A Court of Flight and Valor

@ sun spirit

Ailuin chuckled a bit, grinning as he returned her kiss. "Yeah, maybe I do like having it be a secret." He smiled, tucking his nose into her hair as she assured him that his thoughts were crazy, giving her a squeeze as she insisted that she'd fight back and that the guards wouldn't stand a chance. "I know, I know.. But what if they handcuff you? Or gang up on you? You're a good fighter, but not good enough to take on a bunch of them at once." He sighed into her hair, smiling a little when she insisted that she was the one who was supposed to keep him safe. "You are, but I'm also supposed to keep you safe, Aubrius. That's what mates do, protect each other."

---

Bridris' smile widened as Ramyth smiled too, tracing little patterns on his chest as he spoke about what it was like when caelus' wings molted in the fall. "That sounds lovely. I bet all of the pretty leaves and the feathers look beautiful, although I bet it can be messy too." She smiled, blushing brightly as he began to explain that caelus wings were sensitive, and that touching them was an intimate act. "O-Oh.." she murmured, blushing even brighter as he said that it was sort of like sticking your hand down the person's pants. "O-Oh.. That.. That explains why King Ailuin gets all grumpy when Aubrius does it.. A-Are you sure it's ok to touch them, even though it would be like that?"

@ katahdin

“I thought so.” Aubrius smiled as Ailuin chuckled and grinned at her, glad to see him calming down a little bit. Then again, he’d started to calm earlier and that had been reversed. She had a feeling it’d take more than just making him laugh a couple of times before he was feeling like himself again. Ailuin’s ability to guess what she was thinking was starting to become scary though, and as she peered up at him, she tried to gauge whether or not he actually knew. “You sure about that? I can hold my own against more than one of them,” she said, this time as a test. If Ailuin brought up that they made sure there were at least four of them, then there was no way he wasn’t either reading her mind somehow or didn’t know already. “But you’re soft and squishy and need protecting and I don’t,” she argued. “I can protect us both.”

---

Ramyth chuckled softly as Bridris went from talking about the leaves and feathers being lovely to it being messy, nodding as he kissed her forehead. “It can get very messy. We’ll be finding feathers all over the house, and then the wind will sweep them and the leaves up to the house and we’ll have to sweep them away from the door so they don’t get inside,” he said, giving her an apologetic look as she promptly began to blush upon him telling her the last thing she needed to know about wings. He was still blushing a bit himself but not nearly to the same degree. “Yeah. It’s, umm, private, and I’m sure not something he wants other people seeing. I’ve been trying not to notice or pay attention. I guess if you want to stake your claim and let everyone you’re together, that’s one way to do it though.” He rested his forehead against hers as she asked if he was sure he was okay with it. “I am. I offered knowing all of this. I just didn’t want you to be unaware. I didn’t think you’d go petting my wings around others, but I thought you deserved to know everything first.”

@ sun spirit

Ailuin frowned a bit as she asked if he was sure that he couldn't hold her own against more than one, shaking his head a bit. "I mean, I saw you take on three guards that one time like it was nothing, so of course I know that you can hold your own against more than one. But that was in a fair fight. If they had you handcuffed or incapacitated in some way, or they had four or five or even more people then they'd... I don't really want to think about what they'd do to you, Aubrius. I just know that I have to do whatever I can to keep that from happening, even if it means going with you to the dungeons." He pressed a loving kiss to her lips, hoping she at least understood why he was worried, although he laughed and gave her a little squeeze as she said he was soft and squishy. "I am not squishy, and I do know how to fight a bit. Not like you, but I'm not hopeless."

---

"Just more cleaning for me to do while you watch." Bridris teased with a giggle, looking up at him sheepishly as he continued to speak about how sensitive his wings were. "I wouldn't touch them in public anyway, but now I certainly won't..." She murmured, wanting him to know that she wouldn't behave like Aubrius in public. She was silent for a few minutes, continuing to trace patterns on his chest with her fingers before slowly moving her hand around to his back, pausing a few inches from the base of his wings. "You're sure it's ok? And I could do it now?" She asked softly, wanting to make sure that he was ok with it now, especially when it was such an intimate thing.

