Say No To This

@ katahdin

Nyrel was relieved when Aerith stayed put instead of trying to hug him like last time, shaking his head as she apologized. “It’s fine. I know you get messy. As long as I don’t get dragged into it too, it’s okay.” Of course, she had to grab his hand as soon as he said that, and he gave her a look that was part fake scowl and part very real pout. “Okay, time to get clean,” he said, shooing her into the bathroom, where he stopped to clean his hand before moving back into the room to clean the floors.

He’d only gotten halfway through the process when there was frantic knocking at the door though. Abandoning his cleaning, he stood up to answer the door, his face paling as the guard explained that something had happened to Ceren and Elwin was lashing out. Aerith entered the room at the end of the explanation wearing only a towel and left before it was even finished. “Aer, I’m going ahead. I’ll meet you there!” He called, knowing she had to be dressing, and rushed to the King and Queen’s room with the scared guard.

The hallways closer to the room were a wreck, filled with shattered glass and broken paintings and knick-knacks, and it was impossible to get near the room itself thanks to some sort of invisible magical vortex that tossed around debris and blocked anyone from being able to enter. As he got closer, Nyrel saw the Royal Healer and heard him trying to shout to Elwin to calm his magic so he could get to Ceren. Then his eyes fell on his sister. She was limp in Elwin’s arms and there was blood on the front of her dress and in her hair, even on Elwin. There was something obviously very wrong.

“Elwin! Let us in! Ceren needs help!” Nyrel yelled, fearing the worst, that maybe this reaction was because she was actually dead. There was no change in the King, however, even after Aerith joined and tried talking to him. He looked to Taliesin. “If she’s still alive, how long do we have to calm down Elwin?”

Taliesin shook his head, obviously worried but trained to keep calm in a crisis. “I don’t know what’s wrong, so I can’t say. I can’t even tell if she’s breathing from here. It might be too late, maybe I could help if I get to her soon, or maybe she has more time. I just don’t know. I need him to let me treat her,” he explained quickly.

“Can you keep this from happening again if I knock him out?” Nyrel asked.

To his credit, Taliesin didn’t call it impossible or ask how the elf proposed to do such a thing. “Yes,” he said instead.

It was something Nyrel had never considered attempting before, except maybe with Fenian, but since he couldn’t physically get past Elwin’s barrier, he instead used his magic and stopped the air in the King’s lungs. Given what Elwin was doing, Nyrel was sure the King would be capable of stopping him if he focused, but thankfully, he seemed too panicked to put up more than a token resistance, and after a spike in which the barrier and destruction increased, Elwin slumped next to Ceren, his magic disappearing along with his consciousness. Only then did Nyrel let air back in, as he, Aerith, and Taliesin rushed into the room.

Taliesin immediately went to Ceren, letting his magic enter her as soon as he made physical contact, and was relieved to find her alive. He quickly let the others know and gave the order for someone to go to the infirmary and get other healers, along with sedatives and the herb that was used to dampen magic. Meanwhile, he concentrated on finding the source of her bleeding and came up against a powerful poison that was already well into her system. He began to pour his magic into her on the spot, burning the toxin out of her system. He exhausted everything he had in him before he even got it all, a small amount still in her along with the damage it had done. Thankfully, the other healers had arrived by then and with direction from Nyrel, had given Elwin both sedative and the magic dampening herb. Taliesin stood on wobbly legs and ordered the Queen to be taken to the infirmary while explaining her state and what was left to be done.

Elwin was moved to the infirmary as well, after Ceren, partially because he was unconscious and should be examined and partially to keep him close to Ceren so he would hopefully be calmer when he woke up. Alwyin and Nadya finished healing Ceren, one able to burn the rest of the poison out of the young Queen’s system and start the healing process and the other able to finish repairing the internal damage. Nyrel, meanwhile, had movement in the castle essentially stopped—kitchen and maid staff halted from carrying out their duties for interrogations and guards posted outside the infirmary. He didn’t stop giving orders and trying to get answers until he was told that his sister would live, at which point he all but collapsed in a chair next to where both she and Elwin lay sleeping, covering his face with his hands. “Thank the gods,” he said softly to Aerith, who had helped with giving orders but like him had chosen to stay with her family. “We almost lost her. Someone tried to kill her, Aer.”

