A Court of Flight and Valor

@ sun spirit

"Very intimidating. Even I might be scared of you." Ailuin teased, giving her hips a squeeze as he returned her kiss. He grinned as she insisted that he give her a very good kiss to convince her, tugging her into his lap and pressing a very loving kiss to her lips. He let it linger, pulling away after a moment with a little smile. "I can give you more kisses if you want, in case that wasn't enough for you." He teased softly, kissing her once more for good measure.

---

Bridris returned his smile as she gazed up at him, tilting her head up so that she could kiss him as he held her close. "I love you, Ramyth. You're perfect, and I wouldn't want anyone else." She murmured, pressing another kiss to his lips for good measure.

@ katahdin

Aubrius gladly moved into Ailuin's lap as he tugged her closer, humming as he complied with her demand for a kiss, though in her opinion, it ended far too quickly. She grinned at his teasing, kissing him again. "I think you'll need to. That wasn't even enough to halfway convince me." She let her finger trail along the arch of his wing for a second. "You'll know when you've convinced me," she promised.

---

Ramyth returned her kisses happily, smiling as she claimed to love and only want him, tugging her a little closer. "I love you too, Bridris. And I'm glad you think so, because I think you're perfect as well, and I wouldn't want anyone else either," he promised softly, running his fingers through her hair and then moving to cup her cheek as he kissed her again.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin hummed against her lips as she trailed a finger over his wing, tugging her close so that he could return the favor now that her wings were healed and he knew it wouldn't hurt her. "Hmm.. Any suggestions? Keep in mind we're supposed to be having breakfast with Bridris and Ramyth." He murmured, pressing a few kisses along her jaw.

---

Bridris hummed against his lips as he returned her kisses, smiling as he said that he loved her and that he wouldn't want to be with anyone else. "Good.. that might sound selfish, bit I think it's true..." She murmured softly, humming happily as he ran his fingers through her hair, leaning her head into his touch as she pulled him close, rolling slightly onto her back to be more comfortable.

@ katahdin

Aubrius shuddered a bit as Ailuin stroked the arch of her wing, groaning as he followed it with reminding her that they were supposed to be having breakfast with Bridris and Ramyth before the ceremony. “Maybe they won’t notice? It’s not as if they’re knocking down the door,” she suggested, running her fingers into his hair as he started to kiss along her jaw. She captured his lips with hers and pressed close as she kissed him deeply, letting one hand reach out and stroke his wing again at the same time.

---

As Bridris shifted into a different position, Ramyth rolled with her to stay close, moving more onto his stomach beside her though he was careful not actually lay on her. “I think it’s okay to be selfish about this, especially since we feel the same way,” he told her, giving her another kiss as he continued to softly run his fingers through her hair upon seeing how much she seemed to enjoy it.

@ sun spirit

"Because we're supposed to be going to their room. I sent breakfast there, remember?" Ailuin mumbled against her skin, wings fluttering as she ran her fingers over his wings, nibbling on her skin as he kissed down her skin. "I don't think they'll notice.. I'm sure the petals have them wrapped up in each other just as much as we are." He chuckled, pressing a deep kiss to her lips as he tugged her closer.

---

Bridris hummed against his lips, smiling up at him as he said it was ok to be selfish. "I like being selfish with you." She confessed, humming happily as his fingers tangled in her hair, pressing closer as they kissed. "Have I convinced you to stay yet?" She asked soflty after a few moments, smiling at him as she gripped his shirt.

@ katahdin

Aubrius started to argue that Ailuin never said anything about sending breakfast to their rooms when she recalled that he actually had and she’d actually forgotten. It was a minor miracle she was capable of remembering anything around him though—he had that kind of pull on her. She smirked as he conceded that they still probably wouldn’t notice though, humming as he continued kissing and nibbling. “That’s what I thought. Which means we can focus on being wrapped up in each other, right?” She leaned into his touch as he pulled them flush against each other, kissing deeply as she untangled her arms from around him and reached back to start unbuttoning her shirt. “If you want somewhere different, I’d suggest we relocate soon,” she warned as she shrugged her shirt off, nipping his earlobe and starting to kiss down his neck as she started working on shucking her pants next.