@ katahdin

Aubrius shook her head the moment Ailuin started talking about going to the dungeons with her. “No way in hell,” she said immediately, not softening even as she returned his kiss. “You have no business in a dungeon, and I don’t care what you’re worried about, I’m not letting you stay in a cell with me.” She sighed softly. “Ailuin, I’ve been in the dungeon a lot. I can handle myself. And whatever the guards throw at me. It’s not like they’d try to—“ she cut herself off before she could say the words ‘kill me’, knowing it’d just make him more worried. “I stabbed someone, Ail. They aren’t going to just let me go without a trip to the dungeons, even if you are the king. That’d be breaking the rules, which you’ve never done for me, and you can’t start now. I know you don’t like it, but I’ll be back before you know it.” She couldn’t help but grin a little at him as he claimed not to be squishy though. “You’re very squishy. You couldn’t pin me down if you tried. It’s okay though, I love you anyway,” she said, leaning in to kiss him.

---

“Exactly,” Ramyth laughed, smiling down at her as she assured him that she hadn’t planned on touching his wings in public but definitely wouldn’t now, nodding softly as he gently caressed her cheek. “I didn’t think you would, since you know it’s private. Besides, even though you don’t know everything, you pick up on things, and I’m sure you’ve noticed people don’t touch each other’s wings a whole lot, and you already said you’d noticed that Ailuin looks grumpy when Aub touches his wings,” he explained, kissing her forehead. He decided to leave the subject alone as she went quiet, not thinking much about her hand moving around to his back until it traveled up, near the base of his wings, an area she usually avoided. He gently ran his thumb over her cheek, nodding in answer to her quiet question. “I’m sure,” he said softly, kissing her. “Just be gentle,” he teased, giving her a reassuring smile.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin frowned as she began to insist that he didn't belong in a dungeon, shaking his head. "Neither do you, Aub." His eyes widened a bit as she cut herself off, his arms tightening around her as his eyes filled with concern. He wasnt stupid, and could guess what she wasnt saying. "I know that they can't let you off the hook, but that doesn't mean that you couldn't be put on house arrest here, or in my old room back at the castle. You don't have to go to a dungeon where the guards can do what they want with you because the council doesn't care what happens to you." He frowned, cupping her cheeks in his hands. "When they come to get you, promise me you'll let me try to get them to let you stay with me. Please, Aub, promise me." He asked somewhat desperately, obviously terrified of what would happen if she was taken away. He allowed himself to smile a bit though as she insisted he was squishy, shaking his head a bit. "I pinned you that one time when the mating bond first showed up. And I love you too, Aub."

---

Bridris leaned her head into his touch, smiling a little as he said that he was sure before returning his kiss, letting it linger a bit before blushing faintly at his teasing. "I'm always gentle." She teased back, fingers tracing little patterns on his back before she worked up enough courage to lift her hand up to gently brush her fingers against the base of one of his wings, pulling back her hand in surprise at how soft they were and to briefly check his expression before she gently traced her fingers along the inside of his wing. "They're so soft, but strong too.. They're beautiful, Ramyth.." she murmured softly, looking at his wings in awe before looking back at him to make sure he was still alright with what she was doing. "I can stop, if you want."

@ katahdin

Godsdammit. Her and her big mouth. Aubrius knew, as Ailuin held her tighter and stared at her terrified, that he filled in the blank well enough before she could distract him from what she’d stopped herself from saying. And as he begged her to let him talk to the guards when they showed up, she knew she couldn’t say no. “Okay. Okay, you can talk to them first,” she agreed, taking his hands and squeezing them. “Don’t expect too much though, okay? This house has more windows and space open to the mountains than it does actual walls, and they don’t have the kind of manpower to spare to guard it,” she warned softly. There was also the fact that they hated her, and she seriously doubted Ailuin was going to get far trying to convince them on her behalf. She gave him a little smile as he cited a time he’d pinned her though. “That doesn’t count. I let you do that. By that point, I wanted it.”