@ sun spirit

Aerith was out the door only a few minutes after Nyrel, gripping his arm tightly to steady herself as she saw the destruction Elwin had caused, as well as Ceren's limp and bloody body. "Elwin! Elwin let us help!" She shouted desperately, beginning to panic when Elwin didn't listen to any of their pleas.

She looked up at Nyrel with desperate eyes, her grip on his arm only tightening. "Please, you have to do something.." she begged, relieved when he began to speak with Taliesin about knocking Elwin out, and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when Elwin's body finally slumped to the ground. She rushed into the room and to her brother and sister-in-law's sides, letting out a choked sob as she sat out of the way, allowing the healer to do his work.

She refused to leave their side even as they were carried to the infirmary, ordering the castle be locked down and guards placed at all the entrances and exits, as well as extra guards to patrol the halls to keep the nobility and servants in their rooms while they awaited questioning. She paced around the room anxiously in the hours that followed, grateful that Taliesin let her have a spoonful or two of honey to try to calm her nerves, although it didn't help much.

When the healers finally gave the all clear that Ceren would love she felt like collapsing, but moved over to where her husband sat, wrapping her arms around him as she cradled his head against her stomach. She was shaking, but running her trembling fingers through his hair helped a bit, even if it was only a little distraction. "Someone tried to kill them both.. They found poison in the vegetables and the wine. Why.. Why would someone want to hurt them?" She choked out as the years she'd been holding back finally started to leak down her cheeks, holding onto her husband tightly.

Throughout this time Elwin had remained unconscious, uninjured despite the havock he'd wrecked upon his room. It wasn't long after it was announced that Ceren would like that he stirred, sitting up with a groan, taking a minute to focus his eyes and try to clear his headache before looking around desperately for Ceren. "Ceren, Ceren, where is she..?" He slurred as he tried to stand, the sedative he'd been given helping him to remain somewhat calm, and his magic was under control thanks to the herb he'd been given.

Aerith moved from her husband to her brother, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "She's ok, El. She's gonna be ok, we promise." She reassured him, squeezing him tightly in her arms before she helped guide him over to Ceren's bed, where he promptly sat down and took her hand, frowning worriedly as he looked her over.

"..Someone tried to kill her. I want to know who and I want to know why." He said after a moment, eyes hardening as he squeezed his wife's hand. He was furious, and it was only thanks to the herbs he'd been given that nothing had been broken yet.

@ katahdin

As she cradled his head against her stomach, Nyrel reached out, wrapping his arms loosely around Aerith as well, tightening his hold when he heard the way her voice wavered. "I--I don't know, Aer," he said, pulling back to tug her into his lap. In a way, his words were a lie. As someone who knew both Elwin and Ceren, he couldn't imagine why anyone who knew them would want either of them dead. They were both selfless and dedicated to the kingdom and doing their best, despite how young they were. He didn't want to admit the other reasons out loud though--the perspective others could take. That it could be the same people that had killed Elwin and Aerith's parents, who thought they had a chance at the throne or wanted the Heletoris line to die out. There were half a dozen political possibilities.

He was saved from thinking over each and every one in detail when Elwin woke up though, and Nyrel released Aerith so she could go to her brother to reassure him and help him. Thankfully, whatever the healers had given him seemed to be working, and though he could barely stand, nothing else broke. "We're already working on it. The castle's effectively been shut down, and we've started questioning. The nobility's also been confined, and Aerith handled security," Nyrel said softly, hesitating before adding softly, "I'm sorry for suffocating and drugging you. No one could get near Ceren, and you did serious damage to the east wing. We didn't want to chance that you'd wake up and do it again."

Having noticed that Elwin was awake, Taliesin stood from the cot he'd sat down on and walked to the small group surrounding Ceren, who was sleeping deeply. The Royal Healer looked uncharacteristically gaunt, his usual smile replaced with solemnity. "It's been a long night. You should all get some sleep. We cleared out all of the poison and repaired the damage it did, so it's just a matter of letting her rest and recuperate her magic. She won't wake until morning at the earliest, likely later. You're welcome to sleep in the cot next to her, of course, Elwin. A few of us are spending the night in the infirmary, so we'll be available in case there are any unforeseen complications... There are also a couple of things I noticed as I was healing her that you should know, but it can wait until morning. Nothing bad, mind you--everything is fine with Ceren now." He wasn't sure it was smart to add to what Elwin was already feeling. They'd given the King Boldo leaves to keep his magic under check, but because they weren't sure how powerful his magic was and were wary against overdosing him, he wasn't sure how effective the herb would be. They could give him a fresh dose in the morning before revealing the secondary news and hope it was enough to avoid a second wave of destruction.