---

“I’m glad. I like it too,” Ramyth confessed with a smile, giving Bridris a kiss, pausing in running his fingers through her hair for a moment as he did so before continuing again. He chuckled softly at her question though, peppering kisses across her cheeks, forehead, chin, nose, eyelids, then finally her lips before he answered. “You’ve convinced me to stay until I absolutely have to leave and then to hurry back as soon as possible,” he answered softly, brushing hair away from her face.

@ sun spirit

"Here is fine... Unless you have suggestions?" Ailuin murmured before returning her kisses, one hand moving to tease her breasts while the other worked on his own clothes. It took a bit to get them off, and he was sure there would be some extra wrinkles in his shirt and jacket, but he didn't care as he was already caught up in Aubrius. They had an hour or two before the ceremony anyway, plenty of time to have breakfast with Bridris and Ramyth if they really wanted to. Or plenty of time to spend with one another.

---

Bridris returned his smile and his kiss, giggling as he peppered kisses across her entire face, although she pouted as he said that he'd still have to leave, even if he'd be gone for the least amount of time possible. "But I don't want you to go at all... Can't I do anything to convince you?" She asked, pressing another kiss to his lips. "More kisses? Braiding your hair? Taking off my nightgown?" She asked between kisses, a faint blush heating up her cheeks at the last offer, a bit surprised that she'd actually said it out loud, although at this point she knew she wouldn't be opposed to it, especially if he took off his pajamas too.

@ katahdin

“I’m sure I do. I just can’t think of them right now,” Aubrius answered, standing for a moment so they could both get their pants off before returning to his lap and pressing close with a little groan as he teased her breasts. She nipped his neck, licking and sucking on the skin there, barely waiting until they were both naked before she guided him to her center, growling softly as he slid inside her. “I do have an idea though,” she murmured against his neck, lifting her head and kissing him as she reached back and teased his wings in time to her rocking her hips into his, guessing the sensations would combine really well. For all she knew, he might climax quickly or lose control or both. She was willing to experiment.

---

Although he enjoyed her giggles as he peppered kisses across her face, Ramyth couldn’t help but feel bad as Bridris pouted and once more tried to convince him to stay, offering a few things she might try as she kissed him. And while he happily returned her kisses at first, he still sighed as he forced himself to pull away and press his forehead against hers. “Bri, I can’t miss the ceremony,” he said reluctantly, closing his eyes as he held her tight. “You... you could come with me though. Technically, you should be there as part of the blessed couple. Everyone knows you’re human now, so we don’t have to worry about your identity being revealed, and it could show the council that in order to live here, you’re willing to follow our customs. You don’t have magic to give Ailuin, but you could still participate by offering your loyalty.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin growled needily as she nipped his neck, having not realized how much he needed her. They'd spent the days after sealing their mating bond with each other, going at it at all hours of the day, usually with no notice beforehand, so it was honestly a miracle they'd only slept with each other once yesterday when Aubrius was healing, and even then it wasn't anywhere near their normal level of intimacy. His grip on her hips tightened as she slid onto him, growling again as she stroked his wings and moved her hips in sync, struggling to hold back. "Fuck, Aub.." he groaned against her neck, biting hard enough to leave a mark as he guided her hips faster, lifting his hips as much as he could to meet her movements.

---

Bridris frowned as he pulled away, feeling like she'd done something wrong, shaking her head a little as he offered to let her come with him. "No, it's fine.. I shouldn't be trying to get you in trouble, and I'll only be a distraction, to you and everyone else, given how they acted last night.." she explained, offering him a little smile. "Besides, I'm not old enough to go, since you said you have to be at least 100 to attend." She teased softly, hoping to lighten the mood a little as she scooted away to roll out of bed, tugging on her dressing robe as she headed to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair, knowing if she didnt get up now she'd be even more sad when Ramyth had to get up.

@ katahdin

Aubrius wasn't sure if it was the fact that she and Ailuin had only had sex once since Roedanya started, only once in two whole days, or if it was something else making her feel needier and more impatient than usual, but she was grateful Ailuin seemed to be affected too and wasn't worrying about even touching her anymore, growling her approval of his reaction to her experiment. "I hoped you'd like that." She was feeling too needy to even consider doing anything other than what he urged, groaning as she started to move faster, continuing to match their pace with strokes along his wings, having to concentrate to make sure she was gentle with them although nothing else was gentle, the last thing she wanted being to hurt his wings.

