Say No To This

@ katahdin

Nyrel wrapped an arm around his wife as she settled in, holding her close, and laughing as she claimed that he should be good at storytelling because he was good at lying. "Just so you know, as my wife, that makes you the Baroness of Asswipe," he reminded her with a grin. "I don't know if I'd be good at stories about fictional people. Anyone in particular you'd like to hear about?" he asked curiously. "I know a lot of things about a lot of different people."

---

"It's not a honeymoon if we don't spend it together," Ceren reminded Elwin, shaking her head as he stepped in front of her and grabbed two bags before she could. She took the last one, the smallest of the three, and after quickly thanking the carriage-driver, made her way to the cabin with Elwin. It looked nice, as if it could accommodate a decently large family, but it was admittedly cold. As Elwin started the fire in the main room, she set down the bag she held and wandered until she found the room she supposed she and Elwin would sleep in and set to starting a fire there as well. Though it wasn't yet warm inside, she already felt the snow melting and dampening her clothes, making her a little chilly as she made her way back out into the main area. "I started a fire in one of the bedrooms too. Hopefully it won't take too long to warm up."

@ sun spirit

Aerith giggled wildly as he pronounced her Baroness of Asswipe, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'm honored." She grinned back at him before settling down, her head resting against his shoulder while her fingers traces patterns on his chest. She hummed in thought before smiling, looking up at him. "I want to hear a story about you. And maybe me. But especially you."

---

Elwin set about lighting the candles in the main room while Ceren lit the fire in the bedroom, wanting to be able to see a little better. It was a nice cabin, very cozy looking, and he was looking forward to spending the week here with Ceren. When she returned from the bedroom he smiled at her, pulling her into his arms to help warm her up, noticing her shivering a bit. "It shouldn't be long. Besides, we can always warm each other up." He said with a wink, pressing a loving kiss to her lips as he used his magic to dry her clothes, not wanting her to be uncomfortable on their honeymoon.

@ katahdin

Nyrel grinned at her, holding her closer as she laughed. "You should be. Not just anyone gets the title," he joked, relaxed and happy as he held her in his arms. He wasn't sure what it was, but they both seemed generally more at ease and less prickly so long as they were with each other. "About me?" He hummed, trying to think. "Okay, how about this?"

Making sure they were both settled, he started to speak. "There once was a boy named Nyrel Stonewater. He was the only child to Baron Janos and Baroness Rophalin Stonewater. They thought the Baroness was past her child-bearing years and had given up hope that they would have any more children when a miracle happened: they had a little girl they named Ceren. Nyrel was friends with the prince of the kingdom, and though he loved his little sister, their age difference was enough that he had no interest playing with her. The prince had a little sister too, but she was wild and liked bugs and mud and Nyrel didn't pay her much attention. One day, when Ceren was a toddler, the prince's sister sort of adopted her into their play-group, and probably because she was so much younger, everyone's attention was for her. The prince started doing more things that his sister wanted to do rather than what Nyrel wanted to do, and he was slowly distanced from his friend while Ceren was welcomed into the group. Mad at the prince's sister for stealing his friend, Nyrel said mean things to her, and she pranked him. As Nyrel started to have more studies and less free time, he stopped bothering her and she him. When his parents died and he took over their responsibilities, he distanced himself even more. Until one day Ceren came from studying to be a Healer, and he saw the prince's sister again, this time in the infirmary. He had an idea of Ceren and the prince marrying and thought to get on this girl's good side to see her thoughts and if she could possibly help, so he helped her steal some honey. Soon after, he discovered that thought she was still the same as she had been as a child, he was tired of masks and charms and liked the honesty about her and was drawn to her though he tried to resist. He fell in love without knowing when or how. But he discovered it at the same time that others discovered some bad things Nyrel had done, and he was sent away from the girl he loved without a chance of explanation. He wrote her letters every day, which were never replied to, and even after a year, he couldn't stop because he loved her and wanted her to know the truth. Thanks to Ceren, they were reunited, and somehow, this girl found a way to forgive him when she should've been angry or have sent him back into exile, and she agreed to marry Nyrel. Though it was sooner than they planned, they were married, and thanks to her, he even managed to reconcile with the prince, and his banishment was lifted. And so things somehow worked out for Nyrel and he and his wife lived happily ever after."