@ sun spirit

Aerith gladly moved into her husband's lap when he tugged her close, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. She knew he must have some idea about who could possibly be behind the attack; he was too smart to not have some idea. But she didn't want to think about it now. She was relieved that they were all alright, and that everything would be fine now that Ceren was healed.

She held her brothers arm as she helped him take a seat at the edge of Ceren's bed, the king gazing down at Ceren worriedly, wishing she'd wake up and tell him that she was alright herself. He felt so guilty for having not been there, perhaps he could have stopped her, saved her, or at least taken the poison too, so that they'd be in this together. He barely glanced up when Talisen first approached, brushing his wife's hair from her face, although when the healer mentioned finding something when he'd been healing her he looked up at him worriedly. "What did you find? If you've found anything that isn't normal, I want to know about it." He was clearly terrified of anything happening to her, his attention completely focused on his wife.

Aerith frowned at her brother, letting out a little sigh as he asked to hear whatever news it was. "You need to rest, El.. Get some sleep. There will be extra guards in the hall, and extra patrols. Nothing is going to hurt either of you." She murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead before turning to Nyrel, looking absolutely exhausted. "We should go.. We'll have a busy day tomorrow." She murmured, tugging at his hand lightly to get him to stand, wanting to return to their room so she could go to sleep as soon as possible. She was quite hungry, but she didn't dare eat anything tonight given the circumstances, and she was sure a good night's sleep would be beneficial to them come tomorrow.

@ katahdin

Taliesin had already given Nyrel and Aerith an overview of everything, from why it took three healers to completely heal Ceren to how it had affected her so badly despite her magic. Nyrel couldn't imagine the healing wanting to bring up the gruesome details to Elwin, unless he thought something was pertinent to finding the person responsible, and agreed it could wait until the morning when perhaps things would be a little calmer and they might have someone in a cell. "Aerith's right. There's nothing else to be done on our end tonight. We'll reconvene in the morning and see what can be done," Nyrel said, though, by the stubborn look on Elwin's face, sleep would be long-coming for the King.

Nyrel nodded as Aerith suggested they go and get sleep themselves, standing and squeezing her hand tightly as they made their way past the guards just outside the infirmary and towards their rooms. Unlike his wife, he was the farthest thing from hungry, all the emotions from the past few hours like a rock inside him. When they stepped in their rooms, the floors were still only half-cleaned where he'd abandoned them, but he just stepped around the mess this time. Once he was in bed, holding his wife tightly in his arms, he let out a breath against the top of her head. "We're going to find who did this," he promised.

---

After the Baron and Princess left, Taliesin sat down in the chair beside Ceren's cot, watching Elwin clutch her hand and looking as if he didn't plan on sleeping anytime soon, as if he were afraid that she might slip away the moment he closed his eyes despite all reassurances otherwise. "Again, I want to remind you that there is nothing wrong. Everything is fine now, and that's why I suggested I tell you what I found in the morning, when you might be a little calmer and the person responsible for the poison arrested. If you want to know now though, I need your word that you'll try to stay calm. You destroyed the east wing, Elwin, and while you shouldn't be able to again, you still might be able to hurt people, like the healers and guards here who are just trying to help."

Only after making sure the King heard that and promised to try and keep calm did Taliesin sigh. "The poison... whoever planned this knew that Ceren was a talented healer, but not how powerful. If she hadn't spent her magic here just before eating, she would've been able to fight it herself. She would've needed help getting it out of her system, more than likely, but her magic would've protected her from a good portion of it. Because of this dose being intended to take down a healer, you almost assuredly would've died had you ingested it. It is a minor miracle you are both alive right now." After a pause, Taliesin continued, "Ceren wasn't completely drained of magic. The emergency earlier today was hard work on her, but not the worst she's attended to. Her magic tried to help and likely did somewhat, but I suspect her reserves were protecting something in particular." He hesitated again. "Gods, I can't think of an elegant or easy way to tell you this. She's pregnant, Elwin, with twins. No damage was done to the fetuses though, and no poison had reached them, hence my suspicion about her magic protecting them. They and Ceren are fine now though, I swear."