---

Ramyth had tried to offer an alternative so that they could stay together even if he did have to get out of bed, and he was especially motivated knowing from experience just how long the ceremony took and knowing that everyone had to sit through the full thing. He doubted she'd want to be alone for so long, and thinking about it, he suspected her going would be fine. He didn't expect her to suddenly clam up the way she did though and immediately wished he could retract it. "You won't get me in trouble by coming to the ceremony, and it doesn't matter if you're a distraction," he tried to tell her softly, squeezing her gently. "Bri, that's for fae, and you know it. It's set at that number because that's when we consider fae to be adults. You're an adult, so it'd be fine." He frowned as he started to get up before he'd even finished speaking, watching her walk into the bathroom and then letting his head drop into a pillow with a little groan, wings drooping, not sure what he'd done so wrong.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin groaned needily as she continued her actions, rolling them so that she was laying down on the mattress underneath him as he thrust into her, kissing her deeply as he held her close. As much as he had enjoyed her on top of him, after not getting to do this for two whole days he was feeling very needy, and very much like he wanted to pin her down and keep her here all day. "Fuck, Aub... Why weren't we doing this sooner?"

---

"You said yesterday that the ceremony was only for fae and that I couldn't go, I don't understand why everyone knowing that I'm human changes that." Bridris pointed out, frowning a bit as she looked at him. "Everything here is for fae, Ramyth, that's the problem, because no matter how badly I want it to be different, I'll never be fae, I'm never just going to be blindly accepted by everyone like you and Aubrius and Ailuin have done, and even if I was I'd never really belong here." She didn't mean to snap at him, and she was upset with her situation and not him, but she couldn't help her tone, feeling guilty for it afterwards, but hurried to the bathroom anyway, hoping to hide for at least long enough for him to maybe not be too mad at her and for her to figure out what to say to him when she came out.

@ katahdin

Aubrius growled her approval against his mouth as Ailuin changed their position, hooking a leg around him to hold him just a little closer as he continued to thrust into her. “Hell if I know. You were worried about breaking me, maybe? As if I ever complain when we get rough.” She nipped his lip with a little, needy growl, urging him faster as she started to play with his wings again and tasted blood. Whatever got into them when they were like this, whether it was the mating bond or something else, was like a physical need and had gotten much worse since they sealed the bond. And with how bad it felt now, she wasn’t sure they’d physically be able to get through the ceremony. Not when all she wanted was them like this for the foreseeable future.

---

Ramyth wanted to follow Bridris and tell her she was wrong and what he thought and how he saw it, but she’d walked away for a reason, and he’d learned from Aubrius that sometimes it was better to give a person space and let them calm down a little on their own. Still, even if what she said suggested it was her situation she was upset about, he couldn’t help but worry that it was actually him because of how out-of-the-blue this was. And part of him wanted to go to the bathroom door and quietly tell her that she could leave anytime she wanted if that’s what she wanted and he could find them separate rooms until they solved her kidnapping and could take her home. But a little selfish part of him didn’t want her to take the offer, wanted her to stay and not bring up her leaving unless she did first, and as he got out of bed, that was the part he listened to. In the name of giving Bridris space, he went and collected breakfast out of the hall, which had already started to cool, and remembering that it had supposedly come from Ailuin and that the king and Aubrius were supposed to come over for breakfast, he grabbed a servant and sent a note to ask. All of that having only taken a minute, he then retreated to his room to change for the day.

@ sun spirit

"I was worried about your wings, and the iron poisoning." Ailuin murmured against her lips as he continued to thrust into her, growling as she nipped his lip and played with his wings. He grabbed her hands and managed to pin them above her head with his magic, kissing her deeply as one hand groped at her breasts while the other teased her wings, wanting to give her a taste of her own medicine.

---

Bridris tried to keep her crying as quiet as possible, although she knew he could probably still hear her anyway, given how much better his hearing was than hers. She hated the pain and the sadness that seemed to always come up no matter how hard she tried to keep them away, and she knew no matter how hard she tried she'd likely always feel awful one way or another. Ramyth deserved more than that, though, and as much as she wanted to be selfish and keep him all to herself for as long as she could, he didn't deserve to have to deal with her emotions or her lashing out at him. After staring at herself in the mirror for a while she slipped out of the bathroom to return to her room, taking a seat in the chair by the window so she could watch the people below wandering around the courtyard.

