Say No To This

@ katahdin

When Aerith apologized and got up, Nyrel silently berated himself for pushing for answers instead of just going along with her request and making her feel better. He didn't say anything as she removed their food from where it was warming over the fire, but as soon as she set it down, he did lean forward and wrap his arms around her, pulling her into his lap. "Tell me what you're thinking," he said as he held her close. "I don't know what you're thinking, and I want to make you feel better about whatever it is."

---

Ceren considered what Elwin said and thought he was probably right. Ruling included too much paper work and dealing with people you didn't necessarily always like and not a lot of freedom. Aerith would hate it as soon as she realized that, and even if Nyrel liked it, he would give it up as soon as Aerith lost interest. "I guess that just means we're stuck with it instead, huh?" she asked with a smile as they made their way towards the pond hand-in-hand. Elwin already had the thinnest dusting of snow covering his head and shoulders, and Ceren was sure she looked similar. "Is that because you actually think it's a good idea or because it'll add more distraction time?" she teased gently.

@ sun spirit

Aerith frowned a bit as he pulled her into his arms, although once she was curled up in his lap she melted into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she hid her face in his chest. "..Why didn't my mother, my real mother, want me?" She asked softly after a moment, clinging to him. "What if she knew there was something wrong with me, and that's why she gave me away.. What if one day you see it too, and you leave? I don't want to be alone, but I don't want to disappoint anyone either, even though that's all I'm good at." She mumbled into his shirt, gripping it tightly as she tried to keep her tears at bay. "I disappointed my real mother, which is why she gave me up.. The last thing Elwin's parents said to me was that they were disappointed in me for not doing something right... The Council is disappointed that I'm not a perfect princess, that I married you instead of listening to them... It's only a matter of time before I disappoint you, a-and I'm afraid that I'll only disappoint out child too, no matter what I do." She sniffled, wiping at her eyes as she tried to pull away, forcing a little laugh. "I bet I'm disappointing you now, for thinking this way.. I just want to know that when we have a baby, I'll be able to make sure that it never has to go through any of the things I did, that it never has to feel alone or sad or scared.. And I want to know that you'll be happy with me, and not come to your senses and realize you made a mistake."

---

"Stuck with it until we can con someone else into taking over. Or pass the title on to a kid." Elwin grinned teasingly, chuckling. "So we're stuck with it for at least twenty years." He pointed out, squeezing her hand as they walked towards the pond. "It's because I think it's a good idea and that it will add more distraction time." He winked, pressing a kiss to her cheek before coming to a stop at the edge of the pond. "Think it's safe to walk on?" He asked, testing the edge of the ice with his foot, listening to how the ice groaned under the bit of weight he put on it.

@ katahdin

As Aerith began to reveal her worries and insecurities, Nyrel held her close, rubbing her back soothingly as he quietly listened and let her get it all out, his heart constricting for her all the while. "Oh Aer," he murmured, kissing the top of her head when she finally stopped talking. "Aer, I love you. I love you in a way I've never felt before, in a way where I think I'd do almost anything for you, where I find myself constantly thinking about how to make you happy and worrying that I'll mess things up some way. I'm happier than I've ever been, and there's no chance that I'm going to wake up one day and suddenly leave you. You could leave worms and crumbs in the bed trying to make me leave, and I'd stick it out." He pulled her even closer, cradling her against his chest. "You could never disappoint me or drive me away, because you're not a disappointment and there's nothing wrong with you. You're yourself, and that's who I love. And to hell with anyone who doesn't like who that is."

---

"And I'm sure you can't wait to retire," Ceren giggled, squeezing his hand as they reached the edge of the pond. It looked frozen over, snow dusting the ice surface. "I don't know if we should test it," she started, clutching his hand tightly as he put weight on the surface. She didn't like the noise the ice made as he did so either. "From the sounds of it, no, not at all," she said, tugging him back towards her and away from the edge.

@ sun spirit

Aerith couldn't bring herself to say anything as he spoke, the tightness in her chest easing a bit as she listened. She kept her face tucked into his chest so that he wouldn't see her crying, sniffling occasionally as she tried to stop, but his reassurances just meant too much to her, made her too emotional. "I-I love you too, Nyrel.. With all my heart." She finally managed, her grip on him tightening as she closed her eyes, listening to his steady breathing to try to calm herself down. Before long her tears had stopped, only having the occasional sniffle, and her eyes blinked heavily, fighting sleep as she cuddled with her husband.