@ sun spirit

Aerith clung to her husband as they returned to their room, not even bothering to change into her nightgown before she slipped into bed with her husband. She felt better once she was tangled up in his arms, letting out the occasional sniffle as stray tears leaked down her cheeks."I know we will.. But I'm afraid. What if they try again? What if it's like last time, and Elwin and Ceren die? I-I don't want to lose my family." She curled further into his arms as she choked back a sob, clinging to his shirt.

---

Elwin gave a little nod when Aerith and Nyrel excused themselves, attention focused on his wife. He finally looked away when Taliesin spoke of the destruction he'd caused, and urged him to promise not to do it again. "I'll do what I can, Taliesin.. But I have to know what's going on. So I can keep her safe." He insisted, looking back down at her. She looked so peaceful, but he knew that she'd been in so much pain earlier, all because he'd married her. It should have been me. The thought continued to repeat over and over in his head as the healer spoke, getting into detail about how the poison had nearly killed her and how thanks to her magic she was alive.

But when Taliesin mentioned that Ceren was pregnant, the King's shoulders tensed, his grip tightening on her hand. Despite his best efforts to stay calm, a few windowpanes cracked, a glass jar or two of herbs shattered, the wooden doors groaning under stress from his magic. "She's.. Twins?" He asked softly, a large range of emotions crossing his features. He was simultaneously ecstatic to hear the news, while terrified that he'd nearly lost not only his wife but his children. Children. Plural. "They're alright? They're all safe?" He looked at Taliesin, desperation clear in his eyes. "...Someone tried to kill my wife. My children.. I don't.. I don't know what I'd have done if.."

@ katahdin

Nyrel had forced himself to remain as calm as he could throughout everything, to be level-headed and make sure what needed to happen got done in Elwin's place, Aerith helping tremendously when he suspected she would've been too emotional to think clearly, but there was nothing left to do now, and as he held his crying wife, everything he'd pushed down started to hit him. He'd almost lost his sister, his last living relative. Ceren had always seemed indestructible somehow--advanced beyond her age, capable, dependable. She fixed people; she didn't need fixing. Except today, when he'd seen her covered in blood. Nyrel held Aerith tight as he felt tears begin to fall from his eyes. "Shh, we won't let that happen," he responded, trying to sound as sure as he could. "We aren't going to let anyone kill them. We'll make sure more security is put in place and find out who did this and why and keep anything from happening again, I promise. We won't lose them too."

---

The fact that Elwin was able to shatter jars and crack glass was a testament to how strong his magic was, and Taliesin winced at the sound, though he was grateful they'd guessed the Boldo leaf dose accurately enough to prevent it from being worse. "They're fine. All healthy and safe now," he immediately reassured his King, seeing that he needed to hear the words. "The guards will keep you safe, and any food brought in for either of you will be tested. Nothing else is going to happen, and you don't have to think about if because it didn't happen. You should try to sleep. I can bring you something to help. Ceren might be a little tired when she wakes up tomorrow, but there isn't anything physically wrong with her anymore, and if her reaction to the fight the two of you had before you were married is any indication, she's going to try to handle everything by throwing herself into her work, so she'll need you to help keep her stable." They would need each other, really, but Taliesin suspected Elwin would cooperate better if it was suggested he do something for Ceren rather than himself.

@ sun spirit

Aertih sniffled as she snuggled closer, her heart breaking even more as she heard her husband crying. Sure, she'd nearly lost her friend, and her brother was obviously in bad shape because of it, but Nyrel had nearly lost a sister, his only living family. "I-I know you're right.." she murmured into his chest, moving up until she could nuzzle her nose into the crook of his neck, squeezing her arms around him in an attempt to reassure him. "We'll wake up in the morning, and Ceren will be ok, and we can go sit with her and keep her safe." She whispered, looking up at him. She didn't like seeing Nyrel upset like this

---

Elwin looked down at Ceren worriedly as Talisen spoke, reassuring him that Ceren and the babies were alright, although he still found himself worrying about their safety. When Taliesin suggested he get some sleep he shook his head, gripping Ceren's hand tighter. "No. I have to be awake when she wakes up. I can't sleep until I know she's alright." Elwin spoke, clearly determined not to sleep despite obviously needing to. "If she wakes up before me she'll try to overdo herself, she won't rest like she needs and the babies will get hurt or she'll get hurt, and I can't let anything happen to them."

