Say No To This

@ katahdin

Like Aerith, Nyrel sat up with his breakfast, cupping one hand underneath the honey tart he held to catch any crumbs that were sure to fall. Even Aerith seemed to be a little more careful with hers than she had been last week, which he appreciated. He loved her, but he just couldn't sleep in a bed with crumbs. As he started on his breakfast, he considered her ideas for trouble. "And what would we harass them with, do you think?" he asked her with a smile. "No, no, this is all you. If you want to find hidden rooms and explore abandoned corridors, that's what we'll do."

---

"And I will," Ceren returned with a smile. "Just like I check on Red and Aer. They just don't notice the same way you do." Her theory was that he could sense her magic because of the nature of his, since not even healers usually felt other healer's magic, but she wasn't sure. She couldn't help but laugh at his explanation on how he would make the soup better though. "So you don't know how to cook, really. You just know how to use magic to fix bad cooking." Still, if he could save her soup, she'd be impressed. She sat by, silent, as he concentrated, blushing a little at the occasional bewildered looks he gave her, watching as the soup changed as he removed ingredients, and waited for his reaction once he'd swallowed a spoonful. "Really?" She crouched next to him as he offered a spoonful and hesitantly tried it. "You did save it." She grinned at him. "This means you're going to have to cook for us all week. You know that, right?"

@ sun spirit

Aerith ate her tart quickly, as expected, and once she was finished she moved until she was straddling his waist, sitting in his lap facing him while he finished eating and she thought over what they'd be doing today. "I don't know.. I could find a bunch of ants and put them in their shoes." She scrunched her nose up at the thought as she tried to hide her smile, but shook her head. Nyrel didn't like bugs, he wouldn't have fun doing that with her. When he proposed finding hidden rooms and abandoned corridors a thought popped into her head, although it also caused her cheeks to flush bright red in the same moment. She cleared her throat a bit, leaning forward to take a small bite out of his honey tart when he paused in eating it. "Hm, well.. Do you remember this past week, when after the first day of just staying in bed and.. you know.." she blushed brighter, although there was also a smile on her lips. "You gave me a tour of your house, showed me the bedroom I used to stay in when I was little, the library, your father's old study.. Remember how we got.. distracted, in those places? Maybe.. Maybe we could find other rooms to get distracted in." Her cheeks were tomato red by now, but he had suggested the night before that this week be a continuation of their honeymoon, and that's what they'd done in their honeymoon..

---

Elwin laughed at her teasing, shaking his head. "I know how to cook. I only used my magic the first few times, when I really messed stuff up, cause Aer was upset I'd wasted the ingredients she'd worked so hard to grow or steal." He chuckled, shaking his head at the memory. He grinned when she gave her approval of the soup, filling a bowl for her and then one for himself before leading her to the little table by the window, grabbing a few rolls of bread that had been packed for them before he sat down. "I'm glad you think it's edible. And you'll help me cook, how else will you learn?"

@ katahdin

Aerith finished her honey tart before he'd even gotten through half of his, but before Nyrel could offer another to her, she'd climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. He raised an eyebrow but made no comment as she leaned forward to steal a bite from his honey tart--continuing to hold a hand underneath it to catch stray crumbs, of course--and listened as she spoke again. His smile grew the longer she spoke, especially as her cheeks got redder, until he was grinning widely at her. "That," he said, leaning in to capture her lips with a kiss, "sounds like a wonderful idea. The castle's a big place though. We might have to prioritize what rooms we want to get distracted in for now." They'd had plenty of time in Ashwick to work their way through the rooms, but his family's house was admittedly much smaller.

---

Ceren smiled as Elwin explained himself. That sounded exactly like something that would happen, and she could only guess it was during the several years that she'd been gone. A lot of things happened during that time, and she couldn't help but wonder sometimes how differently things might be now if she'd stayed. As Elwin made them both bowls of soup and grabbed some bread to go with it, she searched for something to drink for them. It didn't look as if there was any water source, and she hadn't thought to look for it before, but she did find several bottles of wine and after some hesitation, poured that for them and brought their cups to the table Elwin had taken their food to, passing one to him before she sat down across from him. As he mentioned teaching her how to cook, she smiled. "I can't think of a better way to learn. That means our marriage is going to be like we're kids again for a little while though, huh? You teaching me things and me trying to keep up because I want to impress you." She wasn't just thinking cooking; they'd planned on slowly introducing her to some of what Elwin did on a daily basis but had never gotten around to it with how busy she was with the infirmary and helping with wedding preparations, so he'd have to help her figure out her new duties once they got back to the castle.