---

Ramyth chuckled as Bridris returned his teasing and he felt her fingers start moving again, remaining on his bare back moments longer before she eventually seemed to work up her courage to touch the base of his wings. Her touch was gentle but so light and brief that he thought for a moment that he’d imagined it, until she looked at him. She got a little braver then, and he shuddered a bit, holding her tighter as she traced the fingers along the inside of his wing, which fluttered a little under her touch. He shook his head as she offered to stop though, leaning into give her a lingering kiss. “You’re okay. It doesn’t feel bad,” he promised.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin felt his shoulders relax a bit as she promised that she'd let him try to convince the guards to let her stay, although he was still clearly worked up, almost even worse than he had been after seeing Ulesse. "We could go back to the castle and stay there together until everything get sorted out. Or I could promise to watch you and not let you out of my sight, and only leave the house for emergencies." He suggested, knowing that she wouldn't like either of those options, but if it meant keeping her as far away from the guards and a dungeon cell as possible he'd do just about anything. "Please, Aub. Let me try, and don't immediately say no if it looks like they're going to agree." He asked, brushing his thumb over her cheek gently as he looked down at her before offering her a little smile as she insisted that she'd let him pin her. "I still pinned you, though, so it absolutely does count."

---

Bridris' cheeks flushed red again as she noticed him shudder as her fingers bushed over his wings, scooting closer as his grip on her tightened, and she happily returned his kiss when he leaned in close, momentarily letting her hand drop from his wings to tangle in his hair as they let the kiss linger. She nodded a bit as he promised that she was fine and that she wasn't hurting him, lifting her hand again to gently stroke his wing again, amazed at how soft his feathers were. "Am.. Am I doing it right? Or is there a certain way I should touch them?" She asked sheepishly.

@ katahdin

Hoping to get him to start relaxing again, Aubrius kissed her mate and rubbed his shoulder, frowning a bit at his suggestions for dungeon alternatives. She might have even argued, except both options were without a doubt still better than a dungeon cell, if she was supposed to be locked up in both for the same amount of time. But Ailuin was too busy to babysit her though, and she wasn’t sure they’d trust him to anyway. And she started to say as much when he spoke again, and she sighed softly. “I still don’t think this is going to work, but I’ll let you try. Just... if it’s a night in the dungeon or a month locked in your room in the castle, I’m doing dungeon, okay? You can send Ram to check in on me if it makes you feel better, but I’ll go crazy if I have to sit around in that room for that long.” She kissed him again, wrinkling her nose as he insisted he was right. “Nope. It only counts if you do it the right way.”

---

Ramyth held her close as they kissed, one hand wrapped around her while the other rested at her hip, appreciating the way it lingered. He’d been more than happy to reassure her since she’d seemed worried, and now as she began to stroke his wing again, he let out a little groan, resting his forehead against hers and holding her tight. “Gods, if you’re doing it wrong, I’m terrified to know what doing it right feels like,” he answered, giving her a little smile as he opened his eyes and noticed the blush and the sheepish look she gave him. He was ecstatic that she’d decided to touch his wings though. It was special and somehow felt like the last of the barriers she’d put up between them coming down.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin let himself relax a bit as she rubbed his shoulders, leaning back in the tub as bit as he kept her close, relieved that she had agreed to let him at least try to talk to the guards, even if she didn't think it would work. He shook his head as she insisted that she'd rather spend a night in the dungeon than a month cooped up in the house with him. "Please, Aub. I don't want you to be there at all. And they wouldn't have you be locked up for a month, we'll get this all sorted out as soon as we can." He promise, returning her kisses and smiling as she insisted that pinning her only counts if she did it the right way. Whatever that meant. "It's not fair if you change what the rules are to get out of the fact that I pinned you fair and square." He chuckled, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "Is it time to get out of the tub yet?"

---

Bridris blushed as he groaned again when she began to stroke his wing again, bumping her nose against his adoringly as he rested his forehead against hers, smiling up at him. "I love you, Ramyth. I'm glad it feels good, even if I don't know what I'm doing." She giggled a little, pressing another kiss to his lips as she continued to stroke his wing gently, enjoying how soft his feathers felt under her fingertips, how sometimes his wings shuddered a bit if she touched a certain spot.

@ katahdin

(I love how Ram and Bri are suddenly the naughty ones while Ailuin and Aub are just cuddling and being cute. Sorry about the skip btw. I was just having a hard time with my reply lol)

As Ailuin started to relax more and lean back into the tub, Aub sank back with him, continuing to rub his shoulders and kissing him as he said he didn’t want her in the dungeons at all. “I know, Ail. And everything’ll be fine, whatever happens, okay?” She pressed a kiss to his lips, chuckling as he said she was being unfair. “I’m not changing the rules. I just can’t have people saying I’m easy to pin because my squishy mate did it, when I let him do it,” she teased, poking him again as he nuzzled into her hair, which was still tangled to hell. “You can get out if you want. I still need to wash, so you’ll let me on the furniture, and do something about my hair.”