@ katahdin

Nyrel buried his nose in Aerith's hair as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck, taking comfort from her nearness as he attempted to stop the slow tears currently leaking from his eyes. "That sounds good," he said softly. "Talk to her, make sure she's fine before we see how things are going with finding who did it." He could see Aerith's worry when she looked at him, and he he gave her a small smile as he kissed her forehead. "Don't look at me like that. I'm fine. Ceren's alive and safe, and that's what was matters."

---

Though he'd hoped Elwin would be reasonable and try to get some sleep while Ceren was unconscious as well, Taliesin also wasn't entirely surprised when the young King refused and certainly in no position to attempt to force him. Sighing, the Royal Healer nodded. "Okay," he said, accepting that Elwin needed to hear from his wife's own lips that she wasn't hurt, and stood. "If you need me for anything, I'll be in my office." With that, he left Elwin to his vigil and made his way to his office, where he laid down on the cot Ceren had used so often when she'd spend the night at the infirmary and quickly fell asleep, exhausted from the healing he'd done.

When he woke in the morning, Taliesin exited his office to find Elwin still sitting next to Ceren, looking as if he hadn't risked sleeping at all throughout the night. It took some hesitant consideration, but the Royal Healer decided to make tea for both himself and the King. He heated the water, added the tea leaves, and then in Elwin's mug, included a couple of more herbs that would calm and sedate him. Once he was finished making both drinks, he carried them over to Elwin and passed the King his mug as he sat down in a nearby chair. "How has she been?" he asked as he took a sip of his tea.

@ sun spirit

Aerith felt a bit of reassurance when she saw Nyrel smile, reaching her hand up to rest against his cheek, her thumb lightly brushing away his tears. "I'm the one who is supposed to cry in this relationship, not you." She teased softly, scooting closer to press a gentle kiss to his lips before drawing back, frowning a bit in concern as she looked at him. "What if they come after us too..? Taliesin said the poison they used was strong, and that if Ceren hadn't been such a strong healer she would have died.. I-If one of us, or Elwin had taken it, we'd be dead.." she curled into his arms, tucking her face back into the crook of his neck. "I don't want to lose any of you.." she whispered, fingers gripping his shirt tightly.

---

Elwin looked up when Taliesin took a seat nearby, tensing a bit as he looked at him. He'd been awake all night, not daring to risk falling asleep in case Ceren woke, or there was another attack, so he gratefully accepted the tea, hoping it would help soothe him a bit and also keep him awake until Ceren woke up. He ignored how hot it was and drank most of it in a few gulps, setting the mug down on the nearby table with a sheepish look when he noticed Taliesin looking at him.

"She's been sleeping, I don't think anything has changed.. Sometimes she'll make a little noise or two, sometimes she'll shift around a bit. I've been trying to keep her comfortable... She's going to be upset that I destroyed our room. Her plants on the window, her bookshelf.. Do you think she'll forgive me?" He asked softly. It was more than just destroying her things in grief after she'd been poisoned. He felt guilty for leaving the room, for not being there to take the poison with her, that he spent so much time talking to that stupid courier in the hall about nothing, while his wife was coughing up blood in the other room. It didn't take long for the sedatives in the tea to kick in, and with a yawn he shifted to lay down on the edge of the cot next to Ceren, draping a protective arm over her. He could just lay down for a minute or two, just rest for a moment, and Taliesin had said that she'd be awake in the morning, so she should be awake soon.

