A Court of Flight and Valor

@ sun spirit

Ailuin shook his head a little as she asked if he was angry or horrified, offering her a faint smile. "I mean, I'm not thrilled that you stabbed someone in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street, but I understand why you did it and I appreciate it. But please don't do it again, or at least leave out the stabbing if you're going to threaten anyone." He smiled a little, pressing a kiss to her cheek, although he was quick to shake his head when she worried about her having freaked him out, squeezing her hands as he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "No, no it's ok, I'm ok. You didn't do anything, it was all her fault. I mean, maybe I'm a little worried about whatever guards were called catching up to us and taking you away from me, but nothing you did freaked me out." He assured her, squeezing her in his arms as he looked down at her. "Could we go home now, please?" He asked softly, even pouting a little as he squeezed her hands again.

---

Bridris always enjoyed the time they spent together, but especially the time after they were intimate, when they laid tucked under the covers together sharing little smiles and giggles as they both caught their breath and basked in the happiness that always surrounded them after, legs tangled and arms wrapped around each other. She smiled a little as he kissed her shoulder, snuggling closer as she smoothed her fingers through his hair lovingly. "You're right.. But I don't want to get up either, so maybe we should just do it tomorrow." She murmured, shifting a bit to rest her head against his chest so that she could listen to his heart.

@ katahdin

Aubrius was no less amazed as Ailuin insisted that he understood why she’d done what she had than she had been before, but hearing it repeated, it sank in a little better, and as he asked her once again not to stab people in public anymore, she gave him a sheepish smile. “It was just in the hand. That’ll be easy to heal, and it isn’t fatal. I wanted her to remember me and think hard about what would happen to her if she didn’t do what I said,” she defended, though it was clear she also realized that she probably shouldn’t have done what she had. Any sense of relief at realizing she hadn’t terrified or horrified as offset by the admittance that he was freaked out, in part at the idea of guards coming for her. Usually, given the way he looked, she wouldn’t hesitate to agree to go home and lay in bed with him or whatever else he needed, but… fuck. She hadn’t even thought about someone calling the guards earlier. Of course they would. “I’d love nothing more than to just go home, Ail, but they’d just come find me there,” she sighed, pressing her forehead against his. “You go. You’re shaken up and need some time. I’ll handle the guards. There were too many people around for them not to know it was me, and even if all they had was someone with black hair and wings, they’d come find me anyway. And no one’s taking me away from you.” She gave him a quick kiss with a reassuring smile. “We’ll just have a nice chat like we always do, and they’ll let me go after awhile. Tomorrow morning at the latest.”

---

Holding Bridris to his chest, Ramyth was just enjoying their closeness and happiness—the simple pleasure of holding the woman he loved with all his heart. If he could, he’d hold her for the rest of his life and never let her go. “You now, tomorrow sounds good too,” he murmured in response to her suggestion, leaning his hand into her hand as she ran her fingers through his hair and pressed her head against his chest. He gently ran his hand up and down her back, making soothing motions and going quiet in case she was trying to hear something particular, not just resting there.

@ sun spirit

"No!" Ailuin was quick to hold onto his mate tighter as she suggested that they part ways here, clearly not liking the idea of them parting, although after a moment he loosened his grip on her and took a little step back, clearing his throat in embarrassment at his reaction. She must think him so pathetic for the way that he was acting. "I mean, if you really want to, you can, but I don't want you to go to the dungeons. Most of the guards don't like you, and I know the council will try to keep you there for as long as they can, and who knows what they'll try to do while they have you in custody." He frowned at the thought, shaking his head to clear it from his head. "Please come home with me, Aub. If I'm with you I can at least try to get you out of going to the dungeons." He didn't want to use any of the words or signals they'd come up with for when he was panicking, but it was clear that he was, and he'd just as soon go to the dungeons with her rather than go home alone.