---

They ended up celebrating their engagement again, this time with the benefit of Bridris touching his wings, and they curled up with each other again afterwards. Ramyth held her close, gently tracing aimless patterns along her back as they lay together, feeling more content there with her than he could ever remember being.

@ sun spirit
(haha yeah, but to be fair they did just get engaged, I think they're allowed to be naughty. And I feel like Aub and Ailuin are a bit close to getting naughty at some point lol. And no worries!)

Ailuin gave a little nod at her reassurances that everything would be alright, returning her kisses as he tugged her close, letting out a little sigh. "I know.. I still can't help but worry, though." He murmured, smiling a little as she said he was squishy again. "Alright, fair enough." He murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I can untangle your hair while you wash, if you want. I know you'll just cut it all out when you get frustrated." He chuckled.

---

Bridris was very happy that Ramyth had enjoyed her touching his wings, and was also pleasantly surprised when he'd wanted to celebrate their engagement again. She was pretty wiped out now, though, after such a busy morning and afternoon, and now she lay curled in Ramyth's arms, draped over his chest as she listened to his steady breathing and his heartbeat slow back down, blinking sleepily as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "I love you, Ramyth.."

@ katahdin
(This is true. And yeah, Ailuin and Aub will definitely get there at some point lol They're just focused on Ailuin's anxiety right now)

"I know. You're a worrier," Aubrius said, giving him a little smile as he returned her kisses. "I'm starting to think it's a good thing I'm your mate in some ways. If you worry this much about me, I'd hate to imagine how worried you'd be about someone like Bridris." She shrugged as he pointed out that she'd get frustrated and cut out her hair if she was left to take care of it, giving him a little smile. "It's worked for me so far. If you think you can save my hair though, you're more than welcome to try," she added, already moving out of his arms so she could start washing.

---

Ramyth smiled softly down at Bridris as she clearly fought to keep her eyes open, leaning in to kiss the top of her head before settling himself, feeling about ready for a nap himself too now. "I love you more," he teased softly, squeezing her gently. Her eyes had just closed, a nap seeming imminent, when a series of loud knocks hailed the front door, voices quickly following announcing themselves as the royal guard. What the hell? "You stay here. I'll see what it is," he said to Bridris, who'd also been startled by the noise. He slipped out of bed, tucking her back in once he was out, and he quickly pulled on his clothes before going to answer the door. Sure enough, when he opened it, there were several members of the royal guard standing outside. "Can I help you?" he asked, glancing between them.

"Have you seen Aubrius?"

Gods, that was a sentence he never wanted to hear from any guard. "Not recently. Last I saw her, she was with the King. What did she do this time?" If she were injured or missing, he knew the royal guard wouldn't be on his doorstep.

The "leader" of the group didn't seem inclined to answer and was actually someone Ramyth recognized as not being Aubrius' biggest fan. While he got on with most of the guard, he didn't even like the caelus. "We're the ones asking questions. Since you're her friend, we have to check the house to make sure you aren't hiding her."

Ramyth moved more fully into the doorway, taking up its space with his body. "I may her friend, but I've never tried to go against the laws to protect her. She isn't here, and you aren't taking a step inside. Now, would someone tell me what she's done? It isn't like her to run." Gods, if she'd killed someone... Moreover, where was Ailuin?

@ sun spirit

Aiulin chuckled as she called him a worrier, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "I worry about Bridris some anyway, but she's got Ram and you to look out for her, so it's easy for me to not worry as much." He smiled, pressing another kiss to her lips before releasing her so that she could move to wash herself, grabbing the conditioner that tended to work the best whenever he attempted to detangle her hair. "I think I can get it out, you just have to be patient."

---

Bridris couldn't help but giggle a little as he said that he loved her more, tucking her face into his chest as she snuggled close. "No, I love you more." She murmured, letting her eyes shut as she felt him relax underneath her, looking forward to their nap. She was startled by the sudden knock at the door, lifting her head to look up toward their front door which shook a bit as the guards outside pounded on it. "Ramyth, what's wrong?" She asked worriedly as she looked at him, making little grabbing motions at him as he slid out from under her and tucked her back in, watching him get dressed before he went to speak with the guards.

