Say No To This

@ katahdin

Nyrel happily kissed her back, chuckling a little as they pulled away. "Of course I'm only touching your butt. I might kiss butts all day, but yours is the only butt I enjoy touching, I assure you," he said, gently caressing her cheek with one hand as he noticed her blush. It wasn't long before he figured out why, and though he was usually quick to reassure Aerith no matter the situation, there was a small bit of hesitation in answer to her question as he mentally wrestled with his conscience. Finally, he gave her a look that was somewhat pained. "For wanting to? No. If we actually did... probably. Because someone has to do things, and if we aren't, then it's going to go back to being Elwin's responsibility, and he deserves a break."

---

Ceren smiled, running a hand through his hair. "With this news, we might even get an apology for their trying to prevent us from marrying in the first place," she joked, sure it was more likely that the Council would be happy about the news and try to ignore the past. As Elwin mentioned getting up to check on things, she nodded, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing. "I'll come too. We could divide what needs to be done, unless you'd rather do it together?" As she stretched, she remembered she was in one of the gowns that were kept in the infirmary so that patients wouldn't have to wear dirty, ruined, or contaminated clothing. "We both probably need to change first though."

@ sun spirit

Aerith leaned her head into his hand as she pouted, knowing that he wouldn't approve of her idea based on his hesitation and then look he'd given her. And he was right, they would be bad siblings if they did that instead of going to see Elwin and Ceren. "But Elwin and Ceren are probably asleep. And we gave all of our orders last night, and unless they've caught the person who did it, which I doubt because that means they would have woken us up by now, then we don't have anymore orders to give. And it's not like I'm asking you to touch my butt all day. Only for five minutes. Maybe ten, if I'm lucky." She sighed, burying her face in his chest when she realized her arguments wouldn't work, squeezing him in her arms. "I've just missed you, is all.. And I'm afraid that Elwin will start a war or something, and then we'll really never see each other. It'll be like you're in Ashwick again, and I'll be miserable."

---

Elwin quickly stood as she did, scrambling over to her side of the bed to support her incase she lost her balance. He knew she'd told him not to worry, but he doubted he'd be able to stop worrying about her safety and health for a long time. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly when she mentioned getting changed, looking at her nervously. "Yeah, about that... We.. We don't have a room anymore. Or clothes, or any of the stuff that we had in our room.." he admitted softly, squeezing her hands. "I mean, some of it might still be in there, and it might be worth checking, but maybe not now. I... I don't really want to go back and see all of the blood.."

@ katahdin

Nyrel frowned, holding Aerith close as she said she’d missed him, and she was afraid things were about to get even more crazy. “I’ve missed you too, Aer,” he said softly, cradling her face in his hands. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy and we haven’t had much time with each other, but that isn’t going to happen. We don’t know anything right now, and the poison could’ve come from any number of sources. And starting today, I’ll make more of an effort to give you more time, because I miss you too.” He paused to kiss her. “And any time you miss me and just want to see me, you know you can interrupt whatever meeting I’m in or whatever paperwork I’m doing, right? I’m not saying I’d just leave the meeting, but I certainly wouldn’t complain about having you there. And if I have a free moment or I miss you, if you aren’t out in the woods, I can come see you too.” Whether or not it was the best idea, it was obvious that he was trying.

---

Ceren frowned as Elwin rushed to get to her side as she stood, looking a little panicked momentarily, as if he were afraid she’d fall at any moment. Other than a little sore from spending too much time in one position though, she was fine, which she made sure to once more assure him off as she took his hand. Her frown deepened when he mentioned their room being completely destroyed, confusion evident. “What? How? Taliesin said you lashed out with your magic last night, but he didn’t mention—oh.” Her stomach clenched as she realized why he’d given her that apologetic look. She pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around him securely. “I’m sorry, El.” Still hugging him, she suggested, “Why don’t I go see what can be salvaged? And I can find us a new room and see about at least replacing any essentials we lost. That way you don’t have to go into the room, and you can focus on what you wanted to get done.”

