A Court of Flight and Valor

@ sun spirit

Bridris couldn't help but pout a little bit as Ramyth said that he didn't think that the gods would come to their wedding, but nodded a little in understanding. "Oh, that makes sense, I suppose.. I wouldn't want to bother them when they're so busy." She murmured, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before heading out to be with his family. She blushed a bit as everyone rushed over to her and excitedly began to speak about planning their wedding, giving Ramyth's hand a nervous squeeze as he stepped in to speak, very grateful for him handling everything so well. She looked up at Orabell as she insisted that she would make her wedding dress, offering the woman a sheepish smile as she nodded after a few moments. "Alright... I don't want to be too much trouble, though, so it doesn't have to be anything too fancy. And I think Ramyth and I were thinking of getting married as soon as we could, but I don't know how long it takes to plan a wedding or make a dress. And Ramyth said he wants to take me home for lunch, so that we can talk about the wedding, so maybe we could eat lunch a different day?" It was the closest thing to a lie Bridris had ever spoken, but she definitely wasn't about to tell his mother and sisters the real reason they wanted to go home early.

---

"I've told you before I'd be happy to help you with the tangles when they really get stuck, you don't have to just cut them out once you get too frustrated." Ailuin reminded her, humming happily against her lips as she returned his kiss, it having felt like ages since they'd been able to share one. He too looked up though as Bridris and Ramyth returned from where ever they'd wandered off too, giving his mate's hand a squeeze. "It looks like they're getting ready to leave, so if you want to say anything to them I would suggest doing it before they go, since we'll still be here for a bit trying on dresses. Especially if you want to mention your requirements for Ramyth to know before they marry."

@ katahdin

Ramyth was quick to press a kiss to Bridris’ lips as she pouted. “I still think we should invite them. I just didn’t want you to be too disappointed if all of them couldn’t make it,” he explained. He wasn’t sure how to help her much more than he already had as his mother insisted on making her dress herself, but thankfully, she seemed to find her voice at that moment, agreeing to letting her and Mirella make the dress, even going so far as to mention herself that they wanted to go home for lunch. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently in support and to let her know he was proud. “We’re waiting for her transformation ceremony too, so don’t feel like you have to kill yourself working on the dress,” he added as his mother looked surprised about the timeline Bridris was suggesting.

“Even if I wanted to, your father wouldn’t let me. He’d come and drag me out of the shop himself. And I can only imagine he’d bring Tad so he could get Mir,” Orabell assured her son immediately, putting a reassuring hand on his arm, then offered Bridris a smile. “Absolutely, I completely understand. I’m sad we aren’t getting the time together we’d planned on, but it’s exciting news for everyone today. Mirella and I will talk through some ideas about dresses to run by you later, and we can talk it all over when we get lunch. Hopefully you’ll have some ideas for us too, so we can have a plan. And I can’t speak for my daughter, but I’d be more than happy to help with wedding planning if the two of you need or want it.”

---

“But it took forever the last time you did it,” Aubrius started, though it wasn’t long before she was distracted by their kiss. And unfortunately, she realized Ailuin had a point about Bridris and Ramyth, even if she didn’t like the idea of stepping into that pool of piranhas. “If it looks like I’m going to punch someone, feel free to stop me. Physically or with your magic,” she said by way of warning before she let go of his hand and made her way to the group gathered.

Aubrius was noticed shortly before she reached them, and as Bridris turned to her, she stepped close and gave her friend a hug, guessing Bri would want one. “I was going to wait until you were a little more free, but it seemed like you and Ram were getting ready to leave, and I’ve been bullied into putting on a dress, so Ailuin and I have to stay behind. So congratulations. I’m glad the gods made the right choice, because you deserve this,” she said as she pulled back.

She looked to Ramyth then. “You still have to complete your quest though,” she said, and when he gave her a confused look, added, “I know Ailuin said he gave you something already, but no one asked me what I thought, and I think I need to make sure you can really protect Bri, because despite every attempt I’ve made to teach her how to protect herself, she’s no good at it. So you’ll have to beat me in a match. Take as many attempts as you need, whatever conditions. Just beat me.”