---

Ceren smiled up at Elwin as he folded her into his arms, pressing a kiss to his lips and giggling when he mentioned warming each other up. "Not sleepy anymore?" she asked, returning his kiss. She was worried about getting him damp too though--despite him being clothed for the weather better--and started to pull away. He kept her close though, as she felt herself begin to warm all over, she looked up at him with surprise. "You're using your magic. And you really did use it last night in the carriage, didn't you?" She grinned up at him suddenly and kissed him deeply. "That's amazing, El! You're getting used to it and you're control is great! And the different things you're using it for... it's just coming to you intuitively, isn't it?" She wasn't sure what happened with him for this change to take place, but she was genuinely ecstatic for him.

@ sun spirit

Aerith snuggled close as she listened to him tell his story, smiling every time he mentioned her or their friends. It was nice to hear about their story from him, especially considering how different they'd both experienced the same thing. She pressed a kiss to his cheek when he finished, smiling up at him. "I like that story... I'm sorry I made Elwin ignore you when we were little, I didn't mean to make you stop being friends. And I'm sorry for putting worms in your bed after you yelled at me.. even if you did say mean things." She smiled a little, nuzzling her nose against his. "...Do you think their will ever be more to the story? Or now that we've got married is that the end? I always hated the stories mother read because they always ended after the prince married the princess, and never talked about what happened after."

---

Elwin blushed sheepishly as she got excited about him using his magic, smiling faintly at her. "Your brother basically told me to grow up and stop being afraid of it.. He was a bit harsh, but he was right." He pressed a few kisses over her face, smiling a bit. "And yes, it's just coming to me naturally.. I just think about what I want to do, and it happens, of that makes sense."

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled as Aerith kissed his cheek, putting a hand over hers and squeezing gently, though he chuckled when she began to apologize. "It's alright, Aer. I'm not holding a grudge. You said you wanted it to be about me, so I just told you how I saw things at the time," he assured her as he pushed hair from her face and caressed her cheek, smiling when she nuzzled her nose against his. "There's always more to the story. Books have to have a place to start and stop, so they only tell a piece of the whole story. Our story is going to keep going until we're old and frail and have grandchildren to take care of us," he assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

---

Though he looked a bit embarrassed about her reaction, Ceren couldn't help but be excited for her husband. She was surprised to hear it was Nyrel that had gotten through to him though--and apparently not in a nice way. "That's kind of how he talked me into accepting the position of Royal Healer... I was afraid to at first," she admitted, giggling as he kissed her face. "I think it does. It wouldn't be a very useful kind of magic if you had to learn exactly how to control every type of magic that existed to use it. It has its own rules. I really am glad to hear you aren't struggling though." She kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And if you still want to learn about healing for control or any other reason, I'm more than willing to help."

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled as he caressed her cheek, leaning her head happily into his hand as he talked about their future. "I want to hear a story about future us. What do you think will happen between now and when we're old and weak?" She asked curiously, snuggling further into his arms as he kissed her forehead. She stifled a small yawn, getting rather sleepy, but she liked heading Nyrel tell her stories, and she was especially interested in hearing him talk about their future.

---

Elwin smiled as she kissed him, wrapping his arms around her securely as he returned her kiss. "He made some good points.. I also figured I should probably learn how to manage my magic, since any children we have will also have it, and if neither of us know how their magic works I can imagine us being in for a rough time." He chuckled as he rested his forehead against hers, playing with a strand of her hair. "I also just want you to be proud of me." He confessed, pressing another kiss to her lips before taking her hand and tugging her toward their room. "Come on, let's get some real sleep."

