Say No To This

@ sun spirit

Aerith didn't wake until the middle of the night, the only source of light in the room the moonlight streaming in through the windows, as all the candles had died out hours ago. She frowned a bit in confusion as she looked around, monentarily forgetting what had happened that day, but when her eyes settled on Nyrel, asleep in the chair next to her bed, everything came back to her. She smiled a little as she studied his sleeping form for a moment before slowly and carefully shifting closer to the middle of the bed, making room for him to lay down next to her. When she was finally far enough, she took one of her pillows and gently threw it at him, hard enough to wake, but soft enough as to not hurt him or startle him too bad.

"Nyrel," She whispered softly when she saw him stir, patting the space she'd made next to her. "It's the middle of the night. Either go back to your room and get some decent rest, or, if you insist on staying, like I'm assuming you are, lay down here. If you get a stiff neck because of me, Ceren won't be able to fix it for a few days. And then you'll be grumpy." She said between yawns, still awfully tired despite the decent amount of sleep she'd gotten.

---

Elwin discussed the hunt with the nobles, stressing how disappointed he was that someone so inexperienced like Lord Fenian had been allowed to go and endanger the lives of his friends. He also briefly met with a few of the Council members, informing them of his engagement to Ceren, although he stressed that he still needed to tell Aerith, and that while they could begin making some preparations, he didn't want anyone to know about the marriage until he could tell his best friend, and, given the situation Aerith was in, they agreed, promising to not let anyone know.

He returned to her room shortly after the maid had brought the food, able to smell the delicious food from down the hallway. He didn't even think to knock, however, so when he walked in and saw that she was changing, he blushed bright red, stuttered a quick apology and then promptly shut the door, nervously standing in the hallway while he waited for her to finish changing, worried she would be upset with him.

@ katahdin

Somehow, Nyrel's intentions of dozing turned into his falling asleep, and when he eventually woke, it wasn't. He was startled awake, his head coming up just after the pillow hit him, though as he looked around the dark room with bleary eyes, he was confused as to what had woken him up. That was cleared as he heard Aerith speak though, even if he still couldn't see her, and he yawned as he listened. His sleep-addled mind didn't bother taking propriety into account, only faintly remembering he was in her room in case she needed something and knowing that his neck hurt a bit when he picked up his head. "Okay, I'm coming," he said groggily, reaching out to feel the edge of the bed and to make sure no one already occupied. When he realized the space was clear, he got up and laid down in the area Aerith had made for him, eyes already closed again as he turned on his side towards her and thoughtlessly draped an arm over her. "Goodnight," he murmured.

---

Ceren had one arm inside her wardrobe, her fingers around the nightgown, when she heard the door open. Her wide eyes locked with Elwin's as her face went tomato-red, and she jerked the nightgown in front of her to cover her up at the same moment he abruptly apologized and fled the room, the door closing behind him. The heat didn't leave her cheeks as she pulled the nightgown over her head and shut the doors to the wardrobe, the pink only moderately lessened when she opened the door to the hallway, eyes on Elwin's feet rather than his face. "It's ah... it's safe now," she said quietly and left the door open for him as she turned back around and walked back into the room. Some part of her try to reason with herself and say that they were engaged and he was going to see her naked someday, but she hadn't for the life of her expected that day to be today.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled sleepily as she watched him wake up, the thought running through her head that he was rather cute when he woke up. She was happy when he agreed to lay down with her, glad that he wasn't trying to argue about it, and she was very grateful for the darkness when he draped his arm around her, convinced that her face was tomato red in that moment. She was already feeling better, and so once Nyrel was settled next to her, she scooted back over toward him, curling up in his arm as she nestled her head comfortable on the pillow next to him, her fingers briefly reaching out to brush his hair away from his eyes before she too closed her eyes, yawning sleepily. "Goodnight, Nyrel.." She whispered in return, thinking that she wouldn't mind spending every night like this, that the last thought that ran through her head before she drifted off to sleep once more.

