Say No To This

@ katahdin

Nyrel chuckled a bit at the question. “Not at all, which is part of what I like about you, to be clear. You’re more like—please don’t kill me for saying this—a wolf. You have your pack and you’re loving and caring to them, and everyone else can go to hell. And I consider that a good thing.” He knew she was already feeling better when she said his being rude was funny. He grinned down at her as he held her. “That’s all I ask for,” he said, kissing her head. With her face pressed into him, it was practically impossible to kiss her anywhere else. “I promise to love you forever and ever and ever too,” he added, wheezing a bit when she finally squeezed tight enough it was starting to hurt.

---

Ceren grinned as Elwin turned and smiled at her. “You did all the hard work for me,” she teased, stepping up to give him a kiss. She laughed when he wrapped his scarf around her, taking it off and putting it on him. “Well, I am. Are you ready? No other pieces of clothing you need me to dress you up in?” She teased. Elwin was bundled more than she was, but she was practically sweating already and knew it wasn’t that cold. But then again, her magic helped regulate her temperature just like it kept her from catching illnesses.

@ sun spirit

"I almost had a pet wolf once. Elwin made me put it back though." Aerith pouted a bit, blushing when she heard him wheezing and quickly releasing him, clasping her hands behind her back as she smiled up at him apologetically. "I'm sorry.. We should head back to our room so that the maids can clean up the room anyway." She said, turning and grabbing the plate of honey tarts and leftovers, offering him another smile before heading toward the door, humming to herself.

---

Elwin chuckled and kissed her back, chuckling when she wrapped the scarf around his neck. "I don't want you to freeze, Cer. I'll keep you warm though." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before leading her out of his room and out to the waiting carriage, thanking the driver for waiting for them before helping Ceren into the carriage so they could head out. Pressing a kiss to her cheek once the carriage began to leave, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her into his side, smiling down at her. "Excited?"

@ katahdin

Nyrel’s entire body felt as if it relaxed when Aerith let go simply because of how tight she’d been holding on. He didn’t complain though, and gave her a reassuring smile when she apologized. “It’s fine, Aer. I was enjoying our hug,” he said, leaning in to give her a quick kiss. When he stood up, he took one of the platters from her so she wouldn’t have to carry both herself, and opened the door leading to the hallway for her. “Thankfully, I expect everything here will be good tomorrow,” he commented as they made their way across the castle to their rooms.

---

Ceren smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “You should know by now that it has to get pretty cold before I freeze,” she said. “One of the perks of healing magic.” It was something they’d noticed as kids, but she wasn’t sure it was ever really explained, since she couldn’t remember learning about it until she went to the Academy. It was a short walk to the carriage, which was thankfully cooler than the castle, and soon she found herself snuggled comfortably into her new husband’s side. “Very.” She grinned up at him. “I hope there’s snow. I haven’t seen snow since that one winter when I was little, and it snowed at the castle.” The castle hardly ever got snow, and both the Academy and Ashwick were even farther south. “I am a little nervous about something coming up at the infirmary while we’re gone, but I’m trying to convince myself Taliesin can handle whatever comes up.”

@ sun spirit

Aerith goggled softly when he kissed her quickly, nodding in agreement as she followed him into the hall. "And it's all good we like, so that's also good news. I have a pot in my room that we can use to heat it up in the morning." She smiled happily, pausing once they were outside of their rooms to open the door for them. Once inside she set her platter down on the little dining table they had by the window in their sitting room.

Once the platter was covered to keep the food fresh she looked over at Nyrel with a smile. "Ok, now what? If you're tired we could go to sleep, or if you feel gross you could go take a bath, or you could read a book?" She suggested, wanting to do something that he was interested in.

---

Elwin chuckled, shaking his head a little. "It's been so long since we've done anything in the cold that I forgot about your magic keeping you warm. I remember when it snowed, and we went outside and made a fort. Aerith and I nearly froze to death because we were underdressed, but you were fine with just a sweater." He laughed at the memory, pulling her close as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "You don't have to worry about a thing, Cer. And you're not allowed to bring up work again. If you do, I'll distract you until you forget about it."