@ katahdin

As they settled in, this time more as if Aerith were getting ready to fall asleep, Nyrel considered her second story request. "Well, we'll be ridiculously happy, for one thing," he told her with a smile. "We'll probably have a child at some point, which will just make us happier. You'll be a successful general, and you'll inspire other women in the kingdom to become soldiers too, though perhaps not within the nobility. I'll advise Elwin and Ceren, and the kingdom will prosper. We might get lucky and have two kids instead of one, and we'll spend lots of time with them, and they'll grow up and have kids, plus we're pretty much sure to have a niece or nephew from Ceren and Elwin, so our little family will expand. You'll keep exploring and doing things out in the forest, and I'll try talking to the cooks so you don't have to eat burnt food for the rest of your life, and I might learn to play an instrument. Something stately, like a harp." His smile was a bit teasing as he glanced down at her to see how she was receiving this or if she'd fallen asleep.

---

Ceren smiled. "That's probably true. I know all about healing magic, but I don't think I know anything about your magic." It wasn't until a couple of moments later, standing with her forehead pressed against Elwin's and feeling at peace that Ceren suddenly pulled back, halting Elwin from leaving. "Wait. There's something we need to talk about first." She couldn't believe she'd forgotten. "Before we ever got engaged, we talked about how young we were and agreed we weren't ready for children and would wait awhile after we were married before we started considering it. Do you still feel that way?" She felt bad that she had to bring it up all of a sudden, but they had to have the conversation now if she was going to take Maids Bane in time if they still agreed on what they'd said a year ago.

@ sun spirit

Aerith's head rested comfortably against her husband's shoulder as she listened to him speak about their future, a small smile on her lips. If was also obviously that she was half asleep, nuzzling her nose into his shirt as she smiled wider when he mentioned learning to play the harp, a little giggle escaping her as she snuggled closer. "I like that story.. You're a good storyteller, Nyrel.." she murmured sleepily, stifling another yawn as she smiled. It was only a few more minutes before she was finally asleep, face tucked into her husband's chest and comfortably curled in his arms.

---

Elwin paused when she grabbed his arm and asked him to wait, brows furrowing in confusion, wondering what she wanted to talk about, although when she brought up having children and their agreement he blushed a little, squeezing her hands in his. "I don't know.. I'm happy to wait if that's what you want, but if you've changed your mind I'm also happy to start trying.. Really, I'm happy to do whatever it is you want." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, brushing her hair away from her face. "How do you feel about it?"

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled as he held Aerith, running his fingers through her hair as she complimented his storytelling and closed her eyes, humming softly to help soothe her, letting his eyes close as well as he listened to her breathing. "Good night, my love," he murmured against her hair softly. Even after her breathing deepened and evened out, however, he continued to stroke her hair, his fingers gradually slowing until he, too, fell asleep despite his earlier assumption that he'd remain awake for some time more.

---

She'd been somewhat nervous about what he'd say--though she wasn't entirely sure why--but Elwin's calmness about the subject helped, and Ceren gave him a smile as she pressed a kiss to his lips. "I think I'd rather wait a little while. I just turned seventeen so we have plenty of time, and we both have a lot to get used to. Besides, healers usually don't experience the same fertility problems as other people with magic. It's related to the way our magic works, from what I've been told, and how it keeps us healthy." The last part felt a little odd explaining, but she couldn't just be embarrassed and not talk to him. They were married, and it was something they should both know. Taking a breath, Ceren squeezed his hand back. "I guess I should take some Maids Bane before we go back to sleep then."

Ceren moved to their bags. The first looked as if it had her clothes in it, but there were no herbs. The second had Elwin's clothes. The third had some food and other supplies, including an herb pouch. Pulling it out, she tucked her hair behind her ear and opened it up. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked back up at Elwin. "The only herbs Nyrel packed for us is Goldenseal, which is used for infection."

@ sun spirit

Aerith slept soundly in her husband's arms until morning, when she stirred at sunrise like she usually did at the castle when she would get up to go training. She groaned sleepily as she rolled onto her back, stretching sleepily as she tried to figure out what time it was, and then trying to decide whether she should get up or stay in bed with her husband.