---

Elwin's face was still bright red when she opened the door to let him in, staring at the floor as he tried to think of what he could possibly say to her. Of course he knew that he would see her like that one day, she was going to marry him, but he hadn't anticipated that it would be like this, and wasn't sure of what to say in this situation. He cleared his throat a little when she invited him back in, nodding a bit as he followed her back into the room, shutting the door behind him. He made his best small talk as he set up their meals at the table in her room, not saying much more than "This smells delicious" or "The cooks did a wonderful job" for the first few long moments of their dinner, although after a long silence he cleared his throat once more, glancing up at her for a moment before quickly looking back down at his plate before he spoke. "... You're beautiful..."

@ katahdin

A palpable tension lay between them after Elwin came back in the room and they sat on opposite sides of the bed with their covered plates. Ceren murmured quiet agreements with his observations on their dinner as they both began to eat, and though the tension was still there, she felt her face cooling as the worst of the embarrassment faded. She was just thinking about how maybe they could just forget that it ever happened when Elwin spoke again, his words bringing her blush back in full force this time. "El, you don't have to say anything to try and make it better. I know it was going to happen eventually, b-but I just didn't expect it to be... now. We can just pretend it never happened." She pushed food around on her plate as she spoke, finding that she had no appetite.

@ sun spirit

Elwin frowned a little when he heard Ceren spoke, looking up at her again, sighing a little as he saw how he'd ruined her good mood. "I'm not just saying it, Ceren.. I mean it... You're beautiful.." He explained, frowning down at his plate for a moment before looking back over at her. "I know that it was going to happen eventually too, and now that we're going to be married it was going to happen sooner or later.. But what if we're too young for this, Ceren?" He frowned worriedly as he looked at her. "I love you, and I know that I want to marry you, but.. But I just don't know if I can do what the Council wants and just start having children.."

@ katahdin

Elwin's insistence that he was telling the truth didn't help Ceren's blush at all, and she still avoided his gaze as she played with her food. After a moment, however, she risked a glance up at him and murmured, "Thank you," with her cheeks still blazing. She paused as he continued though, not quite about the incident but still along the same vein, a quick beat of panic thrumming in her chest when he suggested that they were too young that was instantly soothed with his next words. Still, it took some time before she found her voice. "I... I don't know if I can do that either. There's some days I still feel like a child. I can't imagine having one. I never imagined I would get married this young, much less have children. Besides..." Here her blush returned, and she dropped her gaze again. "I haven't exactly... started my cycles yet," she admitted very quietly, almost hoping he wouldn't hear.

@ sun spirit

Elwin was relieved as she too said that she didn't feel ready for children, although he frowned a bit when she mentioned her cycles, his blush returning as he looked down at his plate. "O-Oh... Well... How about this, we wait to get married until you've had your.. your cycles, and then we wait at least a year after we've married before considering having children.. Does that sound fair?" He asked a bit nervously, knowing that it might be a while before they were married at that rate, and the Council wouldn't like the waiting, but he was sure if he explained their reasoning to them they would get over it.

@ katahdin

Though she didn't dare look at him, Ceren guessed from the sound of it that Elwin felt just as awkward as she did and almost felt bad about the quiet admission he probably hadn't wanted to hear. He took it well though, all things considered, and she looked at him with a nervous smile as he suggested a solution. "That sounds perfect," she said, some of the tension in her shoulders easing. Then she startled herself by laughing. "Never in my life would I have ever thought we would be sitting here awkwardly because you saw me naked and discussing my cycles," she giggled. "And neither of us can stop blushing. Maybe we really aren't ready."

@ sun spirit

Her laugh was infectious, and soon Elwin was there laughing too, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek. "We probably would have discussed it at some point, but maybe when we were a bit older." He chuckled, smiling a bit at her. "I'm glad we have a solution thought. We'll start planning the wedding once you have your first cycle, that way we'll have to wait a bit longer for the Council to put everything together, and then once we've been married for a year, we can start thinking about if we want children." He felt good about the plan, and was relieved that the mood had lightened, leaning over to kiss her lovingly.

"I'm sorry I walked in on you and ruined our meal.. Maybe we can try this again tomorrow, or some other time? I'm not that hungry anymore, and I'm sure the other healers would prefer it if you got some sleep." He smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear as he looked into her eyes.