@ sun spirit

Bridris would have returned his kiss had they still been in private and had his family not swarmed them, although she had grown to love them and was thrilled to have them as her family. She looked up at Ramyth as he took her hand, a bit surprised by the encouraging gesture, although she offered him a little smile before turning back to his mother and sisters. She was relieved that his mother understood that she and Ramyth wanted a private lunch, even if his sisters both looked displeased by the news, and nodded a little as his mother spoke of getting together to talk about everything some other time. "Of course, that sounds perfect, Orabell. Thank you."

Bridris looked up as Aubrius and Ailuin came over, returning her friends hug with one of her own before waving at Ramyth's family as they headed out to have their lunch and start on the wedding plans, smiling up at Aubrius. "I think you'd look pretty in a dress. And you should try on something colorful, like pink or purple, I think you'd be extra pretty in those colors."

Ailuin chuckled at Bridris' suggestions, giving her a hug as well and a peck to the cheek as he uttered his congratulations to the both of them. "I agree that she'd look beautiful in a dress, but I'm not sure I can get her in a pink one."

Bridris smile disappeared as Aubrius turned to Ramyth and declared that he hadn't completed her quest yet and that meant they couldn't marry, looking up at Ramyth worriedly before looking back to Aubrius. "Of course he can protect me, Aubrius, he does all the time. And you know I don't like to hit people, it's rude." She frowned, looking up at her fiance. "Does.. Does this mean I should go tell your mother and sisters that the wedding isn't happening?" She asked, clearly heartbroken at the thought but willing to do it if need be.

@ katahdin

It was safe to say that Aubrius was relieved when Ramyth’s family excused themselves shortly after she walked over with Ailuin. It made her feel a little easier talking to her friends, though she wrinkled her nose as Bridris suggested she wear pink or purple. “Ailuin’s right. There’s no way I’m wearing pink,” she said decisively. She was surprised at the way Bridris immediately frowned at her worriedly as she gave her conditions for Ramyth fulfilling his quest though.

Ramyth, meanwhile, was staring at Aubrius incredulously. He couldn’t believe this was what she thought an acceptable quest was—not when she knew that he hadn’t been able to beat her in a fight for years. He’d been the one to start teaching her how, but she’d picked up on it all and expanded on that knowledge years ago. He shoved down his first instinct, to ask Aub if she was crazy, as he caught the way Bridris was looking at him though, especially when she asked about cancelling the wedding. She was heartbroken, and if he hadn’t known Aubrius well enough to know that that wasn’t her intention, he would’ve hated her a little. “No, no, the wedding is absolutely still happening, Bri,” he said, squeezing his fiancé’s hands reassuringly. He looked back up at Aubrius. “Fine, I’ll beat you, if that’s what you want.”

Aubrius had been worried for a moment, at Bridris’ reaction, that her friend had clearly seemed to think she’d set an impossible task, but Ramyth’s response helped assert that she’d made the right decision. “Good. Like I said, as many times as you need. And you can choose when and where. You already know the winning conditions.” Whether or not he realized it, she was trying to make it easy on him by giving him as much power over the conditions as she was. If he were smart, he’d take every opportunity she was handing him.

The shopkeeper returned at that moment, carrying what looked to be a blue dress, a pink dress, and something that looked suspiciously like ribbon. “I found the one that’ll look perfect on you both,” she announced with a grin. Just as Aubrius was in the process of nudging Ailuin and teasing him about the shopkeep bringing a pink dress for him though, she passed the blue dress into his arms, then pressed the pink one into Aub’s. “You two go get dressed now,” she said, shooing them both into a nearby changing room together without a concern for the conversation that had been taking place before she’d shown back up or any potential complaints.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin chuckled at his mate's insistence that she wouldn't wear pink, making it sound far worse than it actually was. He frowned a bit though as he saw the very brief look that flashed across Ramyth's face as Aubrius told him her quest, and then Bridris' absolutely heartbroken look as she asked the guard if that meant they'd have to call off the wedding. He thought Aubrius' quest was a little odd consider he knew that Ramyth hadn't beat her in a fight in years, and he briefly wondered if there was some reason why she wouldn't want Bridris to marry Ramyth. He didn't say anything though as Ramyth agreed to her terms, offering him and Bridris a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you'll be married in no time, Bri." He assured her, making a mental note to ask Aubrius to go easy on Ramyth.