---

Bridris let out a pleasant hum as he rubbed his hand along her back, letting herself imagine what it might be like if he were to do that when she had wings. It still wasn't a guarantee that she'd be a caelus like him, but she hoped that that would be the case. She smiled a bit as she listened to his heartbeat, lightly tapping her fingers against his chest in the same rhythm before she shifted a bit to look up at him. "It might be selfish to say this and I'm sure I'm just imagining it, but if I listen to your heart it sort of sounds like it whispers my name. Bri-dris, Bri-dris, Bri-dris." She murmured, tapping her fingers against his chest and saying her name in time with his heartbeat. "I know that if you listened to my heart you'd hear your name, Ra-myth, Ra-myth, which is still a bit crazy sounding."

@ katahdin

Aubrius wasn’t exactly a fan of the thought of spending the night in the dungeons, but she’d learned years ago that it was just better to let the guards take her than fight. And she obviously wasn’t against it the same way that Ailuin seemed to be. But just as soon as he’d grabbed her, he’d let go, stepping back to talk instead of just holding onto her. If he’d been acting normally, she might’ve continued to argue. It was always worse when she didn’t just let them catch her, but he looked like he was barely holding himself together. He’d seemed shaken earlier, when he’d seen the bitch, but it was ten times worse now, in a way she didn’t need him to tell her to see. Suddenly she realized that when he’d said he was scared she’d be taken away moments ago, he hadn’t meant permanently; he was afraid of being separated, period. “Okay, Ail, we’ll go home,” she said softly, stepping up and taking his hands. The only other times she’d seen him anywhere near like this, she’d been trying to leave him at Roedanya, and before that, he’d been trying to convince her that they were mates and to give him a chance. Even so, neither of those times were quite like this. This was almost worse in some ways. “We’ll eat some food, and I’ll get a bath because I know you don’t like me getting in bed dirty, and if you’re still offering, you can get the tangles out of my hair so I don’t cut it off again,” She hadn’t done it recently but she’d done it plenty in the past, “and we’ll sit around until the guards show up.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and gave him a smile as she pulled back, still holding his hands, hoping that that little bit of connection would help. “So, are you finally going to let me carry you home?” She couldn’t help but tease him a little, knowing what the answer would be. He’d insisted before that he was too big and heavy, and though she wasn’t tiny like Bridris, he was more than likely still too big at any rate, and his wings would make it worse.

---

Ramyth smiled gently at Bridris as she lightly tapped her fingers against his chest, curious as to what she was doing. He didn’t have to wait long though, and he chuckled softly as she told him her theory, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips as he smiled down at her. “I don’t know… that makes a certain amount of sense,” he said, taking her hand and pressing it flat against his chest. “Because sometimes it certainly seems as if my heart beats for you. It wouldn’t surprise me if it also said your name too.” He pressed a second kiss to her lips as she claimed her heart would say his name too. “It might be crazy… but I hope it’s true anyway.”

@ sun spirit

As Aubrius stepped forward to take his hands he let out a little sigh and let his shoulders relax a fraction, leaning his head down to rest his forehead against hers in relief. He was very fortunate to have her, and incredibly lucky that she was so kind and caring, and was willing to help him through when his anxiety acted up. "Thank you, Aubrius.." he murmured softly after returning the first of her kisses, offering her a little smile in return as he squeezed her hands again. He laughed when she asked if he was going to allow her to carry him home, shaking his head as he nudged her with one of his wings. "No, I'm not going to let you carry me home. I'm much to big, especially with my wings. It'd be far easier and faster for me to fly us there, but I know you like to fly yourself." He smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "All set?" He asked, not wanting to release her hand until it was time for them to fly home.

---

Bridris blushed faintly as he chuckled at her theory, thinking that he must think her silly or stupid for thinking so, but she felt better as she returned his kiss and saw his smile, offering him a smile of her own as he pressed her hand against his chest. "Maybe it's some sort of magical thing no one knows about anymore, like how Aubrius bit King Ailuin so hard it left that mark." She suggested, returning his second kiss with a smile as she snuggled close. "I hope it's true too, even if it makes us crazy." She sighed contently, letting her fingers trace little patterns on his chest for a while, just enjoying their closeness before she shifted again to look up at him. "Do you think I'll be a caelus like you? I know I asked earlier, but I keep thinking about it, even if it's unlikely... Can caelus and other fae have children?" She asked curiously, wondering how it all worked.