@ katahdin

Nyrel gave Aerith a wry half-smile. "That was before I nearly lost my sister and the Stonewaters almost became as endangered as the Heletorises," he said softly, sniffling once--gods, he was sniffling--and trying to wrest the tears under control. It worked. Mostly. "You aren't going to lose us," he assured his wife softly, holding her tightly to him. "Taliesin also said it was probably that strong because Ceren was a healer, because it wouldn't have needed to be for anyone else." He took a deep breath, trying to fall back into logic and shifting his focus away from facing what had nearly happened. "I doubt anyone's coming for the two of us, at least. You were adopted, so you don't have the Heletoris magic, and as far as anyone knows, you have no claim to the throne. Politically, there's no reason to risk resources and being discovered in an assassination attempt on us. Elwin and Ceren... there could be any number of reasons. They have no children, so someone might have decided that they could take the throne if both were to die. Someone could've wanted to prevent Elwin's family from recuperating its loss and getting strong again. Gods, the kingdom of Magdora believes that healers are unnatural and derive their magic from a pact with a dark god because of a small group of them that performed experiments hundreds of years ago. They could have had concerns about the gifted young queen. We need to find out who did it this time, make an example of them, and tighten our security measures. Then others will think twice before making any attempt, and if any do try, we'll catch them before anything like this happens again." By the time he finished speaking, the tears had stopped. Something about having a plan--a fixed goal--and understanding the pieces of the puzzle soothed Nyrel and made him feel more in-control of the future.

---

Taliesin was surprised at how quickly Elwin downed the tea and almost offered to go make another mug for him, only refraining from doing so knowing that Elwin should start getting tired soon. The Royal Healer slowly sipped his tea, listening as Elwin described Ceren's movements and expressed his concerns. "She's a forgiving person, and I'm sure, given the circumstances, she'll understand. It wasn't as if you did it intentionally. She'll grow new plants and replace the books and be happy that you're both alive to see it done," he soothed as Elwin started to make himself slightly more comfortable on the cot beside Ceren, a difficult task given he sat on the edge. "If you need to lay down for a minute, why don't you move over here where you'll have more room?" Taliesin suggested softly, motioning to a cot they'd intentionally pushed within inches of Ceren's so that Elwin could stay with her. "I can check on how she's doing and sit here with the both of you as well, if it'll make you feel better."

@ sun spirit

Aerith felt better by the time Nyrel had finished speaking, feeling better hearing him speak about what they knew and what they'd plan to do in the days ahead. With a tired sigh she curled further into his arms, letting her head rest against his chest, listening to his steady breathing and heartbeat. "We'll have to wake up early, we should sleep.." she murmured through a stifled yawn, her exhaustion finally catching up with her. "Goodnight, Nyrel.. I love you lots, and I'll keep you safe."

---

Elwin's fingers gently ran through Ceren's hair, carefully untangling the knots that he found. He stubbornly shook his head when it was suggested that he lay down on the nearby cot, not wanting to leave Ceren's side, even if he wouldn't be far away. "No. I'm not leaving her. Not again." He insisted, and it wasn't long after that that he was sound asleep, snoring into the pillow with his arm around his wife. He slept soundly for hours, even after Ceren woke up, and despite multiple attempts to move him, every time a healer tried his magic lashed out protectively, so it was decided to just leave him where he was until he woke.

He finally woke with a groan past noon, groaning softly as he lifted his head, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "Taliesin drugged me.." he mumbled sleepily as he rubbed at his eyes, looking around lazily, trying to figure out what time it was, and how long he'd been asleep.

@ katahdin

Aerith was right, but though he was tired and it was late, Nyrel's brain could only seem to think, and he kissed her head as she wished him a good night, going so far as to promise to keep him safe. "I love you too, Aer, and nothing will get you so long as I'm here," he responded softly, and though his mind continued to work at the situation, he closed his eyes as he held her and listened to her breathing even out and deepen with sleep until eventually the soothing rhythm lulled him to sleep too. Because of the late night, Nyrel didn't wake up with the sun as he'd become used to doing to see Aerith off to her early training and arrive at his first meeting of the day on time. Instead, despite his intentions of getting up early as Aerith had suggested they would, he didn't so much as stir when the first rays of sun filtered through the bedroom windows.

---

When Ceren woke, it was initially groggy, with an awareness of Elwin stretched out next to her and his arm draped over her. Vaguely in the back of her mind, there was the recollection of a nightmare, and with her eyes still closed, she'd already curled more into her husband before she realized she wasn't laying in her bed. Her eyes came open at that realization, and as she took in the fact that she'd been sleeping in a cot and how Elwin was perched along the edge precariously next to her, she realized the fuzzy nightmare had actually happened.