---

Elwin nodded in understanding as she explained what she wanted to do, and then her explaining how her magic worked. "That makes sense.. I'm still sorting things out with the Council, so it'd probably be better to wait a few years until they've gotten off my back." He smiled, pressing a loving kiss to her lips before following her into the bedroom. He moved to the suitcase that contained his clothes, pulling out his sleeping clothes before moving out of her way to get changed, although he looked up when she mentioned that Nyrel hadn't packed any Maid's Bane for them.

"Oh.. Well, maybe there's some stashed away in the cabin that we could use?" He asked hopefully, tugging his sleep shirt on over his head. "If not, we can just.. not do anything to risk it. We'll wait until we're back at the castle with plenty of herbs available to us."

@ katahdin

Nyrel slept peacefully through the night with Aerith in his arms until he woke to movement. Opening one eye revealed it wasn't yet completely light outside though, and still half asleep, he rolled over, draping an arm over Aerith's waist and nuzzling into her neck as he closed his eyes, where he fell back asleep moments later.

---

"I'll look around," Ceren said, setting aside the pouch of Goldenseal. "I know you're tired, so you go ahead and get in bed. I'll come back after I finish looking." With the earlier excitement fading, she was getting tired again too, but this had to be taken care of before she could sleep. She stepped up and pressed a kiss to his lips before she made her way out of the bedroom. She doubted she'd find anything around the cabin, but it didn't hurt to look, and searched the places that seemed the most likely to have Maids Bane as well as several she was fairly certain wouldn't. Other than some basic first aid supplies, there weren't any herbs. After several minutes of searching, she gave up and returned to the bedroom she'd left Elwin in, where she pulled off her clothes and changed into a night gown, the room now warm enough that warm clothes weren't needed.

@ sun spirit

Aerith gently brushed her fingers through her husband's hair as his arms snaked around her and he nuzzled into her neck, humming happily as she snuggled close. She'd thought about going to train, having missed watching the sun rise on her runs, but she didn't have the heart to wake Nyrel up in order to slip out of bed. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head before nuzzling her nose into his hair as her arms snaked around him in return, closing her eyes as she drifted off back to sleep.

---

Elwin nodded, returning her kiss before he finished changing and climbed into bed. He let out a tired sigh as he settled in, taking a few minutes to get comfortable in an unfamiliar bed, although now that the room was warm and he was tucked under the blankets he knew it wouldn't be long before he was asleep. He looked over when Ceren returned, able to tell by her face that she'd been unsuccessful. He held his arms out to her and lifted up the blanket to allow her into bed, pulling her into his arms as she settled beside him. "We'll manage without it. There will be plenty of things for us to do throughout the week, and I highly doubt you'll get pregnant after this one time."

@ katahdin

When Nyrel woke up again, it was still curled around Aerith, this time with golden sunlight filtering into the room. Stifling a yawn, he smiled softly at his wife and left a light kiss against her neck before settling again, more-than-content to slowly let the sleepiness drain from his system laying there with her in his arms. He was starting to get used to this, not being on any fixed schedule and being able to wake up leisurely with Aerith there, and he wasn't sure he was prepared for the real possibility that he would have to give it up when Elwin and Ceren returned and life at the castle returned to usual.

---

Seeing Elwin open up the covers, Ceren smiled, crawling into bed beside him and snuggling up close. The unfamiliar landscape, house, and bed felt odd but he was familiar and warm and welcome, and she curled into him easily. "I know. The chances are so low, especially given how close it is to my cycle, that I'm not worried," she assured him, uncurling herself just enough to kiss his cheek. "I just feel bad. I'm sure this wasn't how you imagined things going..." It certainly wasn't how she'd imagined their honeymoon starting.

@ sun spirit

Aerith remained asleep for a good ten or fifteen minutes after Nyrel woke before she finally started to stir, whining tired as she curled further into his arms, protesting being awake. When she finally opened her eyes she peered sleepily up at Nyrel, offering him a faint smile. "Good morning.." she mumbled, content to just lay with him until they both were awake enough to do something. She'd miss this once things in the castle got back to normal, but part of her hoped that perhaps this could become their new normal.