---

Elwin laughed at her teasing, squeezing her hand in return. "I'd love to retire, then we could just spend all our time with each other, no responsibilities." He held onto her hand as he tested the ice, being bold enough to take a few steps out, listening closely to the sounds it was making. "It's holding.. Maybe it'll be thicker in a few days." He said as he allowed Ceren to tug him back, pressing w kiss to his lips. "I'm all in one piece, Cer. Need to check?"

@ katahdin

Nyrel held her as she quietly cried, rubbing her back and murmuring soft assurances, letting her cry it out. Eventually the tears ran their course, her sniffles began to abate, and she clung to him less fiercely. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head then, ignoring his growling stomach as he continued to hold her. "You know if you're ever worried about anything, you can talk to me about it. I can reassure you if it's a worry that needs reassuring or talk it out with you if that's kind of thing. I'm not just the pretty guy you get to kiss and tease and get distracted with. We're partners now. That means we share whatever's going on with either of us."

---

Ceren didn't like Elwin moving out onto the ice, even though it was a couple of steps, worried about it breaking underneath him, so she was relieved when he retreated back onto solid land, frowning up at him as he teased her about checking. "I know you're fine, but you might not have been if you'd fallen through." She pressed up on her toes and kissed him. "If I'm not allowed to worry or think about work, you aren't allowed to get hurt, especially not by falling into an ice cold pond and making me pull you out."

@ sun spirit

Aerith snuggled close, her own stomach growling, although she was much too comfortable to sit up. She tilted her head up to look at him as he spoke, nodding a little as he encouraged her to speak to him about her worries in the future, a little smile appearing on her lips. "I know you're not just my pretty husband.. I'm glad I get to be your partner, Nyrel. I promise I'll help you with your worries too." She murmured, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "Are you hungry? I think I heard your stomach growl a few minutes ago." She teased softly, gently brushing her fingers along his jaw. "You're very handsome, did you know that?"

---

Elwin chuckled against her lips, holding her close as his nose brushed against hers, resting his forehead against hers. "I wouldn't expect you to pull me out, Cer. I'm not helpless." He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. "You can use your magic to check on me whenever you want, I'll never be upset with you for it."

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled, taking Aerith's hand and brushing a kiss across her knuckles, glad and relieved to see her already acting more like her normal self. "I look forward to it," he said. When she mentioned his stomach growling though, he gave her a sheepish look. "I knew it was too much to hope you wouldn't hear that; I didn't want to say anything with you upset." Their food was still sitting on the nearby table after Aerith had pulled it away from the fire where it had been warmed. He chuckled as she traced his jaw with her fingers, leaning in to give her a kiss. "I think I might've heard that a time or two," he teased.

---

Ceren sighed as she rested her forehead against his. "I know you aren't, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't need help or that I wouldn't be scared." Still, she couldn't help but smile when he kissed the tip of her nose. "Good, because I worry," she said, taking his hands and kissing him again. "I'm starting to think you just like the way my magic feels though," she added teasingly. While most people didn't notice when she was feeling them out for injuries or anomalies, Elwin seemed to be sensitive and always knew, and not for the first time, she wondered what, exactly, he felt.

@ sun spirit

Aerith giggled a bit at his sheepish look, pressing a reassuring kiss to his lips before sliding off his lap, tugging the blanket she'd had draped around her earlier around her shoulders. "You have to take care of yourself too, Nyrel. What if something happened to you cause you were always too focused on taking care of me?" She giggled at his teasing, resting her hand against his cheek gently. "Hopefully you only heard it from me. I can't have my husband being flattered by other ladies." She teased, pressing a kiss to his cheek before standing and tugging at his arm, knowing they should eat so that then they could go to bed.

---

"It tickles." Elwin smirked at her teasing, keeping her close as they stood in the snow. She looked gorgeous all bundled up, with the snow around her and the flakes catching in her hair and eyelashes. It was going to be difficult to remain distracted with her looking so lovely, but he'd put all his effort into it, knowing that neither of them were ready for children just yet. "My mother would sometimes use her magic on me like that. She wasn't a healed, I don't really know what her magic did, but she'd use it to check on me, make sure I was alright. I guess it just reminds me of her."