@ katahdin

It was immediately clear just how much he calmed down upon her promising to go home with him and as she took his hands. She wasn’t sure which had helped more ultimately, but she was glad to see him immediately better, even if it wasn’t cured. “Don’t thank me yet. The day’s still early.” Hearing him laugh at her teasing was exactly what she’d hoped, and she grinned at him as he nudged her with his wing. “You’re going to give in one of these days,” she promised, though she hesitated as he mentioned flying her but then mentioned how she liked flying herself, not quite letting her hand go though. “I know I said never, so long as I could fly myself, but if it’d make you feel better and I’m not too big or heavy, you can carry me this once if you want.”

---

Ramyth hummed softly, running his fingers through her hair, considering her theory. “It could be. Between you and me though, if it is, I much prefer this. The reason mating bites were given up in the first place was because they required putting your mate through a lot of pain with little reason to do so since it never sealed the bond, just sort of served as a physical reminder of it. Well, that’s what everything says. Apparently people used to believe it strengthened the bond too, but that was never really proven. Anyway, it was decided it wasn’t worth putting your mate through that kind of pain just for a mark, and I’m still not sure how Aub figured out how to do it or why she was even biting Ailuin that hard—although I’m also sure I don’t want to know. I think I’d much rather stick to this.” He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face as she snuggled into him, holding her close and enjoying just being with her like this for awhile before she eventually spoke again. “I don’t know… but if you ask the gods, they might make you one,” he murmured softly, turning a bit towards her, shifting to keep snuggling as he did so. “It can’t hurt to ask, at least. And they can, with a few other species. Not all fae are compatible with each other, but most species can have children with others. Generally, size and physical characteristics are a pretty good indicator. I don’t think we’ll have to worry though. The gods love you, Roedanya and Syldning especially, and they wouldn’t let the others make you into something you’d be unhappy as.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin smiled a little, squeezing her hand. "The day is still early, but you've already done plenty that deserves my thanks." He pressed a kiss to her cheek, eyes softening as she said that he could fly her home just this once if he wanted. "I know you really don't want me to carry you, Aub, and that you're just offering because you think it'll make me feel better, and I appreciate that, but I think I'd just rather we both fly home together and eat some leftovers in the tub, because I can hold you plenty there." He murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before releasing her hand and stretching his wings, ready to take off when she gave the go-ahead.

---

Bridris leaned her head into his hand as he ran his fingers through her hair, letting her eyes close contently as she listened to him, nodding a little as he said that he was glad that they didn't have to bite each other. "I don't think I could ever hurt you even if I had to, Ramyth." She murmured as she opened her eyes to look at him again, pouting a bit at the thought. She shifted a bit with him as he moved, laying on her side so that she could face him while they spoke. "They've already offered to do so much, I don't want them to think I'm ungrateful or rude for asking for even more." She murmured, although she knew that Ramyth had a point and that Roedanya or Syldning would likely listen to her request. "I'll be happy as long as I get to live a long, long life with you."

@ katahdin

“You’re sure? This is a one-time offer.” Aubrius asked, squeezing his hand, as Ailuin decided not to take her up on her offer. But he did seem to be sure, and she couldn’t help but smile as he talked about eating leftovers in the tub. “That sounds like a plan I can get behind,” she murmured against his lips as she returned his kiss, then pulled back so they could get going.

It was a decent flight home, but they made it there in good time, and as they walked inside, Aubrius pushed Ailuin in the direction of their room. “You go get the bath ready. I’ll handle food and meet you there. And if you aren’t already naked in the tub when I get there, I’m going to be very disappointed.” She smiled at him as she backed into the kitchen. Their home was almost the complete opposite of the house she’d lived in for the last 100 years. Where her previous house had been cramped, this one was open, made to accommodate Ailuin’s wings. The walls were father apart than most buildings, the doorways wider—their bed and bath tub were both even made with his wings in mind, and while sitting in a tub together had been impossible before, even at the castle, it was something they were able to do now.

