required sleeping in uncomfortable positions. "Ceren has taught me about all sorts of herbs that help to relax muscles, if you think it might be helpful I can ask someone to bring you some once we're inside." The last thing she wanted was for Nyrel to be uncomfortable or injured, especially considering it was their honeymoon.

Aerith looked up when the servant opened the door, a blush heating up her cheeks as she took Nyrel's arm and hid behind him slightly, worried the man would send her back to the castle. "No, they did not make me do this... They tried to prevent it, actually.." She said matter-of-factly, although her voice was quiet and she was holding onto her husband's arm a bit tighter.

@ katahdin

Ceren grinned a little as Elwin agreed to her suggestion, glad that she’d brought it up to him. Since they usually didn’t see much—if any—of each other during the day, it was nice to have this small break, where they were spending more time than usual together. “But not a minute before we’re married,” she reminded Elwin, standing as well as he went to retrieve a change of clothes and staying with him as they continued to talk.

Normally, she would’ve been in a completely different room while he undressed or turned around at the first sight of it, but after last night, it didn’t seem as forbidden and awkward as it once had. “He seems to like a lot of attention, and I doubt he had his heart set on one-on-one time with me,” she told Elwin with a little smile as he began to remove his shirt. “And he’s only seven… I’m not sure he knows what the king looks like. If you didn’t want to tell him, he wouldn’t have to know. Otherwise, it could be a cool story to tell his friends, plus the plan is to keep him distracted so he isn’t worrying about possibly still being sick.”

Ceren stepped forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I need to go back to my room and wash. If you want to go to the infirmary ahead of me, I won’t complain. Or come by my room when you finish dressing or I’ll come back when I finish.”

---

Nyrel chuckled. “They might have,” he agreed, though he was surprised at how she reacted when he sat up, even going so far as to massage his shoulders some. “You weren’t uncomfortable,” he assured her, turning to take her hands and press a kiss to the backs of them. “You were perfect. The carriage was just uncomfortable. I always end up sore if I stay in one too long. I’m fine though, I promise.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Thank you for trying to help.”

That was how Bartras found them—sitting together with Nyrel holding her hands. He could only guess Aerith didn’t remember the old servant by the way she acted, which honestly surprised him, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Aerith was the one I was writing all those letters to,” he explained to the servant, who’d worked for his family as long as he could remember. “When Ceren took me back, it was so I could talk to her in person, since I’d found out Aerith never received any of the letters. The meeting went better than I ever expected, and I asked her to marry me. The King agreed to let me stay at the castle, a letter that was supposed to be sent here today, but the Council said that Aerith and I couldn’t marry. They wanted to make a political match for her and send me back here. The King arranged a secret wedding and sent us here for a week so that the Council wouldn’t be able to separate us,” he explained.

For his part, Bartras handled the news with only a shake of his gray head. “What am I supposed to do with you, boy? I try to watch out for you, and you go causing trouble at the castle every time you’re there,” he huffed and turned to Aerith. “Welcome to the family estate, Princess. Don’t be afraid to knock some sense into this one if he needs it, please.” Spotting the suitcase sitting opposite the newlyweds, he inclined his head to it. “Shall I take your suitcase to your husband’s room and inform the cook you’re ready for supper?”

@ sun spirit

Elwin grinned. "Not a minute before we're married." He agreed, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before continuing to undress, although one of the ties on his shirt was a bit troublesome, and he had to spend more time trying to get it undone.

He chuckled as he spoke about Castien, shaking his head a little. "If you're sure. I'm sure he'll have a fun night with us, and will have an interesting story to tell his friends, whether he knows who I am or not." He said, turning to Ceren when she stepped forward to kiss him and let him know she was going to go bathe and get changed. "I'll meet you in the infirmary. That way Taliesian and I can gossip about you, and I can entertain Castien while we wait for you."

---

"You're welcome.." Aerith murmured softly with a smile, leaning into kiss him, although she stopped as Bartras opened the door and began to ask about the two of them being here. She squeezed Nyrel's hands as he explained to him everything that had happened to them over the past two days, smiling a little as he told her to knock some sense into Nyrel, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"I will.." She promised Bartras, nodding a little as he asked if she wanted her suitcase brought up to his room. "Yes, please, if you don't mind." She asked before looking at Nyrel. "What do you want for supper? Maybe you could give me a tour of the house while we wait for it to be ready." She asked, smiling up at him excitedly at the idea.