@ katahdin

"Oooh, not burnt and warm. We really are going to live like we're in charge," Nyrel chuckled, the teasing evident in his voice, as he followed Aerith into their rooms and set down the honey-tarts. There were still quite a few left, since she'd chosen to eat dinner before going for them, but he wagered they'd be gone in two days or less. Soon Aerith was listing activities, things he could do specifically, from the sounds of it. "Well, I haven't seen her for hours, so I definitely want to spend time with my wife." He hummed, considering. "How about you show me your collection? Your plants and animals and all that? Since I'll be sharing space with it all, I might as well get to know it, right?"

---

Ceren smiled, though the memory was fuzzy. That was the thing about being younger than Elwin and Aerith and having befriended them so young, that sometimes she didn't quite remember things as well as they did and sometimes she didn't remember things at all. "I actually don't remember much about that, except being confused about why you two were cold and trying to warm you both up by snuggling in between you," she admitted, letting her arm drape behind him in an attempt to get more comfortable as they cuddled closer. She laughed as he mentioned work. "That's not fair! I worry about people. You can't just push me into some snow and expect me to forget about it."

@ sun spirit

Aerith blushed a little as he said he wanted to spend his time with her, smiling as she moved into his arms, eyes lighting up a bit as he asked her to show him her different animals and plants. "Really? I didn't think you'd have any interest in them.. But I can show you some of it." She smiled, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before leading him to the room that stored all of her animals and most of her plants. It was clearly supposed to be a library, but the shelves made for excellent storage space for the various tanks, terrariums and pots, along with the occasional book or two. "You've already met Theseus, and you don't have to worry, he approves of you." She grinned up at him, reaching into the terrarium where he was currently residing to rub his nose, the frog croaking before opening his mouth to lick her fingers, causing Aerith to giggle.

---

"You tried to keep us both warm, but you were too small and Aerith kept hogging you so I got cold fast." He chuckled, pressing another kiss to her cheek. He laughed though when she said that he couldn't push her into snow to expect her to forget about worrying people, nuzzling his nose into her neck as he pressed a few kisses there, nipping her skin teasingly. "I wouldn't dream of pushing you into snow to get you to forget. I have other ways though." He smirked, tugging her close.

@ katahdin

The light that entered Aerith's eyes was an immediate reward, causing Nyrel to grin as he followed her into the room where her plants and animals had been set up. Since coming back, he hadn't been here except a quick look to see what was there, and he was content to let Aerith lead the tour, though it didn't surprise him when she immediately focused on Theseus. Nyrel had actually had the pleasure(?) of meeting the giant toad before and had heard Aerith talk about him plenty. "I'm glad to hear it. I'd hate to find out what you'd do if he suddenly disapproved of me," he said, crouching to look at Theseus but definitively not interested in touching him.

---

"I guess I should be happy you didn't fight over me," Ceren laughed, smiling as she leaned her head into his shoulder. She blinked, surprised, when he leaned in, squirming a little as he kissed and nipped her neck. "El, we're in a carriage," she started, the argument dying on her lips as he pulled her into his lap. She kissed him. "We can wait a few hours until we're there."

@ sun spirit

Aerith giggle as she watched Nyrel lean down to look at Theseus, the frog croaking as he looked at the older elf before turning his attention the crickets he'd been eating. Moving along the shelf Aerith pointed out various other plants and animals she'd collected over the years, including a rattlesnake, a few voles, a rather poisonous looking salamander, and a fishtank full of all sorts of creatures. As she finished telling the story of how she'd come across one particular hermit crab that she had her eyes lit up as she suddenly remembered something, carefully setting the crab back in it's tank before hurrying over to the ladder that she used to reach the higher shelves. "I almost forgot!" She said as she climbed up the rungs, grabbing a tiny terrarium that was on one of the very top shelves before climbing back down carefully, jumping down the last two steps before holding the terrarium out to Nyrel. It was the terrarium that she'd given him over a year ago as a present, the orchid inside blooming happily. "It got left in your rooms after you were banished.. I thought about leaving it there, or trying to send it to you, but Elwin wouldn't let me, and I worried that you wouldn't want it.." she admitted softly, staring down at the flower. "The other two died for some reason, and I put this one up there cause I expected it to die too, but it didn't.."