@ katahdin

Nyrel chuckled, giving her a quick kiss. "Eating dinner a little later than usual isn't going to kill me. If I stop eating altogether, then we'll worry," standing and taking her hand in his as they walked to the small table where they'd left their food. It was still warm, thankfully, and smelled good. "Who said anything about other ladies? Elwin happens to find me very attractive," he joked, taking his own chair once Aerith was situated in hers, blanket still around her shoulders. He began to serve their food then, making a plate for her before doing the same for himself.

---

Of all the descriptions Elwin could have used to describe her magic, saying it tickled wasn't one Ceren expected, and she let out a startled giggle as she smiled up at her husband, though her heart ached when he mentioned his mother. She reached up, caressing his face with one hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when they died, and you had to take on everything alone. I feel silly for the letter now, but I wasn't allowed to leave the Academy, and it was the only thing I could think of to do."

@ sun spirit

Aerith giggled at Nyrel's joke, taking his hand again once he'd finished serving them their meal, giving it a squeeze before digging in, humming happily. "If you leave me for my brother, I will be very upset. I bet Ceren also won't appreciate her brother stealing her husband." She teased between bites, smiling over at him. She did her best to take her time eating, but it had been a long day and she was famished, so it wasn't too long before she had finished her meal and started on the last few of the honey tarts, sitting back in her chair as she looked over at Nyrel, nudging her toes against his leg with a little smile.

---

Elwin smiled at her giggled, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he held her close. He leaned his head into her hand when she apologized, shaking his head a little as he turned to press a kiss to her palm. "You don't have to apologise, Cer. You were away at the academy, and all you could do was send that letter. I think I still have it somewhere." He smiled, tugging her close to press a kiss to her lips. "I appreciated it. You were the only one who was sincere, all the other letters were from people asking for favors or trying to butter me up. You were the only one who reached out and tried to help me."

@ katahdin

“I wouldn’t dare leave you, no matter how much your brother flatters me,” Nyrel grinned, squeezing Aerith’s hand. Like her, he was hungry after their long day and started digging into his meal immediately. Aerith still beat him in finishing, but he wasn’t long behind her, letting out a content sigh once there was nothing left on his plate. “I needed that,” he said, smiling as he saw her nibbling on one of the last remaining honey tarts. “If you finish them off tonight, you won’t have any left for breakfast you know,” he teased.

---

Ceren smiled as Elwin said he’d kept her letter, holding onto him as she kissed him back. “I can’t possibly be the only person in the kingdom who tried to make sure you and Aerith were alright. Aer’s always had a hard time making friends, but you had other people. They must’ve cared, at least a little.” She kissed him again. “Just because I knew what it was like a little bit doesn’t mean I was the only one who meant it.”

@ sun spirit

Aerith squeezed his hand in return, smiling across the table at him. "Good." She lounged in her chair while she waited for Nyrel to finish eating, nibbling on her honey tart as her eyelids grew heavy, feeling even sleepier now that she'd eaten and had her blanket from before wrapped around her. She continued to nudge her feet childishly against his legs under the table, offering him a small mischievous smile as she curled into her blanket with her honey tart. "I can always have you for breakfast.." she murmured teasingly, rubbing tiredly at her eyes as a faint blush lit up her cheeks.

---

Elwin chuckled softly at her assurance that her letter couldn't have been the only one, returning her kiss as he kept her close. "I have the others somewhere too, I think.. You should read them if I ever find them, then you'll see how all of my 'friends' cared after my parents died.. I'm pretty sure your brother sent me a letter. Aerith didn't get any, so I used my magic to change my handwriting and wrote a half a dozen or so letters to her saying what I wish everyone else had said. I think I signed one as your brother, funnily enough. If I remember right she also was confused because she received another letter from him a week later, and was very confused as to why the Baron had sent her two letters." He chuckled, shaking his head at the memory.