@ sun spirit

Aerith's cheeks were still red even when she noticed his reaction to her idea, a smile spreading across her lips to match his as she kissed him back. "Hm. You're right. Where would you like to get distracted first? We can take turns deciding." She suggested, leaning forward to press a few kisses along his jaw, her fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. "We'll also have to dress practically.. Just incase someone interrupts our distraction." She pointed out, pressing one more kiss to his lips before she slid off his lap and out of bed to go look through her wardrobe for something to wear.

---

Elwin chuckled as he sat with her, thanking her for the glass of wine after taking a sip before digging into his soup, occasionally picking at his roll of bread. "Our marriage can be whatever you want it to be. I can make a week's worth of food tonight, and we could spend the rest of the week in bed, or out in the snow. Whatever you want Cer." He grinned, reaching across the table to hold onto her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

@ katahdin

What little of the honey tart there was left returned to the tray as they kissed and Nyrel's hands found Aerith's hips. "Well, if I were the kind of person to hold a grudge--not that I am--I might suggest the Council room, seeing as how they tried to stop our marriage in the first place," he murmured against her ear, only getting in a couple of kisses to her neck before she abruptly pulled away and got up. Nyrel groaned, pouting at her as she practically bounced to the wardrobe across the room. "Tease," he accused half-heartedly as he also slid out of bed.

---

Ceren dug into their meal as well, only pausing when Elwin spoke and took her hand. She laced her fingers with his, giving her husband a smile. "I just want to spend the week with you," she said honestly. "And just be two people who love each other and nothing else for a little bit. I don't know when or if we'll ever have this kind of time with each other again, and I don't want to ruin it because I'm bad at relaxing." They still had the whole afternoon and evening left in this first day, then several more days to follow, and she meant what she said. "If at any point I start worrying or acting in any way not relaxed, I give you full permission to kiss me until I forget what the problem was." Which was something Elwin had gotten good at doing over the past year and had used against her more than once.

@ sun spirit

Aerith grinned at her husband's suggestion, pressing closer as her fingers tugged at his shirt while he kissed her neck, although she giggled as Nyrel groaned when she pulled away, winking over her shoulder as she began to dig through her wardrobe. "If I don't tease then we'll never get to the Council's room." She pointed out, tugging off her nightgown to pull on a pair of pants and a tunic that reached her mid thighs, the perfect outfit for their nefarious purposes. Once she'd finished dressing she stepped over to him, pressing a loving kiss to his lips. "I love you."

---

Elwin smiled, giving her hand a squeeze as they ate. "We'll always be two people in love, Cer, even at the castle. Whenever you want, we can stop being King and Queen and just be us for a bit, I promise." He murmured, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before finishing his soup and roll. He chuckled a little as she gave him permission to distract her with kisses, grinning across the table at her as he sat back in his chair. "Am I allowed to distract you even if you are relaxing?"

@ katahdin

"Well, I'm certainly more motivated to get there quickly if it means we can continue what we're doing," Nyrel allowed with a small grin as he pulled some clothes on as well. Nothing too fancy or too hard to get on or off. He pulled Aerith close as she approached and kissed her back, holding her close. "I love you too," he murmured in return, kissing her again.

---

Ceren squeezed his hand back with a little smile. "Same goes for you too, you know, if you need a break," she told him. Though the soup wasn't the best she'd ever had, she was impressed with how much Elwin had improved it, and that combined with the fact that she hadn't eaten since dinner last night ensured that her food disappeared quickly. Elwin must've been hungry too, because he finished relatively quickly as well. She blushed after hearing his question, squeezing his hand gently, and after a moment, stood up and moved around the table, this time to sit back down in his lap. "Of course," she said, running a hand through his hair as she kissed him.

@ sun spirit

Aerith cupped his cheeks in her hands as they kissed, pressing herself into his arms as he pulled her close. "At this rate we'll never get there.. And I very much want to do things that the Council would frown upon if they knew about them." She murmured between kisses, even nibbling on his lower lip for a moment before she pulled herself away from him, squeezing his hands as she tugged him toward the door.