He looked up as the shopkeeper brought them their dresses though, offering her a polite smile and thank you as he took his dress from her before she began to herd them toward a changing room, looking back at their friends. "Don't worry about waiting for us, we can meet up another time to catch up. Congratulations again." He said before heading into the changing room.

---

Bridris nodded a bit at Ramyth's reassurances that the wedding would still happen, looking over at Aubrius as she mentioned the conditions. She supposed that could be fair, if he were allowed to choose a time and place, and he was an excellent fighter, so he was sure he'd beat her in no time. As Ailuin insisted that they not wait up for them she nodded, waving goodbye as the shopkeeper ushered them away before turning back to Ramyth. "Will you fly us home now? I know we could walk, but I'm not feeling up to it... Why do you think Aub insisted she give a quest too? Does she not like you?"

@ katahdin

Aubrius just barely got her own goodbye out before she and Ailuin were herded into the changing room with the dresses. The expectation seemed to be that they’d help each other change, even though she doubted either of them had any idea what they were doing. “You’re really going to put on the dress?” she asked, feeling as if she had to make sure that he really was serious about the whole thing, though the fact that they were in the changing room suggested he really was. “Do you even know how this works?”

---

As Bridris requested that they fly home, Ramyth nodded, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “Absolutely,” he said as he took her hand and led her out of the shop. He pulled a hair tie out of a pocket in his jacket and offered it to her so she could tie her hair back before they left. It was something he’d started doing after he’d flown her around a bit unexpectedly and her hair had gotten tangled because of it. He sighed a little at her question about Aubrius though, shaking his head. “No, she likes me, most days. Not in the same way she likes you or Ailuin, but we’ve been friends for awhile, and she isn’t the sort of person to take that to be nice.” He hesitated before continuing. “Ailuin has a theory that might explain it... he thinks she acts like a mom with you, which could make sense, given how young you were when you said the two of you met, and the things you said she’s done. And traditionally, you ask the parents of whoever you love for your quest. I didn’t think it’d be a good idea to ask your dad. Not just because you said he wouldn’t approve, but because while you’re here and trying to adapt to our customs, he isn’t. I thought you’d need someone here to ask. So I asked our King. If he couldn’t give me a quest, I figured the council could at least. They step in for anyone who doesn’t have someone, which is pretty rare but can still happen. But anyway, back to Aub. If she subconsciously feels like your mom, it’d make sense that she’d want to handle the quest-giving. Otherwise, I can’t imagine why she’d care either way. She’s always been supportive of us being together, even to the point of ganging up with Ailuin to tell me I should tell you how I felt.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin chuckled as his mate asked if he was really serious about trying on the dress, nodding as he leaned over to press a kiss to her lips before stepping back to begin to undress. "Yes, although as I said before, if you don't want to try one on I can do it to humor the shop keeper." He said, not wanting to force her into anything. "When I was younger the monks would make me dress up in ceremonial robes for special holidays that were similar to these, so I should be able to recall how to properly put them on. I'll help you too, if you're still going to try it on."

---

Bridris gave his hand a little squeeze as he led her outside, mumbling a soft thank you as she took the hair tie from him and quickly braided her hair to keep it from getting tangled in the wind, stepping into his arms once she was done. She frowned as he explained what he thought Aubrius' reasoning for her quest was, nodding a little in understanding as she rested her head against his chest. "I suppose that that makes sense.. but why couldn't she have picked something easy like King Ailuin did? She could have just said you had to try on the pink dress with Ailuin and then we could have gotten married tomorrow. And I don't want you two to have to fight and get hurt." She pouted, never fond of the days he came home with bruises and cuts and scrapes from his training with Aubrius and the other guards.