Once it was noticed that she was awake, Taliesin came over and quietly explained everything--from the fact that she'd been poisoned to Elwin's reaction to it all and how he'd come to be sleeping in a position that had to hurt to the fact that she was apparently pregnant. Her mind whirled as it took everything in, and she hadn't been awake half an hour when she wanted to get up. A few attempts were made to move Elwin, each ending in his magic preventing it from happening in one way or another, and she was ultimately forced to lay back, alone with everything she'd been told running through her head as she tried to sort her emotions on it all.

She was laying there with her eyes closed when she suddenly felt the press of Elwin's arm across her middle disappear and heard him speak. "He said you were refusing to sleep," she said as she opened her eyes, at the same time sitting up and shifting to allow him more room now that she was able, sure he had to be sore after spending so many hours at the edge of the cot. She squeezed him back when he wrapped her in a hug, holding onto him tightly. "I'm fine, El. I feel fine," she assured him softly. "Did you sleep long enough?"

@ sun spirit

Despite her own suggestion that they wake up early to go see Ceren and make sure their orders were being carried out, Aerith didn't even stir when the sun began to rise over the horizon, its rays leaking through the curtains. Last night had exhausted her, and she wanted to not only get as much sleep as possible, but savor as much time with her husband as she could. Compared to the two weeks they spent wrapped in each other's arms after their wedding, they barely ever saw each other, and as much as she worried about Ceren and Elwin and everyone's safety, she was grateful for the chance to simply spend some time with her husband. Even if they were both sound asleep.

It was mid morning when Aerith finally stirred, groaning softly as she curled into her husband's arms, grabbing at his shirt to pull him closer. She'd managed to kick her pants off sometime in the night, and she hooked a bare leg over his as she buried her face into his chest, attempting to block out the light coming from the window.

---

As soon as Elwin heard his wife's voice he shifted, sitting up to look down at her. He looked absolutely relieved to see that she was awake, looking like he may even cry he was so happy. So it was no surprise that as soon as she moved over to give him more room, he lay back down and wrapped his arms around her securely, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"You're alright.. Thank the gods you're alright.." he breathed, pulling back just enough to cradle her face in his hands, pressing a deep kiss to her lips. "I thought that I'd lose you, Ceren.. I was so scared. I swear I'll never let you out of my sight again. It should have been me." He murmured, resting his forehead against hers, unable to help the few tears that leaked down his cheeks. "I'll find out who did this, and I'll make them regret it for the rest of their lives." He promised, pressing another kiss to her lips before one of his hands moved to rest on her waist, and then over her stomach. "Did.. Did Taliesin tell you?"

@ katahdin

Nyrel blearily blinked his eyes open to the feeling of Aerith burying her face in his shirt and hooking her leg over his, half her body essentially draped over his. He smiled softly as he saw her and ran a hand through her hair for a moment before letting it drift down to her waist and pull her closer. The events of the previous night pushed themselves forward before long, but though he wanted to get to the infirmary and check on Ceren, this was probably the first time he'd slept in with Aerith in weeks, and he didn't want to get up all of a sudden.

---

It was one thing hearing about how worried Elwin had been and another entirely to see how deeply the relief in his eyes ran as he held her. She covered his hands with hers and squeezed his fingers as he cradled her face and kissed her. "I'm fine," she assured him softly again, hating the sight of the tears on his face. "No, El, listen to me. Taliesin explained everything." She squeezed his hands. "You would've died. I'm just glad you're here right now." She went quiet when he moved and laid a hand over her stomach, taking a small breath as she nodded. "I'm afraid to check," she admitted softly as she sat up. "I... we wanted to wait. We didn't plan on this. And-and twins? That's crazy. It's almost too crazy to be true."

@ sun spirit

Aerith hummed sleepily as she felt Nyrel's fingers brush through her hair while his other hand moved down her side, lifting her head enough to look at him with a sleepy smile. "Are you trying touching my butt? You haven't even said good morning yet." She murmured teasingly, leaning up to press a sleepy kiss to his lips. She reached her fingers up to run through his hair too, trying to smooth out the messy locks. "I think we overslept.. But I don't wanna get up yet."

---

Elwin tugged her close, resting his forehead against hers as he tightened his arms around her. "I know.. Taliesin explained how strong the poison was. But it's still upsetting that this happened to you. If I'd been there, maybe my magic would have noticed the poison before you ate it." Elwin sighed, brushing her hair away from her face as she spoke about her pregnancy. "I know we wanted to wait, and that this is definitely crazy, but.. but crazy might be good?" He said hesitantly, squeezing her hands. He was nervous that she would be upset about the pregnancy, and would want stick with their plan.