@ katahdin

Nyrel had thought if he didn’t react to Aerith’s toes nudging his leg that she might eventually stop, but as it continued, he put a hand on her leg near her foot and patted it. Curled into her blanket, she looked half-asleep as she slowly ate her honey-tart, but apparently she had enough energy for naughty comments, and he chuckled, rubbing her leg as he responded. “Any day,” he assured her. After yawning, he sat back and stretched. “I think it’s bedtime for us once you get finished with that honey tart though.”

---

Though Elwin could laugh it off, Ceren could only frown at his words. The fact that she alone had made an effort to reach out to either Elwin or Aerith for comfort and sympathy was almost incomprehensible. “That’s horrible, El. Your parents had just died; you both needed comfort and people to be there for you. I had letters from both you and Aer when my parents died. My teachers and the others I was studying with all tried to help. That’s what happens when something that horrible happens to someone.” She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, El. I would’ve stayed with you two as long as you needed me and brought you sweets and let you cry and whatever else you needed."

@ sun spirit

Although Aerith's eyes had closed she continued to eat her honey tart, her smile only growing when he rubbed her leg and responded to her naughty comment, giggling softly. She finally set her honey tart down when there were only a few bites left, the young woman too tired and full to finish it, humming tiredly as she stretched a little before curling into her blanket further, holding out her arms and making little grabbing motions with her fingers. "Carry me..?" She asked, too lazy to get up and walk to their bed herself.

---

Elwin's arms tightened around her as he held her close, sighing into her hair as he listened to her apologize. "It's fine, Cer, really.. Aerith and I had each other, we got through it. The Council didn't really give me time to grieve, I was crowned King two days after their death, and was swept up into all the politics and paperwork that it involved. I'm just glad you weren't too busy with your studies to think of me." He smiled, gently brushing his thumb over her cheek. "Aerith would have loved you if you'd snuck her sweets. No one would give them to her, because the Council wanted to marry her off to form a political alliance with some other kingdom, but I quickly stopped them on that. I had to let them get away with a lot of other things, but I wasn't going to let them send my sister away to be miserable somewhere."

@ katahdin

When Aerith held her hands out and demanded to be carried like a toddler, Nyrel couldn’t help but laugh, although it was as he stood and walked around the table to her. “Your wish is my command,” he said as he lifted her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he walked to their bed, where he sat down while still holding her and carefully maneuvered them into laying back with Aerith curled on top of him. Not wanting to let go of her, he used his magic to pull the covers over them and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, Aer.”

---

“I’ll never be too busy to think of you and Aerith. You’re my oldest, closest friends,” Ceren said, hugging him a little tighter before she loosened her arms to pull back and press a kiss to his lips. “Besides, we’re married now. If I’m too busy to think about you, something’s wrong.” She ran her fingers through his hair, upsetting some of the snowflakes that had settled there, and as her hands slowly drifted back down to his face, she bit her lip. “We should probably keep walking so I don’t have to go sit in the snow...”

@ sun spirit

Aerith's arms snaked securely around his neck as he carried her to their room, happily curling into his arms. She did her best to shift with him to make it easier for them to lay down, tucking her blanket around him as well, even as he used his magic to pull the covers up over them. "Goodnight, Nyrel.. I love you lots." She mumbled into his chest, her arms wrapped securely around him as she dozed off to sleep in his arms.

---

Elwin chuckled and happily returned her kiss, gently brushing his thumbs over her cheeks as he gazed down at her. "I could keep you company in the snow, if you'd like. We could cuddle, maybe kiss a little." He teased, leaning down to kiss her again. "I'll keep you warm, I promise."

@ katahdin

“I love you too,” Nyrel murmured as he kissed the top of her head, likewise falling asleep quickly now that he was laying in bed with his wife in his arms.

---

Ceren smiled as she kissed Elwin back, enjoying this moment with him, but when their lips parted, she took a couple of steps back, putting a little distance between them. “That would defeat the purpose of sitting in the snow.” She reached for his hand and tugged him away from the pond, toward the trees a little farther away. “We’re trying to behave, and that means no more kissing for a little while.”