@ katahdin

Gods, Aubrius loved making him growl and was more than happy to continue doing so when he pulled her hands back and pinned them over her head. Her noise of protest morphed into something between a groan and a growl as he turned the tables on her however. "Fuck, Ailuin," she growled, moving her hips to meet his thrusts. "I'm going to come." She wasn't sure if it was a warning or a plea, wasn't sure how close he was, only that his groping and teasing as he fucked her already had her close to the edge.

---

Bridris was still in the bathroom when Ramyth finished getting dressed, and he thought he heard her crying, but he forced himself to stay away, reminding himself that he was giving her space and his presence probably wouldn't help since it was something he'd done--he couldn't even figure out what to apologize for it--and his presence wouldn't be any comfort or help to her. It still hurt to hear though, and he ended up pacing his room, continuing to walk in circles even after it stopped, trying to give her space. At least long enough for the tears to dry and her complexion to return to normal so they could pretend that she hadn't been crying if that was what she wanted. All in all, he waited maybe another ten minutes before he finally forced himself to stop pacing and walked to the door between their rooms, hesitantly knocking. "Bri, can I come in?"

@ sun spirit

Ailuin smirked as he kissed her deeply, more than happy to hear her growls and moans of pleasure, especially knowing that it was his doing. "Good." He groaned, feeling close himself. It wasn't much longer before they both reached their climaxes, Ailuin practically collapsing on top of her, although he made sure not to put his full weight on her given her injuries and her wings. He tucked his face into the crook of her neck as they caught their breath, pressing little kisses to her neck and shoulder. "Gods, Aubrius.."

---

The occasional stray tear was still rolling down her cheeks when Ramyth knocked on her door, startling her a bit out of her thoughts as she quickly wiped at her eyes. "Y-Yes.." she called softly, forcing a little smile as he came in. "If Aub and Ailuin are here tell them I'll be just a minute, I'm not that hungry but I'll come sit with them while they eat... And don't worry about leaving me alone during the ceremony, I'll be fine. There's plenty for me to do here to keep myself busy, and you don't have to hurry back, either, since I know you said that you usually spend the day with your family, so I don't want to keep you from them."

@ katahdin

Gods, indeed. Aubrius let out a little, content purr as Ailuin pressed little kisses to her skin, and, hands freed once more, she ran her fingers through his hair. "That took the edge off, huh?" she teased, voice a little breathy. "Promise me, whatever else happens to us, we'll never stop having sex. I don't think I could handle it; I'd go crazy." As she spoke, she let her fingers trail across his back. She thought if they could just do what they'd just did about five more times, she might be able to sit through the ceremony without being tempted to drag him away for a quickie.

---

Not wanting to intrude if she still wanted privacy, Ramyth made sure to stay on his side of the door until Bridris gave her answer, slowly opening it and walking into her rooms once she called out that she could. And even though she gave him a smile, it didn't reach her eyes. It was clear there was something still seriously bothering her and seeing her so upset broke his heart a little. "They aren't here yet. They might be getting dressed or are with Hanvosi for Aub's wounds," he explained softly as he approached her, hesitating before sitting in the chair across from her. "I think... I want to stay with you today. I know I have to go to the ceremony, but I want to come back and be with you after. I'm sure my family will. understand, and they'll make sure I make it up to them later." He went quiet for a few moments before adding, very softly, "And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I'm sorry."

@ sun spirit

Ailuin chuckled softly, carefully rolling them onto their sides so they could be more comfortable, humming as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I think I can promise that. That's an easy one." He grinned, leaning up to kiss her lovingly, although he pulled back when he noticed a note appear, reaching over to grab it before pulling back to read it. "Ram wants to know when we're going to arrive for breakfast.. Seems like maybe they're not as distracted with each other as we are."

---

"Oh.." Bridris nodded a little as he explained where Aub and Ailuin might be, looking down at her lap as she picked at a little hole in her robe. She looked up as he sat down across from her, hating how sad he looked because of her, frowning as he said that he wanted to stay with her today instead of being with his family. "But Ram, they're you're family and they're expecting you.. I don't expect you to change your family traditions for me, that wouldn't be fair of me to ask. Besides, they'll hate me if you abandon them." Her frown only deepened as he apologized, feeling her heart break as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "No, Ram.. No, no, you do not have to apologize for anything. You haven't done anything wrong, it's.. it's all my fault. Please, please don't feel bad, ok? You haven't done anything wrong, I swear, a-and you don't deserve me being sad and angry and getting upset all the time and taking it out on you.. I-It isn't fair, I shouldn't do it.. I'm sorry I'm not better, I'm sorry that I'm not good enough, I'm sorry that Roedanya paired you with me.. you deserve so much more, Ramyth. So much more.."