---

Ramyth smiled gently at Bridris as she leaned her head into his hand and closed her eyes, seeming to just enjoy the feeling of his fingers in her hair. He wasn’t sure he liked the thought creeping up, but it reminded him a little of Aubrius even. “Well, hopefully you’ll never be asked to hurt me,” he murmured softly, kissing the top fo her head. “And I know I could never hurt you. It would kill me inside to.” He continued to run his fingers through her hair as she turned towards him and expressed her worries about the guards, nodding a little. “I know. You’d never want them to think you didn’t appreciate their gifts,” he murmured. “Maybe when Roedanya comes to congratulate you like she mentioned though, we can ask what sort of fae they plan on making you. Just to know. And I’ll be happy so long as I get a long life with you too, but that doesn’t mean I don’t also want you to get what you want. You’re going through this transformation to be with me… I want you to be happy with what you become.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin was glad that it was a quick flight home, and as he landed was even more grateful that they'd built their house in the mountains that surrounded the city because of how peaceful and quiet it was, with only the occasional guard or two flying by on a patrol, something the council had insisted on. He linked his arm with Aubrius's again as they walked inside, chuckling as she pushed him toward their bedroom and instructed him to get the bath ready while she heated up their lunch. "Alright, alright. I won't disappoint you." He grinned, pressing a kiss to her cheek before she could back away too far, heading into the bathroom to get the bath running. With how big their tub was it took a while to fill fully, and so he ended up getting into the tub when it was only half full, taking the time alone to stretch out his wings and rinse them off while the tub finished filling and he waited for Aubrius to return

---

"I could never hurt you, Ramyth." Bridris whispered as Ramyth ran his fingers through her hair, snuggling closer as he kissed the top of her head. She nodded a bit as he suggested that she mention it to Roedanya whenever she decided to come visit and congratulate her, giving his hand a little squeeze as she pressed a kiss to his chest over his heart. "I'll be happy as long as I get a long life with you too, but you're so kind and willing to share everything with me, especially your wings, and I want to be able to share that with you too, since it's so important to caelus."

@ katahdin

Aubrius returned her mate’s grin as he kissed her cheek, glad to see him already in much better spirits, and as they parted, she retrieved the scattered leftovers they had, little bits from various meals that they hadn’t finished that altogether resembled something like a meal itself. She would’ve been happy to eat it as it was, but she warmed what needed it for Ailuin’s sake and hoped the guards were busy making sure Ulesse got to a healer and was taken care of and wouldn’t think to come straight to their house immediately to look for her. She wasn’t scared of them or even the dungeon, but she was worried Ailuin only seemed better and still needed time and wouldn’t do well if they came too soon, and she didn’t want to put him through that. She tried to put those thoughts from her mind as she settled their food onto two plates and carried them back into the bathroom however, since she’d rather focus on their meal and being with her mate, who she found rinsing off his wings when she walked in. “Didn’t want to wait for help?” she teased. She had a tendency of indulging mischievous thoughts when she washed his wings. Setting their plates down on the counter, she pulled her own clothes off, then handed Ailuin his plate and stepped into the tub with hers in hand, sitting opposite him temporarily so that she—wings included—wouldn’t be in his way while he tried to eat.

---

As Bridris repeated that she could never hurt him, snuggling close as she did so, Ramyth paused in running his fingers through her hair to wrap her up in his arms and hold her close, nuzzling his nose into her hair as he did so. “I know,” he murmured, as she explained why she wanted to be a caelus. “Other fae have their traditions too. And I told you different species will be with each other. They just share their traditions. That’s why I’ve told you before that I don’t mind you touching my wings. That’s how sure I am about you, and I guess it’s my way of trying to show it to you. And I’m sure you’ve done the same thing and I just haven’t realized it, because I’m not familiar with human traditions. Or maybe you’ve been thinking about it. The only unfair thing here is that you can trick me into accepting yours because I don’t know about it, but you won’t accept mine because you know about it.” He wasn’t angry or upset and tried to make that clear in voice, remaining gentle and even a little teasing towards the end as he talked about the unfairness of it, though he was serious.