@ katahdin

As far as Aubrius was concerned, the kiss Ailuin pressed to her lips was too chaste, but he’d stepped away and started removing his shirt before she could pull him back in for a better one. Not that she’d ever minded watching him undress, and now certainly wasn’t an exception, though she also wasn’t as excited at the prospect of them getting naked together in a private room as it seemed like she should be either. While she pushed that to the back of her mind to chew on, she put forth most of her focus for the conversation at hand, wrinkling her nose as Ailuin mentioned the monks making him wear ceremonial robes. “The more I hear about the monks, the more I consider setting a small fire in one of the temples,” she confessed off-handedly, though she was serious. “And I told you, I’m going to do it. I made a deal, and I’d be a bad mate if I let you parade around looking ridiculous just because I’m stubborn and don’t want to. I’m not leaving this room with this dress on though. It’ll go on, you can do all the looking you want, and then I’m taking it right back off.”

---

Ramyth wrapped his arms around Bridris as she stepped back into his arms, cradling her close but staying on the ground for the moment, knowing it would be nearly impossible to continue talking once they started flying. As she questioned Aubrius’ choice in quest, he sighed softly, resting his chin against the top of her head. “I know. I’m not really a fan of it either. We’ll be fine though. For matches like what she’s talking about, we don’t use weapons. All I have to do is pin her to win, and I”m stronger. And she’s letting me pick when and where and how we do things, so she isn’t trying to make it impossible. I’ll have beat her before you know it,” he promised.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin chuckled as Aubrius mentioned setting fire to the temples, pausing in the middle of dressing to step toward her and give her another kiss, letting this on linger for a moment. "I appreciate you wanting to do that, although as King I have to insist that you don't." He smiled down at her, stepping back to finish what he was doing before turning back to her to gesture to her clothes. "Alright, come on, start undressing so that I can help you get your dress on." He'd known full well that she wouldn't leave the changing room once her dress was on, but he appreciated her putting it on in the first place, especially since she was doing it for him.

---

Bridris let out a little sigh as he spoke about the fight, squeezing her arms around him for a minute before looking up at him. "I still don't like the idea of you two fighting.. But I know that you're stronger, and that you'll win in no time and that we'll be able to get married soon." She murmured, pressing a loving and reassuring kiss to his lips before settling back into his arms. "Let's go home so we can make lunch."

@ katahdin

Aubrius was more than happy to return her mate’s kiss and let it deepen a little, grinning up at him when he pulled back to insist that she not start any fires. “Don’t worry, if I ever actually go through with it, I won’t get caught,” she promised, pulling him back in for one more kiss before letting him go to finish getting undressed. She raised an eyebrow as he said it was her turn once he was in his underwear though. “I believe I said you had to put on a dress before I would,” she reminded him. “Besides, do you really think it’s a good idea for both of us to be nearly naked at the same time right now? You’re a little more particular than me about what we do in public.”

---

Ramyth fave Bridris a small, understanding smile as she said she didn’t like the idea of them fighting and then basically said that she believed in him, happily returning her kiss. “I’m glad you believe in me,” he said, kissing her once more for good measure as she suggested they go back home to make lunch. “Good idea. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can get back to kissing.” With a little grin, holding her securely in his arms, he took off and started the flight back home.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin gave her a look as she promised not to get caught, but was smiling despite it, returning her kiss before chuckling as she suggested that he put on his dress first and reminded him of their bargain. "Fair point. It'll take me a minute to get it on by myself, but it shouldn't take too long." He said, beginning to put on the dress. Like he'd said it did take him a few minutes to put the dress on, but he was able to do it for the most part by himself, although he had to ask Aubrius to hold something or tie something that he couldn't reach a few times, as well as having her help him get his wings unstuck. Once he was done he turned to her with a grin, doing a little spin before pausing. "How do I look?" Overall the fit wasn't bad, especially since it was spelled to fit him, and the blue of the dress looked lovely with his wings and against his red hair.