@ katahdin

As they moved on their sides, Aubrius stretched her wings a bit, which had been somewhat cramped with her laying on her back. She grinned as Ailuin claimed her request was easy to promise, leaning in to give him a quick kiss, though her grin morphed into a frown as a note appeared, assuming it was from the council and said something to the tune of “get your ass to the ceremony”. Discovering it was Ram inquiring about breakfast gave her mixed feelings. On the one hand, the thought of breakfast made her stomach rumble pretty loudly, but on the other, that meant getting up and getting dressed and significantly lowered the chances of a round two before the ceremony. “Or maybe they want to be but they’re better people than we are and are controlling themselves because we all agreed to have breakfast and they’ll be grateful if we release them from that obligation?”

---

The last thing Ramyth had expected when he’d apologized was for Bridris to start crying all over again, and as she denied that it was him making her upset and tried to defend him, he couldn’t stop himself from moving over to her this time, gently pulling her out of her seat and into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as she cried and apologized. “Shh, it’s okay Bri, it’s okay,” he murmured running his fingers through her hair and rocking her, trying to do everything he could to soothe her, his heart hurting as she claimed she wasn’t good enough again. “Bri, you’re perfect, okay? You’re perfect, and I love and want and deserve you. And being a little emotional doesn’t make you any less. It just means you’re a person with feelings. Do you know how many times I’ve said the wrong thing to Aub and gotten punched for it? When you care about someone, you take their emotional times too, not just when they’re at their best.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin gave her a look as she spoke, knowing she likely wanted another round, if not two, before the ceremony. "Hmm.. The decision is yours. Consider it your first responsibility and decision to make as Queen." He gave her a teasing smile as he pressed a kiss to her nose. "Do we stay in bed a while longer, or do we go have breakfast with our friends?" He didn't mind either way how she chose, but he figured making her decide was the better option, especially if it was a decision she had to make as Queen.

---

Bridris curled into Ramyth's arms as he tugged her into his lap, sobbing weakly into his shirt as she clung to him. "I-It doesn't feel ok.. o-o-or like I'm perfect.." she stammered out once she'd caught her breath a bit, leaning into his arms as he held and soothed her. "I-It hurts, though, Ram... The more I love you, the more it hurts.." she confessed softly, wiping at her eyes as she tried to force herself to calm down.

@ katahdin

Aubrius frowned at Ailuin's response, staring at him as she tried to figure out whether he was being serious or not. He seemed to be, although it hardly seemed like something he should be invoking their deal over. She figured he'd use that to have her attend meetings, do paperwork, whatever the hell else it was he did on a daily basis. "Ailuin, that's not... if this is your way of calling me selfish because I'd rather stay here with you than go eat breakfast, it's not cute, and I blame the mating bond because you naked could pretty much convince me to stop anything I'm doing."

---

Ramyth let Bridris sob, continuing to hold and rock her and rub her back and to hope that he was helping as she tried to explain how she felt. And it hurt to hear her sound so broken and to know, from everything she said, that it stemmed from her feelings for him and her mortality. He held her close, closing his eyes as he did so and he tried to figure out what to do. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Bri," he murmured into her hair. Love wasn't supposed to hurt, and even if she was happy sometimes, if this was how she'd always feel, staying with him... "I... I know you're worried about me and how I'll feel after you die and that you want to be with me forever, and... and I want you to know I'm telling you about this because I love you and I don't want you to be sad for the rest of your life because of me... I-if you want, if you'd prefer, we can still find a way to break the spell keeping you here, and when we do, Hanvosi can erase your memories of your time here. Of Sidero too, if you'd like. You could... restart in your village, continue to be friends with Aub and some of the other fae, live out the rest of your life happy with other humans. You might be happier overall with that, than spending the rest of your life worrying about me and how I'll be after you're gone." He had to force the words out of his mouth, not wanting to let her go but caring too much not to offer her the choice at least.