---

Elwin grinned as she moved around the table, his arms snaking around her waist as he returned her kiss. "I'm very pleased to hear that.. But am I limited to only kisses, since we don't have any Maid's Bane?" He asked before kissing her again, hands resting comfortably on her hips. If that was the case he didn't mind, but it was their honeymoon, and he very much wanted to do more than just kiss, but he didn't want to risk them getting pregnant before they were ready.

@ katahdin

Nyrel chuckled, grinning as he pulled his wife into a deep kiss before they parted. "I can't help it. You're just irresistible," he said in a low voice, though he didn't try to draw her back into another kiss, instead contenting himself temporarily with holding her hand as they started from their rooms. The halls of the castle were uncharacteristically empty, with the majority of the nobility currently at their own estates and even the Council still disbanded until Elwin called them back. Because of this, it was easy for the couple to slip into the room unnoticed.

---

Ceren hooked her arms around his neck as his hands settled at her hips and they kissed. This was a familiar position for them from the dozens of times they'd become distracted while working in each other's offices. As he asked about Maid's Bane, Ceren sighed, pressing her forehead against his. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "If I could magically grow or summon some from the castle to us I would." Unfortunately, her magic didn't work on plants the same way it did people.

@ sun spirit

"You're pretty irresistible too." Aerith giggled between kisses, squeezing his hand as they made their way and out of their rooms and through the halls to the Council chambers. Once they were inside and the door was closed she was in Nyrel's arms once again, pressing quick kisses to his lips and neck as she tugged at his shirt. "How angry do you think those stuffy old bags will be if they ever find out what we're doing in here?" She asked against his lips when she finally got the buttons of his shirt undone, fingers moving over his bare chest.

---

Elwin rested his forehead against hers as he held her close, running his fingers through her hair. "It's fine Cer, really. You don't have to apologise. I also don't want children just yet, so we're on the same page." He smiled, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "I could also try to grow some, but I'm not sure how I would without seeds. I know Aerith could do it, but I don't know if I'd have any success."

@ katahdin

Nyrel was more than happy to resume where they'd left off once the door was closed, lifting Aerith and seating her on the large table in the center of the room as they kissed and she began to unbutton his shirt. "One of them might have a heart attack on the spot," he chuckled against her lips, trailing teasing kisses along her jaw and down her neck as his fingers worked at the ties of her tunic.

---

The guilt she felt eased with Elwin's reassurance, and Ceren smiled at her husband as he kissed the tip of her nose. "I'm sure you could if you had time and practice, kind of like healing, just maybe not right now." She took one of his hands and laced their fingers together. "Too bad you can't just teleport some here, huh?" she joked, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I'm sure we can handle limiting ourselves to kissing only for one more week."

@ sun spirit

Aerith hummed happily as he kissed her neck, tilting her head back as she let her tunic slide from her shoulders while her fingers tugged at the hem of his pants. "Hmm, they'd deserve it.. I hope it'd be Deldrach, he's the worst of them." She captured her lips in his once more as her legs hooked around his waist, pulling him closer.

---

Elwin chuckled at her joking, kissing her back gently. "I'm sure we can handle ourselves too.. We can just go sit in the snow whenever we want to do more than kissing, that'll stop us." He teased, pressing a few kisses along her jaw before squeezing her hands as he pulled back with a sheepish grin. "If that's the plan, then I best go sit in the snow for a while.."

@ katahdin

Before the end of the day, Nyrel and Aerith had "gotten distracted" in two more rooms in addition to the Council's chamber, and Nyrel had to admit it was probably the best day of trouble he'd experienced to date. Back in their rooms that evening, they sat together near the fireplace and waited for their leftover food from the day before to heat up on a seat barely big enough for the both of them. It was cozy though, and with his arm around Aerith, he could think of no better way to spend his evening. "You've completely exhausted me, you know," he teased, kissing the top of her head with a smile. "By the time we finish eating, I'm going to be so tired you'll have to tell me stories tonight."