@ sun spirit

Aerith returned his kiss, eyes softening as he promised to try to give them more time together. She smiled a little and laughed as she shook her head, laying it back down against his chest. "You don't want me at your meetings.. The Council members will just get upset with you for inviting me, and I don't want them to give you an even harder time. And I know don't want to go into the woods, it's dirty there. And it's not like you'd ever get a free moment, anyway. And if you did you should use it to take care of yourself, like eating lunch or taking a walk or something." She murmured, falling silent for a few moments before she wiggled free of his arms, pushing herself up and out of bed with a sigh before shuffling over to her wardrobe. "We should get going. Ceren's probably awake by now, and I'm sure we should check in on the investigation." She was still sad that they couldn't spend more time with one another, but she figured that if she just focused on work and kept herself busy, she'd forget about what was upsetting her.

---

Elwin's arms wrapped around her tightly, tucking his face into her hair as he held her, eyes closed. "You have nothing to apologize for.. I shouldn't have let myself get out of control." He sighed, shaking his head when she offered to go by herself, gripping her a bit tighter. "No. At some point last night someone mentioned structural damage... I don't want you to go in there just to be crushed when the roof collapses." He frowned, resting his head back on top of hers. "Finding a new room sounds like a good plan.. And replacing our essentials. Maybe we could do that? Aer and your brother were working most of the night on securing the castle and giving orders for the investigation, I don't want to try giving orders when they've already got it covered.

@ katahdin

Nyrel thought his suggestion for spending more time together started well, but then Aerith started listing reasons why it couldn't work, and before he could argue, she was getting up to get dressed. He sighed, standing as well, and despite being the one to say they should leave earlier, he wrapped Aerith in a hug. "I want to spend more time with you, and I don't care of the Council gets upset that you're there, because I'll be too happy to notice anyway, and part of the reason I've been so busy anyway is because Elwin and I have been trying to slowly introduce Ceren to everything slowly so she doesn't get overwhelmed, but she's been doing so well that I'm sure I can start taking a step back, which means more free time. I'm not trying to push you away," he said, squeezing her tight, then pulled back to give her a kiss.

---

Ceren almost apologized again, because he'd only lost control because he'd found her throwing up blood--that much, she remembered, if only fuzzily--but she was sure he didn't want the reminder and hugged him tighter instead as he mentioned structural damage. Gods, she couldn't imagine... She didn't comment that he'd just gotten up with the intentions of checking on the investigation only now to change his mind, knowing he'd had a hard night and probably not nearly enough sleep and was more than likely serious in saying that he didn't plan on leaving her side, at least until things started to return to normal. She pulled back far enough to kiss his cheek. "I think it's a good idea. And then we should probably talk to the Council. I can't imagine anyone has really thought to keep them filled in on the situation with everything else going on, and they've got to want answers."

"Neither of you are going anywhere until you eat." Taliesin had rounded the corner, holding a couple of plates, surprised to find both Ceren and Elwin standing and discussing plans. It didn't surprise him in the least that Ceren was ready to be off and acting as if nothing had happened, but it did surprise him to hear that Elwin was going along with it. And both of them ignoring their stomachs, he could only guess. "This has been checked three times just to make absolutely sure, and I guarantee it's safe," he said as he set the plates down on a nearby table. "I'll make tea as well if you want it, and I have some herbs for you, Ceren. It's just a medley I'd give any woman pregnant with twins. You'll take it once a day with a meal. You're right around the time morning sickness would show up if it was going to, just so you both know. I wouldn't want Elwin to accidentally destroy something again because your stomach wasn't agreeing with your meal."

@ sun spirit

Aerith had been grabbing a clean shirt to put on when Nyrel hugged her, but she dropped her shirt to curl into his arms, tucking her face into his chest as she squeezed her arms around him. "I know you're not pushing me away, Nyrel.. But you shouldn't get rid of your responsibilities just because I'm upset. And you should care about what the Council thinks, it's important that they like you, so you can help Elwin and the kingdom." she mumbled into his shirt, tilting her head back to return his kiss.