---

"I'll always believe in you, Ramyth. I love you." Bridris murmured against his lips as she returned his kiss, blushing and tucking her face into his chest as he mentioned eating so they could get back to kissing. She tightened her grip on his shirt as he took off, having never quite got used to flying with him despite knowing he'd never drop her. Once home he carried her inside as usual before setting her down, and she pressed a kiss to his cheek before heading to the kitchen to see what they had available for lunch. When they'd moved in to Aubrius' old house Ailuin had offered to have it redecorated however they wanted, and while Bridris had liked the house as it was she hadn't been able to pass up the offer of redecorating and had had a few changes made to the house. Aubrius of course said it looked like a completely different house, but she also said that it fit Bridris better and that it felt more like a home, which she was relieved to hear since she hadn't wanted to upset her by changing things. Once she'd pulled out some soup that she'd made a few days ago and set it back on the stove to heat up and tucked a loaf of bread in the oven to warm she headed to the bathroom to wash her hands and brush out her hair before heading to their bedroom to tidy up.

@ katahdin

Given the fact that he was smiling, Aubrius didn’t take Ailuin’s look too seriously. He was much more severe when he really meant it. “I’ll help if you need it, but you’ll have to tell me what to do,” she offered when he said it’d take some time to put the dress on himself, and sure enough, it did take some time and a little help on her part, but not terribly long, and soon enough, he was fully dressed. And amazingly, he didn’t look that bad. The blue was almost the exact shade as his wings and even complimented his hair. “Only slightly ridiculous,” she settled on saying with a teasing grin. “Honestly, you could probably pull it off. The colors look really good with your hair and your wings. Too bad you aren’t a bride, Huh?” She ran a hand down the fabric covering his chest and grinned up at him.

---

Since Bridris was almost always a little shaky after flying and had trouble staying on her feet for a moment or two, Ram had gotten used to either holding her for a couple of extra seconds while she found her balance or just to carry her inside and give her that time that way, half the time setting her down in a seat so she could have a moment sitting. Which was what he did when they landed in front of their house, setting her down on the couch. She was soon up and putting some leftover soup on the stove for them and cleaning up and then off into the bedroom to do something or other in there, and he found himself perching himself on the arm of the couch to watch her, the small size of the house making it easy to keep up with her in most rooms from where he stood. He had a little smile on his face all the while, thinking about how lucky he was that she’d said yes to marrying him, and moreover, that he’d get to keep her in his life longer than a single human lifespan. That they were really going to be able to be together the way they wanted to be. It was more than he’d ever let himself hope for, yet now he couldn’t stop imagining what their lives might be like in 100 years—or 500. Because now they had that sort of time together. But whether he got a thousand years with her or ten years, he’d still treasure every second the same. He just had longer to treasure her now.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin chuckled at Aub's teasing, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before smiling. "Thank you. It's nice of you to be kind when I must look like a fool." He grinned, giving her hands a squeeze as he took her hands that rested on his chest. "Too bad I'm not a bride. But that's your fault, not asking me to marry you." He teased, leaning down to press a few kisses to her lips before pulling back and gesturing to her dress. "Alright, time to put on your dress."

---

Bridris hummed softly as she tidied up their room, making the bed and folding up the last of the laundry she hadn't managed to fold that morning, although as she noticed Ramyth staring at her from the living room she paused in the middle of folding the spare blanket they kept at the end of the bed, blinking a little in surprise before smiling at him. She'd caught him staring at her before like that, but this time he looked so much happier. She set the blanket down once it was folded before moving over to him, brushing her fingers through his hair before standing up on her toes to kiss him. "Why are you so much more smiley than usual?" She asked as she rested her hand against his cheek, leaning into his arms. "You could be helping, you know."

@ katahdin

"It looks better on you than that ridiculous outfit you wore for Roedanya," Aubrius allowed with grin, laughing as he teased her about not asking him to marry her. "Oh no, you can't trick me into asking you, even if I would love to see you as the bride. We're mates already, and I'm not taking the chance that there's some obscure rule about royalty and marrying that'll let the monks give me some impossible quest," she said, more than happy to return her mates' kisses, but then all too soon it was her turn to put on the dress she'd been handed earlier. "Fine, fine." She kissed Ailuin one more time, this one a little deeper just because she couldn't help herself, then stepped back and started to pull off her clothes.