@ katahdin

Ceren smiled at him, trying to suppress the laughs that bubbled up out of her. "Just a little bit," she agreed. She was glad they'd talked about it all though and aired out their feelings on the matter, rather than rush into getting married only to talk about it after the fact. This definitely felt better. "That sounds perfect," she said honestly and returned his kiss.

"I'm not hungry either," she admitted as she reached for his hand and gently squeezed it. "You don't need to apologize or give me a do-over though. I'm glad we talked, even if it did start out awkwardly." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "It's just after dinner. You're trying to put me to bed early," she teased.

@ sun spirit

Elwin chuckled a little, standing to clear their plates from the bed, setting the tray by the door for the maids to take care of later. When he returned he hopped up onto the bed next to her, pressing another kiss to her lips as he squeezed her hands in return. He grinned at her teasing, chuckling a little. "I just want you to get your strength back. I know that tomorrow you'll be up and about in the infirmary, just like I know Aerith will be wandering around the castle at least a day earlier than she should be. Its just a fact of life." He squeezed her hands, smiling down at her. "Plus, I'm pretty exhausted myself."

@ katahdin

Ceren smiled, knowing he was right and glad he wasn’t trying to talk her out of it. The infirmary was her place, and while she knew the others could take care of it on their own, she always just felt better when she was there. Even if she couldn’t technically heal, she could help by picking and sorting through herbs or making the various medicines people needed around the castle. The reason she became a healer was to help, and she didn’t want her magical ability to be the only thing she had to offer. She hesitated on explaining that to Elwin though, since she suspected that he knew at least part of it. “At least you know the other healers will be watching me and won’t let me do anything they think I shouldn’t be doing,” she settled on saying and kissed his cheek. When he admitted his own exhaustion though, she pulled back and gave him a small smile. “Okay, you should get some sleep then. I don’t think I’ll be too far behind,” she said, leaning over to give him a soft kiss.

@ sun spirit

Elwin smiled down at her, nodding a little. "Yes, the healers won't let you out of their sight, but you have to promise me that if you feel tired you come back here and rest. You're no good to anyone if you work yourself to death." He teased lightly, returning her kiss as he stood up to leave, although he lingered as he kissed her again, smiling as he cupped her cheeks in his hands and looked down at her. "I'm glad you're going to be my wife one day.. I don't mind the waiting." He reassured her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before stepping back and heading to the door. "Goodnight, Ceren. Sleep well." He smiled, waving a bit before he left her room, heading back to his own for the night.

@ katahdin

Ceren woke the next morning feeling quite a bit better. The dizziness that haunted her had passed in the night, and though she still felt somewhat weak, she did exactly as Elwin predicted and made her way to the infirmary, where she was forced to swear that she would stay and relax in her office rather than move around and try to attend to the varied tasks that were always available. It was frustrating, of course, but also endearing to know that the others cared. When she'd first become Royal Healer, she never thought she'd bridge this gap with them.

She exiled herself to her office, leaving the door open, and sat at her desk to deal with the paperwork that had made its way onto the wooden surface in the past two days. It wasn't nearly the amount of work that others, like Elwin, would have to take care of, but the infirmary still had its own set of problems to deal with, such as the purchases of supplies, such as bandages, and correspondences with various nobles that Ceren was expected to take care of. Rather than come to the infirmary, some sent notes detailing what was bothering them or what medication they believed they need, some even asking a healer to leave to attend to them. More than this, she occasionally received letters from healers in other parts of the kingdom, asking assistance or advice. There were plenty of days where she spent more time at her desk than she did attending to patients.

About halfway through the morning, Ceren was reading a note from a countess when she heard two light knocks on the open door to her office. "Come in," she called without looking up as she finished reading the request for a contraceptive. She held up the note, prepared to pass it off to whomever had showed up at her door--undoubtedly to make sure she was taking it easy as she'd promised--but when she glanced back at who had stepped into her office, she quickly put the note down, its request facing the desk. "Does Aerith need something? You should've sent someone to get a healer."