---

Elwin nuzzled his nose into her hair, shaking his head a little as she mentioned the Council. "I don't want to deal with them.. They'll all have stupid opinions, it'll be too overwhelming. We should just rest, I don't want you to overdo it, Cer." He mumbled into her hair, lifting his head when Taliesin approached with a few plates of food. His arms tightened around his wife at the sight of the plates, a bit paranoid about them being poisoned. His stomach growled though, and he realized he hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. He knew Taliesin wouldn't lie to them, so he reluctantly let Ceren go to sit down with her on the cot, taking the plates from the healer and passing one to her. He nodded a bit in understanding when he spoke about giving Ceren the herbs for her pregnancy, blushing faintly at the mention of him destroying something, looking down at his food sheepishly.

@ katahdin

As they parted from their kiss, Nyrel pressed his forehead against Aerith's. "It isn't because you're upset, although that's a big motivator. I'm upset that I'm not spending as much time with you either. That's the entire reason I came back, not to help Elwin and Ceren, and although I am honored Elwin trusts me enough to want my help and even though I do enjoy it usually, it isn't worth not getting to spend time with my wife." He took a breath and sighed. "At the very least, let me try to set boundaries on when I work? We can say that I have to stop by a certain time every night so we can have time for dinner and some relaxation or anything else we want to do before we go to sleep," he suggested softly, continuing to hold her close. "If you agree, we'll have more time for being bad siblings... maybe we could even look for more spots in the castle to get in trouble in?"

---

"El, I'm fine, really," Ceren started, looking up at him, but paused when Taliesin spoke up, essentially ordering them both to eat. And unfortunately, she knew he was right, even if her stomach twisted a little at the sight of the food. She accepted the plate Elwin handed her as they both sat down though, giving the healer a little smile. "Thank you, Taliesin. And tea sounds great," she said, accepting the small bundle he handed her and reaching over to squeeze Elwin's hand as Taliesin left. "It's okay, El. He isn't upset or judging you. I think he was just trying to warn us so you wouldn't panic again," she said softly. "I guess we know why my stomach's been upset the last week now though... I just thought I was using my magic too much, and I'd managed to catch something," she admitted sheepishly. She'd been taking something for the nausea, so she'd just thought it acted up when the herb wore off, and she hadn't asked anyone else to check her out because she figured her magic would kick in again and get rid of it, or it would go away on its own. Something as small as a stomach bug didn't really need to be checked out, and they didn't use magic to get rid of it. They just treated the symptoms. So that's what she'd done.

@ sun spirit

Aerith's nose brushed against his as she nodded a little, cracking a small smile as she kept her forehead against his, reaching up to brush her fingers through his hair. "I like getting in trouble with you.." she murmured softly, pressing another quick kiss to his lips. "That sounds like a fair plan.. Sometimes I wish we could run away," she admitted softly, resting her head against his chest. "We could go live in the woods, and I'd take care of you, and you'd be my forest husband and we'd never leave each other alone."

---

Elwin picked at his food, mostly stirring it around with his fork. He was starving, but the thought of eating made him nauseous, and he was trying to find a way to distract himself so he could eat without thinking about the night before. He squeezed Ceren's hand when she squeezed his, looking up at her with a little smile when she mentioned the morning sickness she'd already been having. "I'm surprised no one thought to ask about it.. I mean, I thought you'd been taking Maid's Bane, so I certainly didn't expect that this might have happened."

@ katahdin

As she rested her head against his chest, Nyrel held Aerith close to him, resting his chin atop her head, breathing a little in relief as she agreed to his idea. He hated making her upset, and he was glad that she was agreeing to this idea. Although, at the mention of going into the woods, he remembered suddenly about her secret cabin that he'd entirely forgotten about and no one else knew of. "We could both take a day off soon and you could show me your cabin, you know," he offered. "Maybe we could make plans to vacation there every so often, if it's livable." He'd never seen it, so he wasn't sure what kind of condition it was in, and though he wasn't necessarily sold on abandoning the castle for cabin life... taking time to be there with Aerith every now and then was absolutely doable.

---

Ceren returned Elwin's smile, shaking her head. "That's because I was taking it. You've seen me do it. The only times I haven't were when we were stranded in the mountains without it, although we were really careful then, and that one time the infirmary somehow ran out and I couldn't take it in time," she said, beginning to take the herbs she'd been given.