---

Ramyth knew he'd been found out when Bridris suddenly stopped moving and smiled at him--not that he minded--and as she came over, her gladly held her close, letting his hands rest at her hips as he returned the kiss she pressed to his lips. "I could be helping, but all I can think about is how lucky and happy I am," he responded, gently running his fingers through her hair as he met her eyes. "I'm thinking about how much time we'll have together now, how we can do anything we want with that time, how we could even have a family if we wanted. To have the opportunity to be with you forever is everything I never let myself hope for, even with the meetings with the gods going well, because I knew I'd be crushed if they said no, but now I'm just imagining it all."

@ sun spirit

"Maybe I'll wear this to Roedanya next year then." Ailuin teased, although if she wanted him to he'd do it, since he'd do just about anything for her. He grinned as she said he couldn't trick her, giving her hands a squeeze before releasing her so she could undress. "I never said anything about tricking you. And who knows, I could be the one to ask you to marry me, and then I'd have to go ask your parents for a quest and it'd be a whole mess, but I'd do it for you, Aubrius." He murmured between their kisses, helping her out on the dress once she was ready.

---

Bridris smiled up at Ramyth as he pulled her close, her eyes softening as he explained what he was thinking about. She hadn't dared to think about any of it beyond her dreams, and even then it had been bittersweet, but now that the gods had granted their wish it was all possible. "I never thought I'd get to grow old with you, and I feel so incredibly fortunate that the gods are giving me such a wonderful gift." She murmured, leaning her head into his hand as she pressed closer. "Being able to marry you, to have a family.. there's nothing I want more." She closed her eyes to picture it, giving his hands a squeeze before she opened her eyes again to meet his. "Tomorrow we'll have to spend all day imagining what we'll do, what our lives will be like. With breaks for meals and kissing, of course."

@ katahdin

“Or something you’re actually comfortable in?” Aubrius suggested, though she didn’t have much hope of that. He’d said he wore the same thing every year, after all. She rather enjoyed their continued kissing as she worked on getting out of her clothes. “I’m definitely not worth that mess,” she murmured back between kisses, letting out a little disappointed noise when he pulled away to help her start putting on the dress—which she’d admittedly forgotten she was supposed to be doing. “Besides, what would you ask me to marry you for? To show off even more?” She gave him a teasing grin. “The bigger, bluer wings aren’t enough? Or our bites?” Not that hers was visible. There was only one person who’d ever be seeing it, and that was him. Which suited her fine. She still wasn’t sure entirely how these things worked, but she’d felt closer to him after they’d both bitten each other, and though everything had had a few weeks to heal and settle, the last they’d checked, both of their marks had been extra sensitive to each other’s touch. At the very least though, his was visible if he wore the right kind of shirt and between her wings and his bite, the fact that they belonged to each other seemed obvious.

---

Ramyth smiled lovingly at Bridris as he caressed her cheek and she expressed how thankful she was that they’d be able to have a full life together. “There’s nothing I want more either, Bri. I love you more than anything,” he murmured, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips and smiling as she suggested they spend tomorrow imagining their lives from here-on-in and kiss. “Of course,” he echoed, kissing her again. “In the meantime, you go finish doing what you need to do, and I’ll check on our lunch. And after we get some food in us, we can revisit what we were doing in that changing room.”

@ sun spirit

"Traditions are traditions, Aub. I can't just break them when I feel like it. Besides, I thought you loved my Roedanya outfit." Ailuin said with a smile, shaking his head when she said that she wasn't worth the mess of asking her parents for a quest. "That's not true at all. You're absolutely worth it, Aub. I'd do a hundred quests if I had to in order to marry you." He murmured between kisses, giving her a squeeze before he started to help her into her dress. As expected she fussed quite a bit, but in the end she still looked lovely, and he was incredibly glad that she'd agreed to try the dress on, even if it was only for a few minutes. "I'd ask you to marry me to prove to everyone that I do love you, that our being mates isn't some mistake or fit of passion. I want everyone to know that I love you with all my heart and that I'd do anything for you, and that you mean the world to me."