@ sun spirit

The flight home and the warm water had done a lot to improve Ailuin's mood, his hands having stopped shaking and some of the dread he'd felt vanishing, although a lot of it was still there. He didn't want the guards to take Aubrius, even if it was just for a day, and hoped he'd be able to talk them out of it, or at least convince them to let her stay here instead of in the dungeons. She was his mate after all, and as far as he was concerned that also meant that she was queen, even if she disagreed and everyone else hated the thought. He was a bit lost in thought when Aubrius arrived with their lunch, looking up with a little smile as he took the plate from her before scooting over to give her plenty of room to sit, so used to making him and his wings as small as possible that it was a habit he doubted he'd shake. "I thought it would be easier to clean them myself, since I didn't want you to have to sit here with me for too long if you didn't want to." He explained as he began to pick at his food.

---

Bridris frowned a little as he spoke, and was quick to shake her head as he said that she had been tricking him into accepting her traditions. "I haven't, I swear. Humans don't really have many traditions, at least not where I'm from. The only things I can think of are that brides wear white and couples share vows before they're officially married, but that's nothing special or intimate like your traditions." She explained, frowning up at him. "And I do accept your traditions.. I just know how important they are, and I don't want to overstep or do something wrong. You said that caelus touch each other's wings on their wedding night, so it wouldn't be right for me to touch yours now anyway. And even if you were a faun or some other fae with different traditions, I still wouldn't want to do them unless I could share my own with you, but because I don't have anything special like that I won't."

@ katahdin

Noticing the way Ailuin scrunched in on himself as she sat in the tub with him, Aubrius reached out and nudged him with her foot, a signal she’d developed since they’d moved into their house to let him know that he could relax and get comfortable. He did the same thing in bed, situating himself at the edge and tucking his wings in tight, and she was always pulling him towards the middle at night. Even for the past couple of weeks. As tired as she was, she’d gotten used to sleeping pressed up against her mate, and any attempt to not disturb him that she’d made the first couple of times she’d found him asleep had left her restless and unable to sleep. “Well, unless you plan on staying in here until well after the water goes cold, I think we’ll be good,” she said, giving him a little smile, nudging him with her foot again. She started to dig into her food then with her usual voraciousness, but Ailuin was so much more of a dainty eater than she was that it took her a couple of minutes (during which time she cleared more than half her plate) before she realized he was barely touching his food. Rather than say anything, however, an idea came to mind. She devoured the second half of her meal in half the time she’d finished the first, then setting her plate aside, she scooted closer to her mate and took his plate from him, pressing a kiss to lips. “I know cobbled leftovers aren’t your ideal meal, but food is energy, and you have to eat,” she murmured against his lips. When she pulled back, she shifted again, settling into his arms, and used her free hand to wraps his arms around her waist. Then, once they were settled, she leaned back, picked up a piece of food from his plate, and lifted it to his mouth. “If I’d known you’d react like this just to seeing her, I’d have figured out who that bitch was and made it clear to stay away from you a month ago,” she growled softly. She’d already decided she’d go ahead and figure out where she lived, just in case she ever needed the information. And a part of her was contemplating going ahead and shoving a knife through her other hand, just because of how bad Ailuin still clearly was.

---

Ramyth sighed softly as Bridris, once again, tried to explain her side of things. He understood that she felt the way she did, but he couldn’t understand why. It was as if she thought she wasn’t good enough and wouldn’t be until she could reciprocate in some way. And as much as he tried to explain that reciprocation didn’t matter to him and that he wanted to share with her, no matter what, she continued to refuse. “Traditionally, they do. Some let others touch their wings earlier than that. If they’re sure they’ll marry, mates when they seal the bond. It isn’t strict, Bri. The idea is just that you share it with the person you’re going to spend your life with.” He was hesitant to remind her about the low opinion of those who shared their wings with others outside of his examples, how they were looked down on. She’d be afraid for him then, though they were technically engaged, and he doubted she’d start stroking his wings in public the same way Aub did to Ailuin sometimes. Actually, unless he explained why she shouldn’t, she might. That might be an awkward conversation…