Nyrel held his hands up in a placating gesture as Ceren turned to him, worry evident in her eyes. "She's sleeping. She can't seem to stay awake for long before she just drifts off again. When she is awake though, she can barely move, and even though she doesn't complain, she seems to be in a good amount of pain. Isn't there anything more powerful you guys can give her so she isn't hurting?" He didn't want to be accusing; he just didn't want to see her in pain. And if there was anyone to ask a medical-related question to, it was his little sister.

Ceren was taken aback by her brother's questioning, and she studied him, taking in the worry that showed close to the surface. Finally, she nodded. "I'll take care of it. And I'll ask someone else to stay with her. Thank you for telling me," she said brusquely.

Before she could turn away, Nyrel took a step forward, catching her attention once more. "Wait. I'll stay with her. I just need someone to give me the medicine."

"No, I'll have someone else do it. Or I can, since I'm just doing paperwork anyway." She'd let Nyrel go yesterday, in the chaos of everything, but she wasn't letting it continue.

"Ceren, I'm stayi--"

"No you're not!" There was a shocked silence between the siblings as they stared at one another. Neither could remember a time when Ceren had ever raised her voice to him, and Ceren gave a quick look outside her office door to make sure it hadn't been noticed by anyone else, then got up, closed the door, and turned back to her brother, nerves rising in her stomach in the aftermath of what she'd said. There was no turning back now; she could stand up to him.

"Rel, I don't want you around Aerith anymore. Just... stay away from her. You've used me for years for your schemes, and I'm not letting you anymore. Me or my friends. Just because she's seems so tough doesn't mean she actually is, and I'm not going to let you hurt her. And I'm not doing anything for you anymore either. I'm not afraid of you, I don't have to listen to you, and I'm not going to marry someone just because you think it'll benefit our family. You can do what you want with others, but don't involve me or my friends anymore."

The wave of euphoria she felt at finally standing up to him was broken in a second because almost before the words had finished leaving her mouth, a blast of wind knocked Ceren backwards into her desk. She put her hands out to try and catch herself, but one bent wrong, causing her to bark in pain as she slid to the floor, papers fluttering to the ground around her.

"What I do is none of your business. Make sure to send the pain medication for Aerith." Nyrel turned and walked out, the door closing behind him with a solid thud, and left the infirmary without glancing at anyone else. His emotions were a mess. There was frustration that Ceren didn't believe he really cared about Aerith was just using her, anger at the accusations she'd thrown at him and what she'd said and how he couldn't make her understand him and what he was doing. Guilt at how he'd accidentally let his temper flare and had attacked her, worry for Aerith, then anger and frustration all over again, the emotions swirling in him. He needed to go somewhere and calm down.

Elwin had woken up a bit later than he normally did that morning, deciding to let himself relax a bit after the crazy day he had had the day before. Not only had he almost lost one of his best friends, but he had gotten engaged, and the conflicting emotions that went along with those two events had drained him quite a bit. So, he woke mid morning, had something to eat, caught up with his some paperwork, and, seeing that a letter for the infirmary had been mixed in with his things, decided to bring it to Ceren himself, thinking it would be nice to see her when they hadn't previously planned anything. Plus, he could ask her about having dinner with him later that night, to make up for their failed meal the night before.

Walking to the infirmary, letter in hand, he was rather cheerful, greeting people as he went along, although he nearly ran into Nyrel at one point, who seemed rather upset, although the King didn't have any time to say anything to the man before he was gone. For a moment he wondered if perhaps at some point he should ask Nyrel formally for Ceren's hand, considering he was the head of their family, although he pushed the thought aside, as Ceren had already said yes, and he didn't really want Nyrel involved in his marriage to Ceren. He greeted the few healers that were milling about the infirmary attending to people and preparing medicines, checking to see if Ceren was in her office before knocking lightly on the door, although he didn't wait for her to invite him inside, instead opening the door and stepping into her office before closing the door.

"Good morning Ceren. Sorry to intrude, but-" He started, his smile disappearing when he saw the state of her office, and saw her on the floor cradling an obviously injured hand. He completely forgot about the letter as he knelt by her side, looking down at her worriedly. "Ceren, are you alright? What happened?" As he asked the question, he put two and two together, frowning deeply as a scowl threatened to overtake his features. "Did Nyrel do this?"