---

Elwin kissed her lovingly, one hand resting on her hip while the other ran through her hair before cupping her cheek. "Or we could enjoy ourselves over the next few hours of this long and boring trip." He smirked, kissing her again as he pulled her close. "Besides, I could use my magic so that the driver wouldn't hear. No one would ever know but us."

@ katahdin

Nyrel patiently listened as Aerith showed him or plants and animals and told him stories about how she’d come across each one, watching curiously as her eyes suddenly lit up and she climbed to pick something up. He recognized the orchid as soon as he caught sight of it, and he carefully took it as she held it out to him. Because of the situation around his banishment, he hadn’t been allowed to gather his own belongings. That had been done for him and shipped to Ashwick without care. It was the first gift Aerith had given him—what felt like a lifetime ago. “I’m glad you held onto it,” he admitted softly as he stared down at the flower. “And I’m glad you got to keep it. I’m sure I would’ve accidentally killed it, and I would’ve hated myself for it.” He looked up at her with a smile. “It survived somehow though, just like us. We should find somewhere nicer to put it.”

---

His kisses were doing more to change her mind than logic, but even then, that part of Ceren’s brain had a hard time letting go. Even her brain couldn’t stop her being tempted by her husband though, especially as they kissed. “You’ll get cold,” she murmured against his mouth, even as she held him close and kissed him again. “You’re just going to say that I can keep you warm though, aren’t you?”

@ sun spirit

Aerith's eyes softened as he took the terrarium from her hands, smiling gently at him as he spoke. "You kept it alive while you were here, I'm sure you would have kept it alive in Ashwick too." She said stepping forward to rest her hands over his where he held onto the delicate flower, just wanting to touch him. "We could put it in our bedroom.. I don't think there's anything in there yet, and then shelf by the window should get enough light for it.." she murmured as she looked up at him, giving his hands a little squeeze, her heart twisting into happy knots as he mentioned it surviving like they had. "I'm glad it survived.. That I got to give it to you again.. I thought it would sit up there forever, haunting me."

---

Elwin smirked a little against her lips as she tried to argue her way out of it while she simultaneously kissed him and moved closer, his fingers working to tug off his jacket and scarf. He chuckled softly before kissing her again, nodding as he finally got his jacket off before his hands moved to tug at hers. "There's the smart woman I married. Always thinking ahead to what I'm going to say." He teased with a grin, peppering kisses along her jaw and neck.

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled at Aerith as she closed her fingers over his. "I kept it alive largely with your help, if you'll recall," he reminded her with a chuckle, nodding as she suggested that they put it in their bedroom. "I think that sounds perfect. I can't think of anything more perfect to be there," he agreed, leaning to give her a soft kiss. "I'm glad you were able to give it to me again, too. Until now, I honestly thought it must have died in my old rooms. I guess now we'll have to consider it our good luck charm," he said, grinning at her.

---

Their lips parted as Elwin unwrapped the scarf she'd just wrapped around his neck minutes before, and Ceren shifted in his lap, shifting so that she was facing him when their lips met again. Her fingers traced down his arms, helping him discard his jacket, and she captured his fingers in hers, which were a little chilled to the touch, using her own hands to try and warm them. "You're already cold," she breathed when their lips parted again, though the suggestion that he put his coat back on was lost before it came out, replaced with a little groan as he shifted his attention to her neck.

@ sun spirit

Aerith returned Nyrel's smile, taking a little step closer so that he didn't have to lean too far to kiss her, standing on her toes to return his kiss with a happy hum. "I think we're very lucky, with or without the orchid.. but we should hold onto it, just in case." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, before tugging him back toward their room, wanting to put their orchid away before they got distracted and forgot it.

---

"I'll warm up soon enough." Elwin promised, kissing her deeply as he pulled her against his chest. "And I'm sure I can use magic to fix that." He teased, chuckling softly as he continued to kiss down her neck and pull her closer. "Stop thinking, Cer. Just kiss." He murmured as he moved back to kiss her lips.