@ sun spirit

It wasn't until the second nudge from his mate that Ailuin shifted a bit to get more comfortable in the tub, having been lost in his thoughts the first time. He offered her a bit of a smile, shaking his head at the mention of cold water. "No, I don't think I'll be in here that long." He reassured her before going back to picking at his food. It wasn't that he wasn't hungry, he was starving since he'd skipped breakfast, but he just couldn't seem to get himself to eat even half of his plate in the time it took Aub to finish hers. Granted, she always ate quickly, but still. He was surprised when she scooted over and took his plate from him, although he happily returned her kiss, smiling a bit as she began to feed him, cooperating and taking the bite of food she offered. "I know. I am hungry, I think that my mind is just too all over the place to focus on eating.." he explained softly, giving her a little squeeze as she mentioned keeping Ulesse away from him, shaking his head. "I didn't think I'd see her again, to be fair. I don't think I've seen her once since meeting you, so I was surprised to see her. And I'm sorry that you had to be there for that, although I am grateful that you were, even if you stabbed her."

---

Bridris frowned as Ramyth sighed, knowing she'd upset him more than he was letting on. But she couldn't help but feel the way she did about this, about wanting to wait until she could reciprocate and offer a special piece of herself in return to him. Plus, there was that nagging fear in the back of her mind that he could change his mind, he could meet his mate and decide that he'd rather be with them. Or that he'd regret letting her touch his wings altogether. "I'm sorry, Ramyth.. I just... I just can't." She murmured apologetically, starting to pull away a bit so that she could scoot toward the edge of the bed to give him some space if he needed it. Gods, he must hate her for this.

@ katahdin

Aubrius was happy when Ailuin humored her and took a the food she’d offered, admitting he was hungry but unfocused. “Good thing you have me then, huh? All I think about is fighting, sex, and food,” she joked, hoping to earn a smile from him, and when he finished the bite she’d given him, she offered another. She immediately shook her head as he apologized for her being there to meet Ulesse. “I’m not sorry, and as far as I’m concerned, she got off easy. The only thing I’m sorry about is that you had to see that. I’m not usually like that. I get angry and I yell and sometimes I’ll start a fight if the other person will fight back, but I could tell she wouldn’t. And I don’t hit people who don’t fight back. I definitely don’t stab them. But I’d do it again. Gods, and for all the times for me to lose my temper… I’m sorry, Ail.” She rested her head against his chest. She couldn’t help but feel like she’d showed him one of the worst sides of herself and disappointed and scared him all at once, even if he insisted that she hadn’t scared him. “I promise it wasn’t because of anything she said or insinuated about me, just so you know. I mean, I have punched people for calling me ugly, disfigured, and unwantable before, but I was already having a bad day, and they fought back. But I don’t fight everyone who says something bad about me, and I definitely don’t stab them. I wanted you to know that.”

---

Ramyth frowned as Bridris started to pull away upon apologizing and saying she couldn’t do it. He tightened his arms around her waist, not letting her go, and tugged her close again as he nuzzled into her hair. “No, I’m sorry, Bri,” he murmured to her softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just... I’m trying to understand, but I can’t seem to, and now that we’re going to be married soon, I know we don’t have long before I can share that piece of myself with you, but I guess I’m afraid that if the gods don’t make you a caelus, you’ll still insist you can’t, and you’ll spend the rest of our lives together trying to tiptoe around not touching them. Which would be crazy, but you’re so stubborn once you get ideas in your head sometimes...” Not wanting the conversation to remain so unhappy, he pulled a bit and gave her a little smile. “Did you get that from Aub?” he gently teased.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin let out a little chuckle as she said she only thought about food and fighting and sex, shaking his head a little as he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead as he tugged her close before accepting the second bite of food. He rested his head against the top of hers as she insisted that she wasn't sorry, giving her another little squeeze as he nodded. "I'm glad that you were there, and I know that you don't fight people unless they do something to deserve it first, I know that you're not usually like this, Aub." He murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "My guess is it was the mating bond that made you act out like that. It's only been about a month or so since we mated, and as far as I know mating bonds are still pretty strong even a few months later. Plus we haven't been seeing each other much the past few weeks, so that could have made it worse." He mumbled softly into her hair, tugging her close.