Taliesin returned shortly afterward with two cups of tea that he sat down on a nearby table, and though he was glad to see that Ceren had taken her herbs, he didn't fail to notice that neither had touched their food. Hesitating for a moment, he sat down in a chair. "You both need to eat. You aren't going to have the energy to stop your wife from overworking herself if you don't," he said, directing this to Elwin, then turned to Ceren, "And you need nutrients to take care of the babies your body is trying to create. I understand why you're nervous and hesitant though. I'm sitting right here, and the other healers are in shouting distance, so while I promise nothing will happen, if for some reason it does, we'll make sure you're fine. Go ahead."

Because she knew she was being ridiculous and Taliesin was absolutely right, Ceren nodded, squeezed Elwin's hand briefly, and took a bite. It was starting to get cold but otherwise tasted fine, not at all bitter like the roasted vegetables had been, and a quick scan of herself with her magic revealed nothing wrong. She felt herself relax without knowing she'd even been tense, and as her stomach growled, demanding more food, she took another bite.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled at his suggestion, looking up at him as she shook her head. "It's a nice suggestion, but you'd hate it there, Nyrel. The path there is super muddy, there's only a tiny bed that would barely fit us both, there's no running water, no heat, the roof leaks, I'm pretty sure there's a family of mice living off the grain in the little cellar.. I'd rather just spend our day off here, where we're both happy." As much as she'd love to spend a weekend there with him, she knew he'd be miserable even if he tried to tell her otherwise, and she didn't want to make him suffer like that.

---

"But those times were so long ago, and you can't be that far along.. Maybe you missed the herbs more recently?" Elwin pointed out, brows furrowing as if he were trying to do the math in his head. He only looked up when Talisen came to sit with them, taking a sip of his tea before looking at the healer with a faint smile. "This isn't drugged like the last cup you brought me, is it?" He teased, assuming the healer wouldn't do it again, but he never knew. He frowned when they both got a lecture about eating, glancing over at Ceren as she squeezed his hand before she took a bite. When she went to take a second he turned back to his own food, frowning at it for a moment before forcing himself to eat, to at least put up the appearance that he was fine, and not scared out of his mind.

@ katahdin

Nyrel thought Aerith was exaggerating at first about him hating it, since a muddy path wasn't that bad, as long as they washed up after the fact, and a tiny bed was okay because it would mean more room for cuddling. But it only got worse from there, and he winced. "Okay... that might be for the best," he allowed. "Maybe we could have it fixed up though, so we could go there in the future? It doesn't have to be as nice as things are here, but we could arrange for something." He knew she loved her cabin, and he was willing to work with her on figuring something out.

---

"Not that I can remember," Ceren said. She'd already drank half of her cup, washing down the herbs, before Elwin mentioned the possibility of the tea being drugged, but though she looked up at Taliesin, he had his hands in the air with a sheepish smile.

"The tea's fine," he assured them both. "I only did that because you were refusing to sleep, and you needed the rest. I'm not convinced you slept long enough either, but some is better than none, so I'll take what I can get." They both seemed wary of their food at first, though Ceren relaxed after the first couple of bites. Taliesin couldn't help but notice that Elwin still didn't seem happy about eating, but at least he was eating. As they were finishing up, Taliesin stood. "Well, you are both physically fine, so I am releasing you both from my care. Given what Ceren's body went through last night, she's probably going to get tired quicker and easier than usual for the next few days or so, but that's the only thing to look out for. And of course, if you haven't settled on somewhere else to sleep come nightfall, you're welcome back here. Ceren, you know where to put the dishes when you finish."

"Thanks, Taliesin. I'll make sure the dishes get to where they need to be," Ceren said, giving her friend a smile as he left to attend to his other duties. She was pretty much finished, though when she looked over, Elwin still had a little more on his plate. She didn't rush him, instead squeezing his hand gently. "You know, there might be an upside to needing a new room. Rather than trying to make space for a nursery, we can think ahead and find something a little bigger. Maybe with a couple of connected rooms so the twins can have their own space when they get older, but will still be close."