@ katahdin

Nyrel chuckled softly. "It certainly can't hurt. At the very least, I really am happy to see it again, doing well and everything," he said, When she stepped away, he followed her into their bedroom, immediately walking to the shelf she'd mentioned earlier, at the edge of which he placed the orchid. It was dark now, but it looked like there was a crack in the curtains that would probably give it a good bit of sunlight during the day. "There," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "What do you think?"

---

Elwin pretty much drove the last of her rapidly depleting thoughts out of her head with his kisses, and she murmured what could've potentially been an incomprehensible assent as they kissed. She let go of his fingers, now slightly warmed, and her hands trailed down his chest. She'd just reached the hem of his shirt when the carriage was suddenly jostled as if it hit a rough patch of road, and it was only by holding onto Elwin that she avoided falling backwards into the floor. As the road smoothed out, she slowly released Elwin, having hugged and squeezed her legs on either side of him automatically to keep herself stable. "Sorry," she breathed softly as she forced her limbs to relax.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled and followed Nyrel over to the shelf she'd mentioned, watching as he set the orchid in it's place before he stepped back to admire it with her. Her arm snaked around his waist as his wrapped around her shoulder, her head resting contently against him as she smiled. "It's perfect, Nyrel.. it feels more like home already." She turned into his arms, pressing a kiss to his chin before tucking her face into his chest. She was trying to hide how tired she was getting, staying up late the night before combined with their busy day not leaving her with much energy left to stay awake, although her husband didn't seem tired yet, and she wanted to spend all the time as possible with him.

---

Elwin's grip on her hips tightened as the carriage jostled, a little groan leaving his lips as she pressed herself to him to keep herself steady, shaking his head when she apologized. "It's fine, Cer... I have an idea so that it won't happen again." He smirked, pressing a deep kiss to her lips before tossing their discarded jackets and coats on the floor of the carriage before he lifted her up and moved to lay with her on top of the little makeshift nest he'd made for them. "There. Now no one will fall." He chuckled as he hovered over her, going back to pressing loving to her lips and neck as he began to push up the skirt of her dress.

@ katahdin

"Good," Nyrel said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he held her close. He could tell she was starting to lose energy, even if it was still fairly early into the night. He was sure he'd be tired too, if not for their sleeping in that morning. "What do you say to changing, laying in bed, and cuddling for a little while?" he asked softly after a few moments of thought. He doubted if he suggested she go ahead and get in bed that she would. And if she fell asleep quickly and he wasn't tired enough to sleep, he could always use his magic to float a book over and read for a little bit.

---

Contrary to Elwin's initial suggestion, their distraction didn't take up the entirety of the ride to the cabin, and late into the night, they returned to their seats, clothed once more, and fell asleep against each other. It wasn't the most comfortable or restful sleep, but it lasted until a little after dawn, when Ceren was startled awake by the sharp sound of knocking and realized blearily that the carriage had stopped moving. She asked the driver to give them a moment, trying to blink the sleep from her eyes as she turned to Elwin. "Morning. You look as tired as I feel," she murmured, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

@ sun spirit

Aerith hummed happily as he kissed her head, closing her eyes as he held her. "I like cuddling." She mumbled as she looked up at him with a small smile, fingers gripping his shirt gently as she stood up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek before pulling from his arms so that she could change into her nightgown. Once that was done she crawled into bed with a tired little huff, snuggling into the blankets before looking over at Nyrel, patting his spot on the bed next to her. "Will you read me a story? Or just tell me a story? Or just talk to me?"

---

Elwin sat on the bench with Ceren in his arms, leaning against the window as he slept as soundly as he could in a carriage. He groaned softly upon hearing the knock on the carriage door letting them know that they'd arrived, squeezing Ceren in his arms as he finally opened his eyes. "Good morning.. We're just going to go right to bed and get some real sleep once we're inside, right?" He mumbled into her hair, smiling tiredly as she sat up with her, stretching lazily.

@ katahdin

Like Aerith, Nyrel changed into sleeping wear and was about to climb into bed next to his wife when she asked for a story--or talking. "Do you have any good stories for reading?" he asked, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on the mattress next to Aerith, though he remained standing, smiling at her. He didn't mind talking, but she'd mentioned reading first, so he thought she might prefer that, and the thought of it even sounded strangely soothing.