---

It was very easy for Ramyth to pull Bridris back to him, and it only took her a moment or two before she nestled herself back into his arms, tucking her head in against his chest. "I-I don't know... you and Aubrius said that you're not supposed to touch other people's wings before getting married or mating because people will think badly about you, and I don't want that.. and I just.. I just don't want you to change your mind, or regret it, especially if something happens and you find your mate, or you just decide you don't want me anymore." She admitted softly, sniffling a little as she wiped at her eyes, looking up at him at his teasing. She managed a small smile of her own, giving a little nod before she tucked her face back into his chest, tightening her arms around him. "I love you, Ramyth."

@ katahdin

Realizing he still wasn’t particularly interested in eating, though she would’ve preferred that he ate lunch too, Aubrius set his plate aside as she had hers, knowing he could just come back to it later when he felt better. She had to move out of his arms to do so, but she was soon back, loosely wrapping her arms around his waist as he held her close. She was glad to hear him say that he knew she hadn’t acted her usual self, having been afraid he’d think that was what she was really like, and even had an idea about why. “I’m okay with blaming the mating bond,” she said, resting her head against his chest as he rested his head against hers, turning a bit to press a kiss to his skin. “We’ll blame the bites too.” Ailuin’s bite had been accidental, and they’d only found out what it was when he’d gone to see Hanvosi because it wasn’t healing like it should’ve. He’d only been able to guess at the time, but they’d since found out for sure that she’d given him a mating bite. They weren’t really sure what that would entail, other than a visible mark, but Hanvosi had been pretty certain it had to be reciprocated to have any effect. And since information about them was vague and unreliable at best, they had no idea what those effects might be. But she’d walked Ailuin through what she’d done, as best as she could remember it, and he’d given her her own bite, one only the two of them knew about. She didn’t feel any different for it—other than it hurting to walk or sit or do pretty much anything for a couple of days, something she’d done her best to hide from Ailuin—but that didn’t mean it hadn’t done something.

---

Ramyth hugged Bridris to him tighter as she started talking about not wanting to touch his wings in case he found his mate or ever wanted to leave her, but as he heard her sniffle, he pulled back, just enough to cup her face in his hands. “You listen to me,” he said seriously, brushing away a few tears with his thumbs. “I love you. With all my heart. I’ll never not want to be with you. And you mean so much to me that you might as well be my mate. I’m not changing my mind about you, ever. And I’m sure that if I suggested that you might want to leave me because you found your mate after you transformed, you’d think I was being ridiculous.” He gave her a little smile and kissed her lovingly. “And not to bring this back around to the wing thing, but they aren’t going to change colors or anything if you touch them. No one would have to know. The only way they would would be if you touched them in public, which you shouldn’t do anyway, since it’s bad manners.” Bad manners was the least mortifying way to describe it while also letting her know that just because Aubrius did it with Ailuin didn’t mean it was okay.

@ sun spirit

Aiulin rocked with her slightly once she'd set aside his plate, happy to just sit with her and enjoy this moment with her. "I'm ok with blaming the mating bond too. Although I don't know it the Council will be ok with using that excuse. And I'm fine with blaming the bites. Seems like it's their fault to me." He smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as his hand wandered to trace gently over the bite mark he'd left on her, giving her a little squeeze as he did. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, Aub. I won't let them take you from me." He promised softly, hoping she'd believe him.

---

Bridris looked up at Ramyth as he pulled back to cup her cheeks in his hands, leaning her head into his touch as she nodded a little at his words. "I love you too, Ramyth. Of course I'd never want to leave you." She said as he mentioned it being ridiculous to think that she'd want to leave him if she ever found her mate. She returned his kiss as she snuggled close, falling silent for a bit as she rested her head against his chest before looking up at him again. "It's really ok if I touch them?" She asked, wanting to be really sure he was ok with it. "What if I touch them too hard and hurt you? Or I accidentally pull out a feather and then you can't fly?" She knew she was being a bit ridiculous with her concerns, but having Ramyth tell her she didn't have to worry about any of them was the only way she'd calm down.