@ sun spirit
(skipping ahead)

The three months following Elwin's marriage to Ceren went smoothly. He reconvened the Council, who begrudgingly agreed to support his marriage to Ceren, and to accept Nyrel's marriage to Aerith, as well as his new position as Elwin's personal advisor. A few of the older members, particularly Deldrach, had it out for the older Stonewater for the first few weeks, but he quickly put them in their place. Elwin had also been helping Ceren with her new duties as Queen, starting her off easy with simple tasks that she could manage without much effort, while also preparing her for some of the greater tasks, like giving speeches and kissing up to the nobility. Overall he was incredibly happy with the way things were going, so after a long week where they'd both been swamped with work, he'd planned a small private meal for them to share, to relax and unwind, while also celebrating how well everything had been going so far.

The King and Queen had just sat down at the table set up in their room to eat when there was a knock at the door, and a courier came in with a message for Elwin, saying that one of the Council members needed to speak with him urgently. With a sigh Elwin stood, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he squeezed her hand. "Feel free to start without me, I'll make this quick, I promise. It'll be like I never left." He grinned, kissing her once more for good measure before following the messenger out into the hall to hear whatever it was that was the problem.

---

Meanwhile, Aerith was returning from spending the day in the forests, collecting moss and mushrooms and various critters for her room. With Nyrel in meetings from dawn until dusk, she'd had to find ways to entertain herself when he wasn't around. This mostly included waking early to train, and then heading out into the forests for some sort of adventure, or wandering around the streets in the city, occasionally buying something she thought Nyrel might like. Most of the time she was wrong, and he didn't like the gifts she bought him, but he always said that it was the thought that counts, and she didn't dare stop, worried that if she did she'd miss the opportunity to give him something that he actually did like.

Today she'd spent much of her day in a swamp, and was caked in mud from head to toe, bits of vegetation and sticks clinging to her clothes and hair. She hummed as she walked into their room, heading right for the room that housed her collection of things, placing the jars of moss and mushrooms on the shelves, before depositing the insects and fish she'd caught in their proper tanks. She was so preoccupied with making sure everything was settled that she didn't realize that not all of the mud had dried, and that what was left on her boots was leaving a rather obvious and messy trail after her.

@ katahdin

Ceren was just starting to adjust to her new life. Though waking up to her husband every morning helped ease the transition, it was odd not to wake up every morning and immediately make her way to the infirmary or even wake up in the Royal Healer’s office occasionally and spend her days surrounded by herbs and injuries. Instead, there were meetings and paperwork and events and persons she’d only vaguely known existed who suddenly wanted to talk to her. She didn’t completely give up being a healer though. Taliesin always sent for her when there was an emergency, and though there might be days between, these times drained her magic in a way that was ultimately satisfying, and she didn’t even mind trudging into a meeting late and exhausted.

She’d just finished healing someone from injuries received after being stomped over by a scared horse when she found out about the dinner Elwin had planned. After changing out of her soiled clothes and cleaning up, she returned to their room to find dinner already set at a table. The knock at the door interrupted them before they even got a bite in, however. “I might have to take you up on that. I’m starving,” Ceren smiled, returning her husband’s kiss, knowing he was aware she’d just come back from the infirmary and was used to her pattern of eating and sleeping just after healing. She let him go to deal with whatever the urgent message was about, not too worried since “urgent messages” were seldom as important as they were made out to be, and started to put food on her plate, including a generous helping of roasted vegetables. She happily began to eat, noticing immediately that the vegetables tasted unusually bitter, but she ultimately decided it was possible that they were picked a little early or something else, and it wasn’t too unusual for her to stop eating.

After a few minutes, however, she started to feel odd. It was almost like she was lightheaded at first, but then she felt her stomach turn. This wasn’t the first time in the last week that she’d left a meal to throw-up, and she stumbled to the bathroom now, fighting back dizziness. When the contents of her stomach came up, though, rather than just the roasted vegetables she’d eaten, there was blood too. She tried to call Elwin, but she puked again instead, clutching the counter to stay on her feet as she heaved blood and food.

---

After two of weeks of doing nothing except spending as much time with his wife as he wanted, it was hard adjusting to taking on the role of Baron once again in addition to being the King’s advisor and Aerith resuming her duties as a general. His days were considerably more full than hers, for which he felt bad and tried to make up for it by giving her every spare moment of his time that he was able, but he also found himself enjoying what he was doing as advisor. He helped Ceren too, as she adjusted to being Queen, and he came back to his rooms every night to spend his evenings with Aerith. Tonight, Elwin had decided to call a small break and he had extra time as well, with which he fully planned on using to shower his wife with attention.