---

Ceren yawned, sitting up a bit as Elwin did so that he wouldn't have to try to move with her weight pressed against him, though it was only just enough for him to stretch. "We should probably start the fires first, but yes," she agreed. Begrudgingly, she sat up more fully, and when she opened the carriage door, a small gust of wind blew flakes of snow into the carriage. It was chilly enough that even she felt the cold, which did more to wake her than any amount of blinking and trying to force herself awake had, and there seemed to be a thin layer of white everywhere she looked. Even having just woke up and running on very little sleep, she couldn't help but pause and stare at the snow, at the mountains towering just in front of her and the empty cabin she and Elwin would be spending the week in.

And despite the fact that two minutes ago, she'd been ready to crawl right back into bed and face the world later, despite the fact that she usually would've helped to bring their bags to the cabin or that she was underdressed for the whether by anyone's standards, she grinned and dashed out into the snow, marveling at how it flung out from her boots and caught in her hair and was absolutely everywhere she looked. She turned to look at Elwin with a grin for a moment, and then did something she'd always wanted to do. She dropped back onto the snowy ground and swung her arms and legs to create a snow angel, only standing again when she thought she'd managed it.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled at him as he leaned against the mattress, rolling onto her side so that she could look at him, reaching out to brush her fingers against his hair. "There's a few fairy tale books that my mom used to read to me in the other room.. But they're for children." She scrunched up her nose, stifling a giggle. "You could tell me a story. I bet you're a good story teller, you wouldn't even need a book." She poked his nose with her finger, giggling again before grabbing at his sleeve, trying to tug him into bed with her. "Tell me a story, Nyrel. You could tell two, if you want, and I could tell you which one I like better."

---

"Fire sounds nice." Elwin mumbled tiredly, squinting his eyes as the carriage door was opened and he stepped out into daylight, the snow only making it worse. He turned to say something to Ceren about heading inside, but she wasn't at his side like he'd expected her to be. Instead she was running through the snow like a little girl, and Elwin couldn't help but grin as he watched her. He outright laughed when she flopped onto her back to make a snow angel, moving over to help her stand once she was finished, holding onto her hands with one of his while he used the other to brush the snow from her back. "Beautiful, Cer." He complimented, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips

@ katahdin

"Well, if that's really what you wanted me to read," Nyrel teased with a grin, her reaction making it apparent to him that she didn't really wanted to hear her childhood fairytales. He laughed as she poked his nose and complied with her silent request to get into bed, climbing in next to her and helping her settle in against him. "So, I just look like the sort of person that's good at telling stories, huh?" he chuckled, kissing her forehead. "I think you're going to find yourself disappointed. I know absolutely nothing about storytelling."

---

Ceren didn't realize Elwin was there until she sat up, preparing to get out of the snow, and her already red cheeks brightened a little more as he stepped close and helped her back to her feet. Still, she smiled back when he complimented her snow angel instead of teasing her. "Thank you. I've always wanted to do that," she admitted sheepishly as she returned his kiss. "Come on, we should probably get inside now." Taking his hand, she tugged him back towards the carriage where their bags were.

@ sun spirit

Aerith grinned as she settled into his side when he finally climbed into bed with her, adjusting the blankets around them with a little hum as he kissed her forehead. "You do. Storytelling is just like lying, and you're very good at lying." She grinned up at him, draping an arm over his chest. "The Baron of Asswipe I know would be an excellent storyteller." She grinned teasingly, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek as she snuggled close.

---

Elwin grinned down at her as she admitted to having always wanted to make a snow angel, pressing a kiss to her forehead as they moved back toward the carriage to collect their bags. "Well, you have all week to make as many snow angels as you want. I'm not sure you can convince me to join you, though. I'd much rather be inside by the fire." He pointed out, grabbing their heavier bags before Ceren could and heading into the cabin Nyrel had arranged for them, looking around curiously. After setting the bags down by the door he moved to the fireplace, piling a few logs in before lighting it with his magic, hoping to warm the place up a bit.