---

Bridris returned his smile and his kiss, squeezing his hands excitedly as he agreed to spending tomorrow imagining everything in their future that they'd been afraid to up until now. She had enough sense to blush as he brought up continuing what they'd started in the changing room, but smiled up at him with a dreamy look in her eyes, giving a little nod as she stood up on her toes to kiss him again, letting this one linger before she headed back into their bedroom to finish folding the last of the laundry.

@ katahdin

“It’s also tradition that no one other than callus can be accepted into the royal guard and no one should touch your wings except your mate or spouse, but you told me you think the royal guard should change, and you don’t think I’m wrong for breaking that tradition and even get angry when others judge me because of it. There might not even be a reason behind the outfit beyond controlling another aspect of your life. We don’t know,” Aubrius pointed out with a shrug. “I could be wrong, and there might be a good reason, but I don’t see what it is. And I love laughing at your outfit for the record. And playing with the tassel.” She grinned at him, giving him a kiss.

She shook her head a little as he argued with her, though it was hard to argue when they were busy kissing. It definitely made the process of getting the dress on go by far less frustrating and awkward though, even if it still wasn’t exactly smooth or pleasant. “Shh, we’re already mates. I’m not worth all the extra trouble and getting my parents involved, not at this point,” she clarified. Before long, they’d managed to get everything put together, which had included more steps than she’d originally thought, and the way everything sat made her feel silly. It was fitted around her torso and somewhat constraining around the legs, though freer than she’d have expected, but the sleeves were long and open and she felt like if she went anywhere, she’d just end up trailing every hanging piece in muck. Not to mention she felt ridiculous wearing white and pink. It was only Ailuin stepping close and taking her hands that prevented her from fidgeting or starting to pull it all off right away. She wasn’t even sure how to react to what he said, not with the way he’d taken her teasing and turned it. It also sounded suspiciously like he wanted a wedding. “It’s still really bothering you, isn’t it?” She finally asked softly, knowing he’d know what she meant: the way most people treated their relationship. If anything, it’d gotten worse—not better—in the last month. But with him in the castle and meetings so much and generally being treated with more respect than her anyway, she wasn’t sure how much he’d heard. She’d come across everything from the typical he’d get sick of her eventually to some crazy theory that she wasn’t actually his mate and had had her wings dyed to keep his attention. She’d spent as much time tracking down and shutting down those rumors as she had training for her upcoming exam the last couple of weeks, trying to prevent them from getting back to him, knowing he handled it worse than she did.

---

Ramyth couldn’t help but grin down at Bridris as she blushed in response to his suggestion, knowing by the lingering kiss she gave him before she left that even if she was a little embarrassed, she was open to the suggestion. But even knowing they could keep kissing—and more—after lunch, he remained reluctant to let her go and leave to check on the soup. Still, he did it, and as she finished folding laundry, he pulled out the bread she’d set to warm in the oven and sliced it, then ladled out two bowls of soup for them. He set the table, putting their bowls at their seats along with napkins and spoons, the plate of bread near the middle, and then made them drinks.

@ sun spirit

"Some traditions are more harmful than others, Aub. Me wearing a silly outfit doesn't hurt or affect anyone the same way that the rules about only caelus being guards does, or only having your mate or spouse touch your wings." Ailuin defended, even if she did have a bit of a point. He returned her kiss before stepping back to take in how lovely she looked in her dress, wanting to commit the image to memory since he knew she'd never wear a dress again after this. "You look beautiful, Aub." He murmured with a smile, pressing a kiss to her lips before stepping aside so that she could see herself in the little mirror that hung in the dressing room, helping to adjust her dress a bit so it wasn't as tangled around her. He fell silent as she asked if what everyone said about them still bothered them, giving a little nod after a moment before resting his forehead against hers. "I know their opinion doesn't matter and that I should ignore them, but I hate hearing it all the time, I hate hearing how cruel they are to you and how they're so convinced that what I feel for you will just go away."