@ katahdin

Nyrel had thought she was asleep, so he was surprised when Aerith looked up at him and spoke, smiling as he returned her kiss. "Good morning, love," he said and just because she'd set it, let his hand wander to her butt briefly with a playful smile before he returned it to her waist, holding her close. "There. I was polite first," he said softly as she played with his hair. "We definitely overslept, but given how late we were up last night, I don't think we should be surprised... Are we bad siblings if we lay here a couple of minutes longer before checking on Ceren?" His conscience was telling him he should, even if spending just a few more minutes with Aerith sounded more appealing.

---

Ceren shook her head softly, as much as she was able with their foreheads touching anyway, as she squeezed his hands. "Don't make this your fault, El. You didn't do anything wrong. It was just a normal dinner. We've had dozens just like it and have never thought to check our food before. While you're thinking about what-ifs, what if you had been poisoned too? I wouldn't have been able to save you because I'd been working in the infirmary, and without your magic alerting everyone, we might both be dead. I'm not saying I'm glad it happened this way, but I am glad you're fine."

Elwin seemed as nervous as she felt, discussing the fact that she was pregnant, sooner than they'd planned and with twins no less, and she couldn't help but smile a bit as he suggested that crazy might be good. "Well, everything that happens to us seems to be crazy anyway," she said softly. "You-you're sure it's good? I mean, I'm already a little terrified because I didn't think that this would be happening so soon, not to mention what just happened, but... Gods, Elwin, we're going to be parents." There was a note of disbelief in her voice, but there was also a smile that she couldn't quite help.

@ sun spirit

Aerith giggled as his hand briefly moved to her butt, nuzzling her nose into his chest. She hummed when he mentioned them oversleeping, as well as asking about whether or not they were bad siblings. "No, I don't think so.. I think we're already bad siblings for sleeping in, and for touching my butt." She mumbled into his shirt, snuggling into his arms. "Besides, I'm sure that Elwin will be happy to have some time alone with Ceren once she wakes up." She did feel bad for stalling in going to see Ceren, but she had missed spending this much time with her husband.

---

"I still feel guilty.. I don't think anything you say will change that." Elwin sighed, pressing a kiss to her nose as he tugged her close. He smiled a bit as she did when talking about her pregnancy, nodding a little as rested a hand over her stomach. "We're going to be parents.." he whispered excitedly, giving her hand a squeeze. "I know it's not what we planned, but I think that even though it feels earlier than we wanted, I can't help but feel like this is really, really good." He grinned sheepishly.

@ katahdin

Nyrel snorted softly, shifting to pull her fully on top of him and wrapping both of his arms around her. "Sleeping in, maybe, but I'd only be a bad person if I was touching the butt of someone else's wife," he said as he kissed the top of her head. She certainly made a convincing argument for staying in bed too. "True... and if he'd lashed out with his magic again, someone would've woken us up already, so things must be fine," he added.

---

"You still shouldn't," Ceren said softly, leaning in to give him a kiss. His earlier tears and worries seemed to have faded somewhat though, and it was a relief to see his grin, especially related to the news they'd just received. She gave him a smile as she put her hand over his where it still rested on her stomach. "I think it'll be a good thing too." She laughed suddenly. "The Council's going to be ecstatic."

@ sun spirit

Aerith laughed softly as he pulled her on top of him, tugging at his shirt as she grinned down at him. "You better only be touching my butt, mister." She teased, pressing another kiss to his lips, although this one lingered a bit. She was blushing faintly when she pulled away, nodding a little as he spoke about how they'd have already been woken up of there was a problem. "You're right... Am a bad sibling if I want to.. you know, right now?" She had the sense to look guilty about it, but she couldn't help it. They'd been so busy the last few months, after dinner they usually just fell asleep without doing anything interesting, especially nothing like they'd been doing during their two week honeymoon.

---

Elwin returned her smile, tugging her closer. He laughed as she mentioned the Council, shaking his head. "They'll only be happy if they're boys. Although, I'm sure they'll be happy to know we're having not one but two children. A dream come true as far as they're concerned." He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, letting out a little sigh as he shifted to sit up. "I ought to be getting up.. I should check on the Council, and see how the investigation is going."