He noticed the trail of mud before he even reached their rooms, dirty footprints tracking right up to their door. He winced, noticing they looked fresh, and after following them into the rooms and specifically to the room he’d dubbed Aerith’s greenhouse and bestiary, he found his wife appearing a few branches short of being a swamp monster. Usually he would’ve kissed her by now, but when she moved towards him, he put a hand out. “Aerith, I love you,” he began. “And I have nothing else to do tonight so I would love nothing more than to spend time with you, but I am not kissing, hugging, cuddling, or doing any other activity with you that requires touch until you’ve had a bath.” During which he would be cleaning the floors, but there was no reason to make her feel bad. He knew who he’d asked to marry him and knew this day was coming for him eventually.

@ sun spirit

Elwin knew that she was hungry, and that she'd be wanting to eat and head to bed early after a busy day on top of a healing emergency, so he tried to spend as little time as possible out in the hall with the courier, dealing with his 'emergency', which as usual, turned out to be a bunch of hogwash. He spent maybe five, ten minutes max in the hallway dealing with the 'crisis,' and was happy to return to dinner with his wife, although when he entered the room again and didn't see Ceren at the table, his brows furrowed in concern.

"Cer?" He called. He knew her stomach had been upsetting her over the past week, and he assumed that it was just the stress from some of her new duties as queen that were bothering her. However, when he spotted her in the bathroom, heaving and coughing blood he panicked, rushing to her side to wrap his arms around her tightly, tugging her into the main room so that he could see her better, checking for any obvious injuries. "Oh, gods, Ceren. Are you alright? What happened?" He spoke quickly, struggling to stay calm and levelheaded, although that was incredibly hard when he was holding his injured wife in his arms. He looked around the room quickly for any obvious things that could have hurt her, his magic also searching for whatever had harmed her. His eyes only widened when they settled on her partially eaten meal, his magic telling him that the vegetables she enjoyed had been poisoned.

Turning back to her he shook his head quickly, pushing her hair from her face. "It'll be ok, Cer. Don't you worry.." He murmured, attempting to use his magic to heal her, the way that she had taught him, but in his panic he couldn't focus, couldn't remember how to heal someone who had been poisoned, so when she lost consciousness an overwhelming dread crept into him. He let out a loud wail of grief, with combined with his magic lashing out rocked the castle, causing windows and vases to shatter and portraits to fall off the walls, the furniture in their room splintering and shattering as well, the doors flying off their hinges.

It was no surprise that the guards nearby heard him, but they couldn't get past his magic, so while one remained at the door to keep curious nobles at bay, another went to find the Royal Healer and the King's advisor and sister, hoping that perhaps they could help calm him down long enough to get to the Queen.

---

Aerith smiled brightly as she turned to Nyrel, stepping forward to kiss him as she usually did, although she wasn't surprised when he stopped her from touching him. She giggled when he said she had to take a bath before she was allowed near him, nodding in agreement. "I know.. I was hoping to be all cleaned up before you got back. I'm sorry about the floor, I didn't notice my boots were still muddy until it was too late." Before he could prevent her she grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to his fingers, settling for that small gesture before she headed to the bathroom, where she pulled her muddy clothes off of her and dumped them in the laundry basket to be dealt with later before climbing into the tub.

She spent maybe ten minutes just scrubbing the mud and other nasty stuff from her hair and skin before moving on to actually using soap to finish washing, although when she heard a frantic knock at their door and something about the King and Queen being in trouble, she hurriedly rinsed the soap from her hair and body before wrapping herself in a towel and hurrying from the bath, grateful that Nyrel had already answered the door.

A guard stood at the door, panting and clearly frantic, looking between the two of them worriedly. "Something has happened to the Queen, and the King has lost it.. He's lashed out with his magic, no one can reach either of them." The guard explained, and before he'd even finished Aerith was rushing to her wardrobe to dress, tugging a shirt and pants on quickly before rushing out the door. She'd remembered a similar instance happening when her parents died, and she was terrified that she was about to lose her family all over again.