---

Ceren giggled, shaking her head at Elwin's suggestion. "Separately in the snow," she clarified with a smile. "Otherwise we'll try to keep each other warm." She went quiet as he left kisses along her jaw, squeezing his hand as she leaned in closer, blushing a bit as he said he needed to sit in the snow. "I think I'm getting there too..." she admitted. She gave him a quick kiss and stood up. "I'll give us both a little space and do the dishes." She picked up their bowls and spoons and carried them into the kitchen to do just that, leaving Elwin at the table.

@ sun spirit

Aerith was curled up on the seat next to Nyrel, laying against him comfortably as she hummed lazily, exhausted from their activities today. She smiled up at him from where her head rested against his chest when he teased her, snuggling into his arms as she tugged the throw blanket she'd draped over herself closer. "You're not so innocent yourself, mister. But I'll tell you a story if I'm awake to do it after dinner." She teased, tracing little patterns over his chest. "..Do you think we'll be good parents?" She asked softly after a few moments of silence, looking over at the fire where their food was warming.

---

Elwin chuckled a little at her clarification, although he pouted when she stood to go do the dishes, even though he knew that it was for the best. He sat in his chair for a while while he watched her carry their dishes to the kitchen, humming in thought before he got up to wander around the cabin, looking for something that could serve as entertainment for them both and a distraction. He wasn't very successful, and he silently cursed Nyrel for not packing the Maid's Bane, the one important thing that they really needed for a proper honeymoon.

@ katahdin

As she tugged her blanket further over herself, Nyrel reached over to help tuck her in. She looked comfortable enough to fall asleep against him before their food was even finished warming, and with her tucked up against him, he felt the same. Since they'd already bathed, it was only the promise of food keeping him awake and alert at this point. "I aim to please," he teased with a chuckle, letting his fingers run through her hair. He paused at her question, looking down at her, and found her eyes on the fire. "I'd like to think so," he responded slowly. "We love each other, and I'd like to think we'd love anything we made together. They'd probably have an unconventional childhood, but a happy one I hope. You could teach them about plants and animals and defense, and I could teach them about how to navigate the nobility, and we wouldn't push them to do something they didn't want to with their life... I think that sounds pretty good, don't you?" He suspected the question came more out of concern about herself than them, but he hoped his answer gave her some reassurance nonetheless.

---

Though she noticed when Elwin got up, Ceren put the majority of her focus into the few dishes they'd made, making sure each was clean before she emerged from the kitchen. When she found Elwin, he was practically pacing, and she suspected he'd gone to find something else to do only to come up empty-handed. Thankfully, she got an idea while she was washing dishes. "Let's have a snowball fight," she said, taking both of his hands in her own and giving him a smile. "It isn't sitting in the snow, but it'll keep us occupied for a while. And I saw a pond on our way inside and some fishing supplies lying around. If the pond isn't completely frozen, maybe between the two of us, we'll have remembered enough from Aerith to try and catch something later on. And Nyrel mentioned trails. And when we get too cold, we can come back in her and cuddle in front of the fire and talk and maybe a kiss a little. You said you could teach me about cooking, and if all of that isn't enough, we'll continue your lessons on healing. That should keep us plenty occupied, don't you think?"

@ sun spirit

Aerith hummed contently as he ran his fingers through her hair, the simple gesture rather soothing as she relaxed against him. She remained quiet as he spoke about how they'd be as parents, focusing on the fire and the feeling of his fingers in her hair. "That sounds good.. but what we mess up? Or we do everything perfectly but they still hate us? What if we never even get to be parents?" She frowned, curling further into his arms as she expressed her worries. She knew it was ridiculous of herself to think that she'd be pregnant a week after their marriage, but she knew that it was supposed to be hard for elves with magicnto become pregnant, and part of her worried that if she didn't get pregnant now, she never would.

---

Elwin squeezed her hands in his as she took them, smiling at her as she began to list everything that they could do to keep themselves busy. "And then tomorrow we'll repeat everything again, to keep ourselves busy." He teased, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Let's get dressed, then we can go try to find that pond, or those trails you mentioned." He squeezed her hands once more before releasing her, moving back to their room to dig through his suitcase until he found something suitable to wear outside. "We can also bring in more firewood, so we don't freeze to death."