@ katahdin

Aubrius continued to rest against Ailuin as he gently started to rock them, for the moment fine with just having this closeness with her mate. She smiled a bit as he said it seemed like the bites’ faults too. “Not that we can tell anyone that, according to your rules,” she said, letting out a soft noise of surprise when she felt his fingers brush over the bite mark. She looked up at him, about to say something about him trying to tease her, when he started promising not to let anyone take her. “No one’s going to take me from you Ail,” she said, eyes softening as she reached up to cup his cheek. “Not permanently, anyway. It’ll just be sitting around in a cell for a while, then being let out, like usual. There’s nothing that bad about the dungeon.” Of the times he and Ramyth had come to let her out early, she’d let them believe all the injuries they found her with were gained before she entered the dungeon. And sometimes they were, but sometimes she pissed off the guards, and it was hard to fight back manacled against three of them. And given the way he was acting now, she sure as hell wasn’t about to enlighten him. She’d even figure out a way to convince Hanvosi to heal her and not say a word to him if it happened again.

---

Ramyth was relieved when it seemed as if Bridris believed what he was saying, hoping that she would, and he smiled softly at her as she said she loved him too and would also never want to leave him, holding her close when she snuggled back into his chest again. He started to rub her back, surprised when suddenly she started asking questions about his wings. Questions that made it sound as if she were really considering touching his wings. “Yes, I’m absolutely sure. Although there’s something about wings I haven’t told you yet that you should probably know first,” he started, shaking his head as she asked about hurting him or pulling out feathers. “You’ve felt how powerful the wind is when we fly. My wings have to be strong enough to withstand that force. The only way you’d hurt them would be if you were trying to, and even then, I’d probably notice before you got the chance. The same goes with accidentally pulling a feather out. You’d have to pull pretty hard. And being down one feather won’t make it to where I can’t fly. Just wait until they start molting. We’ll be finding feathers all over the house.”

@ sun spirit

"People don't need to know where yours is, Aub. And if you say you have a bite then people will ask where it is, so it's easier to just not advertise it." Ailuin explained his reasoning to her, his arms tightening around her a bit as she reassured him that she'd only be gone temporarily. "But you're always injured when you leave the dungeons, and I know that you've always said that you went into the cells like that, but I worry that it's really the guards who hurt you, and I know I'm king and can tell them not to, but that doesn't mean that they'll listen." He frowned, looking down at her worriedly. He'd overheard quiet conversations between guards occasionally about how much they enjoyed beating up prisoners who misbehaved or talked back, and some part of him just knew that they were likely talking about Aubrius even if they never said her name. "I'd rather you stay here with me, where I can keep you safe."

---

Bridris snuggled closer as he said that he was sure, tilting her head a bit as he mentioned something about his wings that he hadn't told her. "What is it?" She asked curiously, although she smiled a bit as he reassured her that she would not be able to hurt his wings without actively trying, giggling a bit at the mention of his wings molting and getting feathers everywhere. "What do you do with the feathers when they fall out?"

@ katahdin

“I think you just like having a secret and are afraid that someone will want to see it as proof, and you’re afraid I’ll actually pull down my pants and show them, which you should be,” Aubrius countered with a smile, pressing a kiss to his lips, though she frowned as he started talking about his fear that the guards would hurt her. Shit, it was almost like he’d read her mind. “I don’t know why you’d think that. You know the sorts of things I do to get put in there,” she said, nudging him gently. “Besides, I fight back. Your guards would look worse than me if that was happening.” She gave him another kiss as he said he wanted to keep her safe. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be keeping you safe, silly.”

---

Bridris’ smiles and giggles were a relief, given her previous worry, and they infected Ramyth, making him smile warmly at her as she asked what he did with the feathers. “Well, some people find uses for them, but mostly they get swept out into the street. Most caelus molt once a year, around the start of autumn, so it’s a lot of leaves and feathers everywhere. The kids enjoy it though. They’ll chase the feathers and jump in piles of them and all sorts of other stuff. Some collect different colors,” he explained, rubbing her arm as he considered how to explain the thing about wings he hadn’t told her. “Well… wings are really sensitive. Touching them is like… if you’re being really gentle or brushing against the right area, it’s like…” He felt his face warm a bit. “It’s intimate. The, umm, the thing Aub does with Ailuin sometimes? You’ve probably noticed he glares at her and tells her to stop a lot. That’s because doing what she does is kind of like…. Well, it’s like if she stuck her hand down his pants.”