---

Aerith had woken up feeling awful. While she had been asleep, and when Nyrel was there to distract her, she could manage the pain. But when she'd woken up and he hadn't been there, after about five minutes of being awake she'd rolled over the edge of her bed to puke on the floor, the pain in her abdomen too much for her to handle. Luckily, a maid had come in and cleaned her and the floor up before helping her back into bed, where she soon drifted off into a light sleep, but she was Aerith, and as much as she needed to rest, she hated sitting still. When she finally woke up for good she kept pestering the maid to bring her various plants and animals and books that she kept in her room, and while the maid brought her a few of them, she drew the line after a while, trying to insist that she eat something or go back to sleep, and stop messing around.

Aerith of course didn't listen, and by the time Nyrel returned, she had about a dozen books scattered across her bed and the floor, had half as many potted plants on the bed with her, as well as Theseus, who sat comfortably on her chest while she read to him from one of the books she'd had the maid bring her.

@ sun spirit

@ katahdin

When she heard the door open, Ceren expected it to be Taliesin or someone else nosy who’d heard the argument, but when she looked up, it was Elwin. She immediately started to stand and move her swelling wrist out of sight, but he was crouching beside her before she could and somehow managed to immediately guess what happened. She reached out and put her good hand on his arm. “I’m fine. I...” She hesitated, considering what to say, whether Elwin would even believe anything other than the truth. “Nyrel came in here asking for some pain medication for Aerith, and somehow I ended up telling him to stay away from her and that I wasn’t going to do what he said anymore. Next thing I know, his magic hit me, and I landed on my wrist wrong. He left after that.” She watched Elwin, his reaction, as she tightened her fingers around his shirt sleeve.

---

Nyrel wasn’t entirely calmed when he returned to Aerith, but he didn’t want to just leave her completely alone either, especially if she needed something. Even so, he didn’t expect to open her door to find her surrounded by books, plants, and reading to a giant frog sitting on her chest. By the looks of it, you’d almost think she wasn’t incapacitated at all. He knew better though, and he let his simmering anger slide to the side as he walked further in her room and sit in a chair beside her bed. He didn’t interrupt the story she read, quietly listening as he watched her and studied her expression. At a simple glance, you wouldn’t guess she was in pain, but he suspected she was just trying to take her mind off it. “Do you want me to move your frog?” He asked when she finished reading—or at least took a break. “Him being there can’t feel good. Ceren said she’d send someone with something to help with the pain, by the way.”

@ sun spirit

Elwin's frown only deepened as she explained what happened, looking furious by the end. He wanted to get up and pay Nyrel back for what he had done, but knew that it was more important for him to stay with Ceren in that moment, and make sure she got the care that she needed. Nyrel would still be around to deal with once he was sure Ceren was fine. He held her tight in his arms, but was careful not to hurt her injured wrist, carefully standing with her to lead her out of her office and into the infirmary for the healers to help Ceren, who was in no condition to heal herself.

"I'm glad to hear that you stood up to him... But you have to understand, Ceren.. You're going to be Queen, and he's assaulted you.. I can't let him get away with that." He explained softly, knowing that she would protest, but he had broken the law, and had to be punished.

---

Aerith was glad when Nyrel returned, finishing her reading of the myth of the first King, Elwin's ancestor, to the large frog, which croaked when she finished, as if saying that he had enjoyed the story. She looked over at Nyrel and offered him a weak smile, feeling a little better with all of her distractions, but she still felt awful, and her distractions weren't really working.

"Theseus?" She said with a little frown, looking back at the frog before her gaze returned to Nyrel, shaking her head a little. "I don't mind him.. He's not that heavy." She explained, pausing for a moment in thought before she spoke again. "But, if you want to move him and the books and plants so that you can sit with me, I suppose that would be alright.." She offered him a faint smile, all she could really manage considering how much pain she was in.

@ katahdin

Part of Ceren didn’t even want to tell Elwin, knowing how he would react, but she knew she should and was bolstered by the fact that she’d stopped him from going after Nyrel once, when he’d first found out about it all. Though he looked like he might storm out of the infirmary at the end, she held onto his sleeve, as if that alone would keep him there with her, and hoped he would understand.