@ sun spirit

Aerith's eyes lit up at his suggestion to renovate the cabin to make it more inhabitable for them, her grip tightening on his shirt a bit. "Really? You'd want that? Elwin's offered to fix it up a few times, but I've never wanted to make it more habitable until now.. It's always been fine for just me, but I want it to be fine for the both of us." She smiled a little, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Maybe if there's time today, we could make a list of improvements to make?" She suggested, starting to pull away from him to grab her clean shirt again, knowing that it was probably best that they got ready for the day sooner rather than later, even if she did want to just spend the rest of the day in her husband's arms.

---

Elwin shrugged a little, picking at his food. "You must have.. I suppose it doesn't matter when you missed the herb, it doesn't matter much now anyway." He smiled sheepishly, nodding as Taliesin practically instructed them both to take it easy over the next few days, which he would make sure to do. He didn't want Ceren overexerting herself after her brush with death, and certainly not now that he knew that she was pregnant with twins. He looked over at Ceren when she squeezed his hand, noticing that she'd already finished eating. "Ready to go?" He asked, setting his plate to the side. He didn't want to finish it, and had only been eating it in the first place because he didn't want Taliesin to yell at him. He smiled a little though when Ceren spoke about picking out a new room, squeezing her hands in excitement as he nodded. "That sounds like a good idea.. Maybe we could choose a room in the wing where Aerith and Nyrel live? It's further away from all of the nobility's rooms, and the meeting rooms, and I imagine it would be nice to be able to be far away from all of that once the children come.."

@ katahdin

By the immediate way Aerith brightened, Nyrel knew he'd made at least one good suggestion that morning and smiled as he gave her a kiss. "Really," he assured her. "And I'd be glad to." He let her go finally as she moved to pull her clean shirt on and stepped away to change as well. After pulling on clean clothes, he turned to Aerith again. "Okay, let's check on Elwin and Ceren at the infirmary and then we can check in on how everything is going," he said, taking her hand as they stepped out of their room.

---

When she saw Elwin set his half-eaten food aside and ask if she was ready to go, she gave him a look. "You should finish," she said, reaching over to put his plate back in his lap. "Come on, your body needs the fuel," she said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "If I can eat, you can." She smiled as he built off her idea, suggesting they move to Aerith and Nyrel's wing--which was spacious but not exactly popular and usually used for guests. "It'll be quieter at least--no one making noise in the halls--although I imagine we'll still have people knocking down our door needing things no matter where we are," she said with a little smile. "Aerith and Nyrel might not appreciate us bringing more traffic over there."

As if speaking their names summoned them, she saw the couple appear around the corner. She thought she saw relief from Nyrel, but it was quickly swallowed by a hug from Aerith that she returned with a small laugh. "I'm fine, Aer," she assured her friend.

@ sun spirit

Once Aerith was finished dressing she took his hand, giving it a squeeze as they walked through the halls to the infirmary. She knew Ceren was fine, that nothing would be wrong, but part of her worried an assassin would jump out of nowhere, or that the hall would collapse around them because of some weird explosion. She squeezed her husband's hand to help calm herself down, and it was only when they reached the infirmary that she released his hand, rushing over to Ceren to wrap her up in a tight hug.

"Ceren!! You're never allowed to eat anything again!" She declared, frowning at her as she finally pulled back, looking between her and Elwin. "You two seem happy.. Why?" She said with narrowed eyes, holding Ceren at arms length as she studied her.

Elwin only chuckled as Aerith hugged Ceren, shaking his head as he ruffled her hair. "She's fine, Aerith. We're going to take it easy today. You have nothing to worry about." He knew Ceren would want to overwork herself because that was just how she function, but Elwin had gotten decent at calling her down, and he hoped she'd listen to him.

@ katahdin

Ceren was glad to hear Elwin say she was fine, since it meant that he'd absorbed that it was true, and she was sure hearing it from him would hold more weight with Aerith anyway. "I'm probably going to have to eat if I want to keep living, Aer," she said with a little smile, giving Nyrel a hug as he leaned in for one too. They usually weren't particularly touchy as siblings, but these were special circumstances, and she squeezed him tightly before she let go.

"You know," Nyrel said as he stepped back and let his wife resume her suspicious inspection of Ceren, "Aerith's right. Given what happened last night, you're both in an oddly good mood. Especially you, Elwin."