---

Elwin tugged her into his arms, settling in with a content sigh as she curled into him. They'd only shared a bed a few times before, but having her here with him was so familiar that it was like they'd done it their entire lives. He hummed tiredly when she apologized, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it, Cer. We can just make more snow angels." He teased, pressing a kiss to her forehead before closing his eyes tiredly. "Alright, time to sleep.." he mumbled into her hair, drifting off soon after that.

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled when Aerith snuggled into his arms, albeit without speaking or even opening her eyes. "Good morning," he murmured to her softly, though he was both still tired enough and kind enough not to try and push for conversation beyond that as they lay with each other. She seemed similarly inclined, and it was only after several minutes of laying like that with her that he finally uncurled, stretched out, and yawned.

---

It was obvious that Elwin was fading fast, and rather than reply and possibly keep him awake, Ceren simply made a small noise that could've been called agreement as she settled in his arms. He was soon asleep, and she would've expected to follow soon after with her exhaustion returning, but her mind fairly hummed. At first she thought it was just her worries, then maybe that her mind had caught on the strangeness of everything around her, but that didn't feel right. Eventually, as sleep continued to evade her, she realized it was likely her magic. She hadn't used it for anything in two days, and she always felt restless when she didn't use it.

Eventually, with Elwin deep into sleep next to her, Ceren carefully got up so as not to wake him, and with little else to do, decided to take the bag with the provisions out into the kitchen with her. It wasn't a lot, but there were some foods in the pantry as well, all things that wouldn't spoil fast or were magically preserved. Elwin would be awake in a couple of hours, if she had to guess, and in the meantime, she could make something to eat. It couldn't be any harder than making poultices or other medicines. And soup would be nice.

More than an hour later, Ceren found herself crouched in front of the pot heating over a fire, trying to ignore the unappetizing smile of her soup as she stirred the contents of the pot. Given the smell, she was afraid to taste it and even more hesitant to ask where she'd gone wrong. She was ready to admit she knew absolutely nothing about cooking, however, and that poultices and medicines were, in fact, easier to make.

@ sun spirit

Aerith rolled onto her back after untangling herself from her husband's arms, stretching with a sleepy groan before rolling back onto her side to look at him. "I'd say we're up reasonably early this morning.. What would you like to do?" She asked with a little smile, rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes as she yawned. "We could order breakfast. Or we could eat leftovers from last night's dinner. Whatever you want." She poked his nose with a little grin.

---

Elwin kept his arms around Ceren until he'd fallen into a deep sleep, after which he'd rolled onto his stomach and shifted to tuck his arms under his pillow like he usually did. He was exhausted, and slept for nearly two hours, although the smell of something foul woke him, and with a tired groan he opened his eyes. He was surprised to not see Ceren next to him, and after rubbing a bit of the sleep from his eyes he got out of bed to go look for her. He smiled a bit when he saw her huddled over a pot of what looked like old swamp water, scrunching up his nose a bit at the smell. "Why aren't you in bed, Cer?" He mumbled around a yawn, walking over to run his fingers through her hair. "Is this some sort of weird substitute for Maid's Bane that you have to take?"

@ katahdin

After stretching, Nyrel settled back again, turning on face his wife, grinning at her as she poked his nose. "There are leftover tarts," he said, reaching out a hand and curling a section of her hair around his finger. "But then you get to decide what we do because I made the decisions yesterday," he added, leaning in to give her a light kiss.

---

Ceren heard footsteps before his voice, and glanced back at Elwin in time to see the look on his face when he saw the soup. Between that and his assumption of what it was, she knew it was just as bad as she thought it was. "I had a hard time sleeping, so I figured I'd work on making us some food," she explained as she stood. "But apparently medicine's easier to make than edible food." She took one of his hands in hers and kissed his cheek. "Did you sleep well?" As if searching for something to do, her magic almost acted automatically, flowing into him from their joined hands and examining him. Realizing what she was doing after a few moments, she self-consciously reeled it back in. She knew he would be able to tell, since he'd teased her before about checking on him, but teasing wasn't the problem now. She knew that if she let it continue, she'd be trying to fix imaginary problems, like his temperature being just slightly cooler than usual. This was a matter of controlling her magic when she wasn't constantly using it--something she'd never actually been asked to do for any significant length of time before.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled at her husband as his fingers curled through her hair, snuggling closer as she giggled a bit when he pointed out that there were leftover honey tarts available for them. "Hm.. I'd like breakfast in bed, I think." She grinned, happily kissing Nyrel back as she curled back into his arms. "And then I'm not sure what we'll do.. Maybe take a walk around the castle? We could go cause trouble somewhere."