---

There wasn't much laundry left to fold, but she made sure she was quick about finishing and putting it away so that she could help Ramyth in the kitchen, although by the time Bridris emerged from the bedroom he was already setting their drinks down on the little table. She always enjoyed the time they spent cooking or baking in the kitchen together, enjoying learning about fae dishes from him and teaching him about human dishes that she thought he would enjoy. After pressing a kiss to his cheek and thanking him for setting up the table she took her seat, waiting for him to sit before she started to eat. She was definitely hungry since she'd had a very early breakfast, but her stomach was so filled with butterflies out of her excitement over everything that she almost couldn't eat. "What's the first thing we'll do once we're married and I'm a fae?" She asked curiously, wondering what sort of traditions fae had around their marriages.

@ katahdin

“You’re right. That one only affects you. And if you want to leave it alone, that’s fine. I’ll have something to smile about every Roedanya. But the way I think about it… if you don’t like it and there isn’t a good reason for it, then you’re only doing it because someone somewhere along the way told you had to, and at that point it just feels like it’s part of the box they’ve been trying to fit you into. And you know how much I hate that box,” Aubrius reminded her mate with a mischievous grin. If she hadn’t been the council’s worst nightmare before, she’d certainly become so after becoming Ailuin’s mate. They hated almost every change their King had undergone, whereas Aubrius was excited almost every time, because while they saw her ruining Ailuin, she saw him slowly coming out of his shell and acting more and more like himself. Doing what he enjoyed, acting how he wanted (within reason), becoming less closed-off than he’d always seemed before. It was less like he was changing and more like he was growing, and that was all she wanted for him—to be the person he wanted, not who someone else wanted him to be.

When he stepped back look at her in the dress, she found herself fidgeting and struggled not to do anything more than quietly mutter for him to shut up, her face warming, as he called her beautiful, looking away. She glanced in the mirror as he stepped aside so she could see herself though, out of curiosity. The tangled nest on her head was definitely worse than she’d expected, but the dress… wasn’t as bad as she’d expected. She barely recognized the person she was looking at, in all the white and pink, but… “It’s surprisingly okay… I thought I’d hate it a lot more,” she admitted, turning back to Ailuin, her eyes softening at the look that stole across his face as she asked about the rumors and opinions floating around bothering him. She almost started to reassure him that she was a big girl and had been dealing with cruelty before she ever met him, but she knew that wouldn’t make a difference, not in this. And she couldn’t offer to shut people up in the castle, because then he’d know they just weren’t talking about it around him and it’d bother him anyway. “I didn’t know it was that bad in the castle,” she admitted softly with a sigh instead as she pressed her forehead against his. “I’m sorry, Ail. I’ve been trying to stop it all from reaching you, but I guess that hasn’t done any good. I wish there was something else I could do to help.”

---

Ramyth had pulled out Bri’s chair for her and made sure she was settled in it before he sat down himself, smiling as they started in on lunch, Ramyth taking a bit of bread and spreading some soup over it, something he’d always enjoyed doing from a young age. He was actually in the middle of his first bite when Bridris asked her question, and he coughed, surprised, his face coloring slightly. “You mean, after the wedding?” He asked after a moment, offering Bridris a sheepish smile. “I have a couple of ideas of what we might want to do." She hadn't blushed when she'd asked the question though, which meant her mind hadn't gone there, so he made an attempt to answer what he thought she'd actually meant. "We’ll also have some time to spend together, just the two of us. A week or two, if we want that long. But if you’re made fae really close to the wedding, a good part of that time will probably be me helping you adjust to being fae. Teaching you how to use your magic, helping you adjust to a new body, all of that. I doubt I’ll have any idea what I’m doing, but we’ll handle stuff as it comes up. We’ll have to talk to Hanvosi too. He might have some suggestions that’ll help, and I’m not sure what’ll happen with you and your birth control with the transformation either.”