Ceren glanced at Elwin. Though she was sure the entire infirmary was aware that they were expecting parents, she wasn't sure if Aerith and Nyrel knew, although their reactions made it seem a little unlikely. And if they didn't know, should they tell them now?

He smiled teasingly as he glanced between them. "Come on. Whatever it is can't be that good. It isn't as if Ceren's pregnant." As he saw the looks they exchanged, his eyes widened. "Seriously? You're pregnant?"

@ sun spirit

Aerith was still silently judging Ceren when Nyrel pieced together what was going on, her own eyes widening as she looked at her brother and sister in law. Elwin smiled sheepishly, wrapping an arm around Ceren's shoulders, both to keep her close and use her as a shield in case Aerith tried to hug him or Nyrel tried to beat him up for getting his baby sister pregnant. "Yes, Ceren's pregnant.. With twins."

"What?" Aerith asked, looking between the two. "I thought you two were going to wait. And I thought it was super impossible hard for people with magic to get pregnant, and you two have the strongest magic of anyone." Aerith pointed out. "Not that I'm not happy for you, it's just... Weird." She scrunched up her nose, looking to her husband for help, knowing he'd be better with his words than she was.

Elwin only chuckled, shaking his head. "We were going to wait. That was the plan. But last night when Taliesin was healing her, he realized she was pregnant. He said that that's why she became so sick, because her magic was protecting the fetuses instead of getting the poison out of her body." He explained, squeezing his wife in his arms. "It was a surprise to us both, but we're happy about it... We're also considering to moving to the same wing of the castle as you, since I destroyed our previous room, and we'll need more space once the babies arrive... If you're alright with having us there, that is. I know you like your space, Aer."

Aerith had gotten a bit distracted with her thoughts, but nodded quickly when Elwin said her name, offering him a little smile. "It's fine with me.. I promise I won't let any snakes or bugs sneak out of my room and into your rooms."

@ katahdin

Nyrel was glad Aerith found something to say, because he was speechless. Ceren and Elwin getting married was one thing--he certainly wasn't going to object simply because of her age, especially given that they'd waited more than a year after announcing their engagement and obviously loved each other. But... pregnant? And twins? Gods, Ceren was 17, and Aerith was right, on both accounts. "Wait, wait... if you were waiting, how?"

Both Nyrel and Aerith looked shell-shocked, and she gave them both a sheepish look. "Umm, we aren't entirely sure about that either... the only thing I know is that healers are kind of the exception to the infertility problem when it comes to magic. It has to do with our magic and the way it protects and heals our bodies. But Elwin has strong magic, like you said, so this is probably just... everything aligning in some crazy way," she said.

Nyrel nodded; it was about as much detail as he wanted anyway, and realizing what he'd yet to say, he offered them a smile. "Well, congratulations. The circumstances around finding out could've been better, but it really is good news." His smile turned teasing. "Better hope at least one of the twins is a boy," he added, wrapping an arm around Aerith at the same time. In the back of his mind played the handful of conversations they'd had about children and her dual concerns about parenthood and wanting to be a parent. "I can vouch for Aer. Her creatures stay under lock and key, even Theseus. I had to insist, after waking up to a frog sitting on my chest one morning."

@ sun spirit

"There were a couple of times we know that we missed the dosage of Maid's Bane, my guess is there was another time that we didn't realize, and that's how. It's still a bit of a miracle, though.. It's definitely crazy." Elwin explained, pressing a kiss to Ceren's forehead. "But hopefully one of them will be a boy, and Ceren and I won't have to have anymore children if we don't want to." He figured they'd both like to have another child eventually, but having kids at such a young age would be tricky enough, let alone twins.

Aerith leaned into her husband's side, smiling a little as Ceren and Elwin spoke about their pregnancy. "I'm happy for you both. I promise Theseus won't come see the babies unless you want him to." She promised, nudging Nyrel as she looked up at him. "He was there because he likes you. You should feel special." She smiled, knowing he hadn't been happy waking up to the frog on his chest, but she still liked to tease him about it.