Thankfully, he did stay, helping her up so she wouldn’t put pressure on her hurt wrist. “He didn’t know though, Elwin,” she argued with him quietly as they left her office. “No one does. And no one knows what happened either. I don’t think he did it on purpose.”

Before she could say more, Nadya was there, looking both concerned and curious. “Did you need something?” The redhead looked first to Elwin, then to Ceren.

“Could you look at my wrist? I fell and landed on my wrist wrong. It isn’t broken, but it’s swollen,” Ceren explained, still holding onto Elwin as if he would disappear if she didn’t. “And could you ask Taliesin to make something for Aerith’s pain? Something stronger than the poppy he gave her yesterday.”

---

Nyrel considered Aerith’s suggestion and whether she was inadvertently asking him to sit with her or whether she was offering for his sake. After a few moments though, he decided to get up and move the books and plants as she’d suggested. Then he picked up Theseus and sat down, letting the frog sit in his lap instead just in case Aerith wanted to reach out and pet him or something. Not to mention he didn’t have the first idea where to put the frog. “How are you holding up?” He asked softly, reaching out and taking her hand. He hoped a healer came with the medicine for her soon.

@ sun spirit

"Even if he didn't know, you're the Royal Healer, and he does know about that. And he's done this before on purpose, if he gets away with it he'll never learn." Elwin said with a sigh, reluctantly releasing Ceren when Nadya began to get to work on Ceren's wrist, focusing his attention on Taliesin as he made Aerith's medicine, knowing looking at Ceren's injuries would only upset him more.

Eventually he took a seat with a sigh, running a hand over his face, wishing he had something to help set his nerves straight, conflicted over what he should do about Nyrel. "You said he was asking about Aerith?" He asked Ceren after a while.

---

Aerith scooted closer once he was seated next to her, propped up slightly against the pillows, although she was still basically laying down, and looked rather exhausted and pitiful. Her intestines had been scrambled, she had lost too much blood, and now she was a little feverish from the pain. But she smiled up at him, and the way the maid had braided her hair to keep it away from her face in case she had to vomit again was rather pretty, especially considering Aerith never did anything with her hair. She blushed faintly as he took her hand, still a bit surprised that he was doing so willingly. "Everything hurts... I wish Ceren would get better and fix me more." She complained lightly, although part of her minded the sitting around part because it meant spending time with Nyrel.

@ katahdin

Ceren was stopped from replying by Nadya’s presence and sat down by the older healer to get her wrist looked at. Nadya first used her magic to inspect the damage, her fingers cool on Ceren’s arm, and soon it was confirmed that nothing had been sprained or broken. She offered to heal the wound magically, but Ceren declined, preferring everyone to save their magic for patients who really needed it. Instead, her wrist was iced while a poultice was made, then covered in the poultice and wrapped tight in bandages. She wasn’t supposed to use it for a couple of days and ice it twice a day, but that was all.

She was wiggling her fingers, adjusting to the bandages sound her wrist, when Elwin spoke, and she looked up at him in surprise. “Demanding I get her pain medication and insisting that he could watch her when I said I’d ask someone to sit with her or do it myself,” Ceren answered. “That’s... actually what started everything. I didn’t want him involving her in his scheming or hurting her.” She didn’t want to discuss this in front of the other healers, but as long as Nyrel’s name wasn’t mentioned... she guessed it was okay. Even so, she was sure Taliesin had looked at her knowingly when she’d come out of her office with Elwin, and she was sure he at least suspected they were more than childhood friends.

---

“You’ll get better soon, I promise,” Nyrel said, bringing Aerith’s hand up and pressing his lips to the back of it. It was good to know she didn’t feel bad enough not to act herself though. If she was complaining about Ceren healing her more, she must be okay. A knock sounded at the door then, but before Nyrel could get up, an unfamiliar head poked in the room. “I have pain medication for Lady Aerith,” the woman said, and after being motioned in, came to Aerith’s side and helped her swallow the contents of the small vial. “This will probably make you sleepy, but you should feel much better,” the woman advised. “Send someone I’d you need more tonight.”