@ katahdin

As she noticed Elwin having trouble with one of his ties, Ceren rolled her eyes at him playfully and stepped up, gently undoing the knot with her fingers. “Alright. But you and Taliesin aren’t allowed to be friends, okay?” She teased. “It’s bad enough that he already goes to you the moment he thinks I’m working too hard. I don’t need you two scheming together.” With one last kiss, she left him to finish undressing and getting into his nightclothes, heading to her room just down the hall to wash.

Ceren’s bath was quick, and at the end of it, she left her hair down rather than tying it back as she usually did to keep it out of the way, knowing it would dry better this way. After putting on her nightgown and draping her robe over her shoulders, she donned a pair of woolen socks to protect her feet from the cold floor, she glanced around her room to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything, then made her way to the infirmary, where she soon spotted Elwin, Taliesin, and Castien all grouped together.

---

Bartras smiled kindly at Aerith. “Not at all,” he said, reaching in to take her suitcase and then holding the carriage door open for her and Nyrel as they climbed out.

Nyrel let Aerith go first, a hand on her back to help steady her as she lowered herself to the ground, returning her smile as she mentioned a tour. “I can definitely manage that,” he said, resisting the urge to take a moment and simply stretch out his whole body now that he was standing. “As for supper… I could eat anything. Do you want anything in particular?”

@ sun spirit

Elwin thanked her with a kiss before he finished undressing, changing into his nightclothes and pulling on a robe before he made his way to the infirmary, where he spoke with Taliesin for a few moments about Ceren's plan for the sleepover, promising to make sure she didn't work too hard and got enough sleep before he was led over to Castien to introduce himself, taking a seat beside the boy's bed. He'd decided to let the boy know that he was in fact the king, allowing him to ask any question he wanted of him, and even promising that tomorrow when he was well he could take a tour around the castle.

Elwin looked up with a smile when Ceren came in, gesturing to the chair next to him that he'd been saving for her, happy to see her. "How was your bath? I'm surprised your hair isn't pulled back." He commented as she sat, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek before turning his attention back to Castien. "So, now that Ceren is here, what would you like to do?"

---

Aerith carefully climbed out of the carriage after slipping her heels back on, although she was planning on taking them off again once they were safely inside where her feet wouldn't get dirty, not wanting to have to walk around in the shoes for a long time out of fear she'd get blisters and not have Ceren to treat them. She turned to Nyrel when he came out of the carriage to stand beside her, giving a little shrug as her hands smoothed out his shirt and jacket, wanting him to look presentable.

"I'll eat anything, as long as it's not burnt.. And I'm very excited for the tour, although it's a shame that it's too dark to spend time outside." She sighed, pressing a kiss to his cheek before linking her arm with his, giving it a little tug, as she was excited to go inside and have him show her around his home.. or was it their home? She was his wife now, so she figured that meant that she was part of the family, although Bartras hadn't really included her in any of his statements earlier, so maybe she wasn't yet.

@ katahdin

As Ceren arrived, Taliesin took his leave, reminding everyone not to stay up too late on his way out, though Ceren could’ve sworn he just looked at her the entire time, and she waved him off, telling him to go home and she moved to join Elwin and Castien. “It was nice,” she smiled as she reached out and took Elwin’s hand, adding, “I mostly keep it up for work and so it isn’t in my way.” It was an effort to refrain from asking Castien how he was feeling, when he was upright in his bed, eyes alert, holding the cards his parents had promised to bring him when Ceren offered to play with him tonight.

Predictably, that was exactly what he wanted to do, requesting that they all play Go Fish. Ceren readily agreed, and when she was passed the cards, she let go of Elwin’s hands to shuffle them. give everyone their seven cards, set the remaining cards in a draw pile on Castien’s bed, and even went so far as to angle away from Elwin so that he couldn’t peek over at her hand.

---

Nyrel let Bartras know that they’d both have whatever was already being made rather than anything special, although he did step away from Aerith long enough to quietly make a request for some honey tarts, pitching his voice low enough that Aerith wouldn’t hear him.