Squeezing Nyrel's hand she looked back at Elwin. "Well, I'm glad you're both alright. I should go check in with the guards, make sure everything is going smoothly and see how the questioning has been going. I promise to keep you and Nyrel updated, but you should focus on Ceren, and finding a new room. Let us worry about catching whoever was behind this."

Elwin nodded, smiling gratefully at his sister. "Thank you, Aer.. Keep me updated, we can plan to hold a Council meeting tomorrow to go over whatever you find out today. And Nyrel, if any of the Council members want to speak to me, tell them I'm busy and if they go out of their way to find me, they'll be the ones tasting all of our food for poison in the future."

@ katahdin

Ceren leaned into Elwin's side as he relaxed so he was no longer holding her in front of him, smiling as he described the pregnancy as a miracle--and crazy. That pretty much covered it, she thought. "Given how hard it is for people with magic to get pregnant, you'd think they'd be happy with any child, no matter the gender, rather than trying to be picky about wanting a boy," she said with a shake of her head, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "We'll revisit that topic after the twins are get here, though I'm sure we'll want a break before thinking about more kids."

Aerith didn't seem upset, but Nyrel squeezed her hand anyway, afraid she was just holding it in until she was alone. "How do you know he didn't want to kill me in my sleep, eliminate the competition for your affection?" he teased, raising her hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to the back of it. He let it fall back to his side as she changed the subject though, turning back to business, and he smiled as Elwin chimed in. "You know, I might've seen a couple of them looking like they were going to try to come in here to pay you a visit personally--we also might not have seen them yet because I paused to talk with the guards about it. Since they came all the way here, you could threaten them yourself if you wanted. Or I could go deal with them and get them away so the two of you can leave. With the guards, of course."

Upon his suggesting that Nyrel tell the Council they could become poison-tasters, Ceren had swatted Elwin, beginning to say something to him about not joking about that, but then Nyrel responded. He, unfortunately, was too far away for her to swat. "No one's threatening them. They're just worried because of what happened last night, and as far as I know, they haven't been kept in the loop. Or the nobility. If Elwin's magic lashed out as badly as I've been told, that probably scared people. We can talk to whoever's at the door long enough to reassure them, at least, and maybe they'll be willing to get the information back to everyone and calm others down."

Nyrel sighed. Ceren was just too nice sometimes. She'd only been Queen a couple of months, but somehow she still seemed to think better of the nobility--and the Council in general--than he thought healthy. Then again, their attitudes towards her also completely changed the day she'd walked into a meeting late, still covered in blood and whatever else after Taliesin had called her in for an emergency. She'd garnered a newfound respect after they discovered what she actually did as a healer, and they never complained again if she was late or missed a meeting in the future, so long as she didn't show up covered in bodily fluids. "The moment you see one, they're all going to flock, and they're going to want things from you, not just an update on what's happening. Elwin's just trying to keep them away so you can get one day of peace," he argued.

@ sun spirit

Elwin smiled sheepishly as Ceren swatted at him, catching her hand in his and pressing a kiss to her fingers. He shook his head a little as she spoke about being nice to them, pressing another kiss to her fingers before releasing them. She gave the nobles too much credit, and was too kind for her own good most of the time. "No, Cer, your brother is right. If we speak to one, we'll have to speak to them all, and you're supposed to be resting. Aerith and Nyrel can deal with them, while we go try to find a new set of rooms and see what can be salvaged from out old one. I have a feeling that we won't get much time to ourselves in the future, and I'd rather spend as much time with you as I can before I get sucked into meetings." He admitted, squeezing her hands in his.

Aerith nodded in agreement, squeezing Nyrel's hand in return. She was a bit upset, bit didn't dare say anything or show her feelings in front of Elwin and Ceren. She was happy for them, really, and she didn't want her uncontrollable jealousy to upset them or make them think that she didn't love them.

"We'll handle everything Ceren, you take care of yourself." She smiled, reaching over to pat her arm reassuringly before tugging Nyrel toward the door. "We'll lead whoever is out there down the hall, give you time to slip out unnoticed." She promised, squeezing Nyrel's hand again as she tugged her husband toward the hall. She was pleased to see that it wasn't one of the more annoying nobles who was bothering the guards, but she still didn't like him, and nudged Nyrel once they were close enough, hoping he'd handle things from here.