---

Elwin chuckled as she explained her struggles in making them food, shaking his head a little before kissing her forehead. "I'll teach you to cook, Cer.. Or you can stick to your herbs." He teased, pressing a quick kiss to her lips as he squeezed her hands. He smiled when he felt the familiar touch of her magic reaching out to him, looking for injuries or illness. He wasn't surprised when it suddenly disappeared, pulling his wife into his arms and giving her a little squeeze when he noticed her self conscious look. "I'm fine, Ceren. I'm still a little tired, but I'm quite confident that I'll be able to sleep through the night and be fine." He said, kissing her again before pulling back. "Do you want me to fix your soup?"

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled, wrapping an arm around his wife as she scooched closer. “Your wish is my command.” From the next room, the plate of honey tarts levitated and slowly floated to them, Nyrel letting it down when it reached the night stand. A single honey tart began to float then, moving over them and falling into Nyrel’s waiting hand. “Breakfast in bed,” he grinned as he offered the treat to Aerith. “Mmmm, that sounds nice. What kind of trouble are we thinking?” A second honey tart floated to his hand, this one for him.

---

Ceren pouted as Elwin teased her, though it was half-hearted at best. “It is herbs though. And you’ll have to tell me how you learned to cook sometime,” she added, her pout disappearing as she returned his kiss. It was impossible to be upset when she was here with Elwin. Especially since they were alone and could do whatever they wanted and no one else would walk in and make her feel embarrassed. She leaned into him when he pulled her into his arms, smiling at his reassurances. “I know, but my magic is antsy, and even if it wasn’t, I’ll probably never stop checking on you anyway,” she said, kissing him back. There was a pang of disappointment when he pulled away, but she didn’t attempt to stop him as he mentioned the soup. “I think it might be beyond redemption El,” she said dubiously, then leaned up to press another kiss to his lips because she couldn’t help herself. “But you’re welcome to try. You can’t make it worse.”

@ sun spirit

Aerith giggled as she watched Nyrel serve them both breakfast in bed sitting up slightly against the pillows so that she could eat her honey tart without getting too many crumbs in bed, recalling how Nyrel had told her over their honeymoon in Ashwick that he hadn't appreciated all the crumbs she'd swept onto his side of the bed after she'd eaten half a dozen or so honey tarts. She hummed in thought at his question, using the first few bites she took of the honey tart to think of what mischief they could get up to today. "We could harass the Council.. But they're stuffy and that might not be the most fun.. We could go snoop around, though, and that might be fun. Look for hidden rooms and corridors for nefarious purposes." She giggled. "You can help decide too, you're full of good ideas."

---

Elwin happily returned his wife's kisses, hands resting comfortably on her hips as he kept her close. He chuckled when she mentioned always fussing over him, pressing a kiss to her forehead before turning to the soup. "You're always more than welcome to check on me, Cer. That doesn't mean I won't tell you that I'm fine, but you can always check if you need to." He reassured, laughing when she said the soup seemed beyond redemption. "Aerith taught me how to cook, and I was quite bad at it, so I had to learn how to use my magic to fix things.. If I can remember how I did it, I should be able to salvage this." He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek before getting to work, hands glowing as he used his magic to figure out exactly what Ceren had put into the soup and when, giving her a weird look whenever he found something unappetizing. Before long the soup began to take on a more appealing color, the ingredients that had been ruining the soup appearing in his open palm, which he set down one by one and they appeared. Soon the soup looked and smelled more edible, and Elwin was even brave enough to try a spoonful, humming a bit in approval. "Not the best, but it's edible, unlike that bathwater you tried to serve." He teased, offering her a spoonful as well.