@ katahdin

Nyrel held Aerith a little closer as she asked her what-ifs, shifting to look her in the eyes as he cupped her face in his hands. "Then we'll deal with any and all of it when the time comes," he said, pressing a kiss to her lips. "If we mess up, we try to do better. If our kid hates us, we'll figure some way to brainwash them into liking us again. And if it turns out that we can't have kids, we'll adopt, like your parents did for you, and we'll love them just as much as if we'd made them ourselves." He kissed her again and rested his forehead against hers. "Everything will be fine, Aer. I promise."

---

"All of that should keep us busy for a few days at least," Ceren defended, though it was with a smile as he kissed her forehead. She followed him into the bedroom to change, figuring it might be a good idea for her to dress a little warmer as well. Thankfully, whoever had packed her clothes seemed to know they'd be somewhere cold, and though she didn't own anything nearly as warm as Elwin, what she had was plenty warm enough, and she'd soon donned a thick sweater and pants and even pulled out an old hat and mittens that she rarely wore. "I think I saw wood stocked somewhere, but you're right; we should probably still bring more inside," she agreed as she pulled the hat over her curls and picked up the scarf Elwin had worn in the carriage. Once he was dressed, she wrapped it around his neck with a smile, making sure it was snug enough to keep him warm.

@ sun spirit

Aerith sniffled a little as Nyrel spoke, tears welling up in her eyes as she leaned her head into his hands, giving a little nod at his reassurances. She returned his kisses, resting her forehead against his, her arms tightening around him as she snuggled into his arms. "I know you're right... I just worry.." she murmured softly, nose brushing against his as she looked up at him. "I love you lots.. Just like our babies." She murmured softly before tucking her face into his chest once more. "Will you tell me a story about them..? What they'll be like?" She knew he wasn't good with stories, and expected him to refuse, but she couldn't help but ask.

---

Elwin changed into one of the warmer outfits that had been packed for him, including thick pants, a warm shirt and fur lined jerkin, all under his jacket and boots. He was tugging on his own hat and gloves when Ceren appeared in front of him, grinning down at her as she wrapped his scarf around his neck. "Thank you. You look cozy, dear." He smiled, pressing a brief kiss to her lips before linking his arm through his, leading her out into the snow. "I'll bring in some more wood later when we get back, and perhaps cut some more, if needed. Can't have the King and Queen freezing to death. That would leave Aerith and Nyrel to rule, and I don't think the kingdom is ready for them." He chuckled.

@ katahdin

Nyrel's heart ached when he saw the tears in Aerith's eyes, and he held her even tighter, wanting to comfort her and shield her from the doubts and anxieties that plagued her. "I know you do, and I'm here to reassure you any time you need it, for any worry," he said as he held her close. "I love you too, Aer. More than anyone or anything else in the world." He went quiet as she requested that he tell her about their children though--children that didn't even yet exist. He rubbed her back, frowning down at her. "What's got you so worried about this all of a sudden, Aer?" he asked softly. "When we talked last week, I thought your thoughts were that it would happen when it happened?"

---

Ceren smiled, returning his kiss. "And you look even cozier," she said as she finished wrapping his scarf around his neck and they started outside together. It was snowing slowly, the little flakes drifting down from the sky, and she couldn't even see the snow angel she'd made just hours earlier. "I don't know. Aerith did seem pretty excited at the thought of being in charge. She might decide she likes it," Ceren teased as they walk around the side of the cabin, the pond barely visible a little distance away and the trees even further past it. "So, what do you want to do first?"

@ sun spirit

Aerith's arms remained securely around her husband as he pulled her close, resting her head on his chest as she listened to his heartbeat, the steady rhythm soothing. She could tell he was upset with her for bringing it up, frowning as she started to pull back. "I know.. I'm sorry.. It's nothing, really, I promise." She attempted to reassure him, sitting at the end of the couch for a few moments before sliding off to check their food, tugging the pot away from the fire when she was sure everything was heated through.

---

Elwin chuckled as Ceren spoke about Aerith potentially enjoying being in charge, shaking his head a little. "She'd like it for a little while, but before long she'd be miserable. Nyrel might like it, but I bet if Aerith hated it Nyrel would too before long... They're good together." He said as he began to lead her toward the pond, squeezing her hand as he gazed at the beautiful winter scenery. "We should explore a little today, so that way we're familiar with the area before we go out and get ahead of ourselves."