When he returned to her side, he took her arm and led her inside, out of the dark. “Well, we always have tomorrow and every day after that until we go back to the castle,” he reminded her as they stepped into the mansion’s main hall. Bartras had already disappeared, leaving it empty save for the two of them and the portraits of Nyrel’s ancestors hanging on the walls. The portraits were of the barons and baronesses that had ruled over Ashwick, spanning back generations, the most recent of whom had been his mother. The portrait captured her young, her resemblance to Nyrel striking, down to the solemn expression she wore.

@ sun spirit

Elwin bid Taliesin a good night, and promised to make sure everyone got to bed on time, giving Ceren a little wink while he ruffled Castien's hair, happily accepting the cards from Ceren once she passed them all out. He made a little bit of chit chat while they played, asking Castien about his favorite things, while also making a few showy attempts to look at Ceren's cards, although whenever he was caught he grinned innocently and sat back in his seat, at one point or another trying to convince her to let him look by arguing "I'm the King, so you have to let me look."

After an hour or two of cards Elwin decided that it was time Castien went to bed, allowing Ceren to check him over once more before he wished the boy a goodnight and led Ceren to her office, knowing that if they stayed out in the infirmary the little boy would never get to sleep. He took a seat in his usual chair with a little sigh, stifling a yawn as he looked up at her. "So, what's the plan now? I think Taliesin would kill me if I allowed you to do any work at this point, and I'm not sure what we could do to keep ourselves entertained in here. If you want to go to sleep you can, I'll wait until Castien's asleep before I claim one of the empty cots for myself." He offered, reaching for her hands.

---

Aerith followed Nyrel inside, slipping out of her heels once they were in the main hall before resting her head lightly against his shoulder as they walked. She looked around at all of the portraits curiously, recalling being scared of quite a few of the stern looking men and women on the wall, before her eyes settled on the portrait of his mother. "I remember your mother.. She always used to yell at me for tracking mud into the house." She recalled with a little frown, looking up at him as she squeezed his hand.

"Do.. Do you think she would have liked me? Do you think we still would have gotten married if our parents were still alive?" She asked softly, wondering how different their lives would be if their parents had never died.

@ katahdin

Two and a half days had passed since Aerith and Nyrel had been married in secret and sent to Ashwick. Each day that passed, Ceren halfway expected to hear either from Elwin or the Council of news that the deceit had been found out. She was sure they would be very upset about it, likely give both her and Elwin an earful, and she found herself simply waiting on it. So, when a servant arrived at the infirmary one afternoon as she was sorting herbs, bearing a request that she present herself before the Council at the earliest convenience, she wasn’t surprised.

Ceren cleaned her hands and asked Taliesin to look over the infirmary for her while she was gone, then made her way to the medium-sized room where the lords who sat on the Council met. Two guards stood at either side of the double doors, ensuring no one entered who didn’t belong, but they let her through without question, recognizing her from the handful of other Council meetings she had attended with Elwin, mostly in regards to their wedding. As she stepped through the doors, she had the distinct feeling she’d interrupted some sort of argument, but she resisted the urge to ask about it, instead offering a “good afternoon” to the assembly at large as she moved to take the empty seat beside Elwin, whom she guessed had been here for some time and didn’t appear to be in a great mood. Silently, she reached for his hand beneath the table and squeezed it gently, offering her support as she waited for whatever was to be said about Nyrel and Aerith’s marriage.

---

At the mention of his mother, Nyrel’s eyes were drawn to the same portrait Aerith gazed at, although he couldn’t help but smile a bit at the memory. “She just liked things clean. She would yell at Ceren for it too,” he told her, squeezing her hand in return to let her know that he was okay, though he didn’t look away from the portrait. “She taught me everything she knew. There were tutors too, of course, but she would have me sit in her office with her, and she’d teach me how she did things because she knew I was going to take over after her.”

He finally looked down at Aerith’s question, frowning at her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he kissed the side of her head. “My mom… probably would’ve tried to match me with someone tamer, but I don’t think my parents would’ve tried to stop me from marrying you if I’d brought it to them. My dad already liked you, but my mom would’ve warmed up to you, and your parents… I’d like to think they would’ve encouraged you to marry for love if you found it and would’ve approved of me.” At least he hoped that’s how it would’ve all turned out.