She kept the sheets wrapped tightly around her as she slid out of bed, pulling on the silk dressing robe Mirella had made for her before moving over to stand behind Ramyth, resting a hand on his back reassuringly as she peaked out at the guards from behind him, frowning as they spoke about Aubrius.

"Is she alright?" Bridris asked worriedly as she looked up at Ramyth, clearly worried for her friend. She knew the guards didn't really like Aub, and that only made her worry even more. "She must be with King Ailuin, they were going to go get lunch when we last saw them, so I can't imagine she'd just cancel her plans to spend time with him."

@ katahdin

Aubrius was more than happy to return her mate’s kisses, even seriously considering moving back into his arms so they could kiss a little more. “That still doesn’t explain why you worry so much about me,” she said as she reached for the soap so she could wash and Ailuin reached for some conditioner that was almost exclusively used on her hair when it was tangled. “I know, I know, you say that every time,” she sighed as he told her she’d have to be patient and started to work on washing herself, knowing it was easier for him to work once she was still. “But it takes so long.”

---

Since she’d been about to sleep, Ramyth hadn’t wanted to disturb Bridris—or worry her—but he heard her moving around as he answered the door and soon felt her hand on his back anyway. As she asked if Aub was okay, he reached back to take her hand, giving it a little squeeze, hoping to reassure her. “She’s probably fine,” he murmured, but he looked to he guards in front of them anyway, hoping for answers. A couple were looking to their leader, but one he knew better stepped forward after a moment.

“We’re looking for Aubrius to arrest her. We have reports saying that she assaulted King Cirdan’s daughter, Ulesse. From everything we’ve gathered, Ulesse and King Ailuin were having a conversation when Aubrius suddenly stepped in, hit and threatened Ulesse, then drove a knife through her hand. Some say she dragged King Ailuin away after the attack t—“

Ramyth was shaking his head before the account was finished. “That’s ridiculous. Someone must have gotten something wrong. Aub doesn’t just attack people randomly, especially not for just talking, and she hasn’t kidnapped the king. I don’t know what happened, but there’s some misunderstanding here,” he asserted. “Let me find her. I’ll figure out what’s going on and bring her in if she really broke the law.”

“Absolutely not. She’d just lie to you, and you’d believe it,” the leader of the group broke in. “Besides, we’re here on orders from the council, and you aren’t. Just stay out of the way.”

It took a good deal of self-control to just remain standing in the doorway when he wanted to grab the other man by the shirt and make him listen. But he was also right. If he found Aubrius by himself, everyone would be suspicious no matter what he came back with. “Fine. But if you don’t do everything by the book, I’ll know,” he said, and though he wasn’t in uniform and didn’t have a weapon on him, he saw the other guard given him a second glance before taking a step back.

“Just stay here and mind your own business,” he said, motioning the other guards to follow him as he turned and took off.

@ sun spirit

Ailuin shrugged a little as she insisted that it was odd that he worried about her, passing her the soap or washcloth as needed while she bathed herself. "I don't know.. I guess I've always worried about you. The only thing that explains it to me is the mating bond." He said simply, waiting until she was finished washing herself before he shifted a bit and guided her so that she could lay back toward him so that he could get her hair wet, smiling down at her as he began to work the conditioner into her hair, begin mindful not to pull too hard on the tangled mess. "If you took care of your hair before it got this tangled then you wouldn't have to sit for so long." Aiulin pointed out, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead before continuing to carefully tug the strands of hair apart.

---

Bridris looked up at Ramyth with a frown, not really reassured by his words, but she nodded a little anyway, squeezing his hand in return. Bridris' frown only deepened as it was explained by one of the guards that they were looking to arrest Aubrius for stabbing someone, shaking her head quickly as they said that it had been done unprovoked. "No, Aubrius wouldn't do something like that." She echoed Ramyth's words, squeezing his hand again as she looked up at the guards. "She wouldn't fight someone who didn't deserve it, and she doesn't fight people if they're not going to fight back. That person, Ulesse, she must have done something to provoke her, or done something to Ailuin, because Aubrius wouldn't just randomly attack someone like that." She insisted, although she could tell the guards could care less about what she had to say to them in Aubrius' defense. She frowned as the guards told Ramyth to mind his own business, and once they were gone and the door was shut she looked up at her fiance worriedly. "What's going to happen to Aubrius when they find her?" She asked quietly, clearly very concerned about what the answer to that question was.