And time does pass...
Dec. 20th, 2013 10:50 pmAya sighed and moved her lips along her husband's shoulder, resolutely ignoring the stain of dawn along the horizon. This was...the day he left. Four cycles of her father's lands and Irkun's and now..."He will think you mad with longer," she admitted while shadows still traced the sands." The summons had come from Braig's father, but all who mattered knew they came from the Vizier.
The Vizier who thought Braig still safely snared by his daughter.
His arms slid around her waist, stronger, now, with the hours of lessons and horse training that these past moons had brought. Strong and intent to reassure, she could read that in the line of his body against hers in their blankets. "I'll be taking no roses, Dessert Blossom," he assured softly. "They'll not snare me twice. Irkun and I will ride together."
Her lips stilled at his neck, fear and honest regret flowing through her. This was, on it's surface, a mere summons. A whimsy of the king's to see his son and check on the growth that tradition demanded. Ah, but what if he left and he tempted once more? What if he left and saw for more gracious creatures at court?
What if he regretted his marriage?
It was odd for her to think such; her father raised her stronger. able to stand alone. But the longer she was wed, the longer she took lessons on Irkun's lands...the more she felt she needed her husband. He treated her...as no other had. An equal, but a treasure at the same time. Was it selfish to wish to keep that?
His fingers traced over her face, playing much as the seeking rays of light did, tracing here and there in a teasing wash. "I will play besotted," he admitted. "We will coat my hands with wax and gloves so I may not touch any magics and I bear protections; my heart is yours. Keep it safe my flower?"
She turned his face toward hers, ignoring the sting of tears as she kissed him soundly; "Watch for me at three days my love? I will find your rooms as I did once before. And a week of court wins your freedom..." But that was a long time to hold a ruse under exacting eyes. She worried for him.
"I know," he agreed softly, leaning away so he could set teeth to her shoulder harshly. "That will not fade before I am home." Home meant with his wife, wherever they needs must be. "You remember the entrance?"
"Three stones at sun points my heart," she agreed softly. "And I shall flee at dawn." But she could not bear to be parted from him. And two were ever stronger than one alone in dangerous circumstance. She would trust Irkun to his daylight hours...but she would stand in his nights.
"As a dream?" he teased, drawing fingers through her unbound hair as the day grew brighter. "It will be as when we met..."
She flushed under his fingers, bemused that he still found such circumstance to be charming. Curse the blood that made her flush so much more than he! "Never a dream!" she laughed, softly. "Never more. Flesh and steel at your side when you are in danger. And Irkun will bring you fully back to me after a week." She spoke the words more as a reassurance to herself than anything else. Irkun wielded 'custom' as others did weapons, and it worked just as well in his hands.
Custom said a prince of the blood must be trained by the chiefs, and that he could spend a week in comfort for every three moons. They'd had four, no doubt because the Vizier wished Braig to be at his sanity's edge when returned to the deceiving daughter. "I shall never leave," Braig admitted. "It is not a spell that hold me to you, but far, far stronger." Enough so that it frightened him at times. Was this, then, what the stories decried as 'Fate'?
"And you thought to steer me from visiting you," she chuckled softly, pinching his chin gently before finally lifting their blankets. The sun was risen, they had preparations to make. "You speak to my heart so and expect distance?" it was her turn to tease as she flicked the lengths of her hair over his chest and settled in to comb her tresses before dressing.
Braig trailed his fingers through her hair and lifted a handful of the strands to his lips, bemused as she sat above him. "No. I would lament were you to stay away," he admitted. "Risk or no I prefer you at my side." And he had a desire to see her drowning in the silk of his bed, properly adorned in what she had lost. "A strand of hair to hold close to my heart?" he begged, lifting a hand to her comb.
She laughed and bent to kiss his fingers before tugging a strand from her head for him. "What would you my prince?"
"Bind it about my finger," he admitted, holding up his hand to show just that.
She watched as he wrapped the long strand; a tease of thin gold that grew wider with each motion. "It will be noticed," she noted, dropping the comb in favor of clasping his hand her chest. "Allow us to hide it?"
"Certainly," he laughed, taking the opportunity presented to pinch her bosom before she turned to dig in her bags.
She squeaked and jumped just to make him laugh before presenting him with a handful of solid silver rings. "Here. One for horse taming, close as you are I doubt Irkun would call the lie. One for wisdom, one for age...three rings my love, all to be worn on one hand. Will they fit over your own?" The ring he had made for them?
He smiled and slid them, cool and weighty, along his fingers. "Yes. Irkun's badge and your hair my flower, they fit well together. None shall take the ring from my hand." Either ring.
She laughed and poked his hip, reminding him to seek his own clothes as the day grew brighter. "Nor shall your silk leave my waist," she admitted. His golden silk, regifted to her, rode at her waist each day. Gold for gold, a matched set. It seemed fitting.
"It's time," Irkun spoke from the ridge above them.
Nevarra watched as his daughter attached her veil after a long kiss to her husband, then passed her the reins to the mount he held. "You will ride north Aya, your patrol will take you close..."
...enough to slip within the palace walls while having a force to retrieve her if necessary. "Thank you father. We ride in two hours."
"And we in one," Irkun noted, holding the reins of a second horse as Braig slid into his clothing. "Forgive me, prince, this week will be harsh."
"I know," Braig agreed wryly. "But the reward well worth it. Watch well old horse, watch well as I make myself the fool once more."
"As ever my prince," Irkun agreed. As ever. He'd earned that.
The Vizier who thought Braig still safely snared by his daughter.
His arms slid around her waist, stronger, now, with the hours of lessons and horse training that these past moons had brought. Strong and intent to reassure, she could read that in the line of his body against hers in their blankets. "I'll be taking no roses, Dessert Blossom," he assured softly. "They'll not snare me twice. Irkun and I will ride together."
Her lips stilled at his neck, fear and honest regret flowing through her. This was, on it's surface, a mere summons. A whimsy of the king's to see his son and check on the growth that tradition demanded. Ah, but what if he left and he tempted once more? What if he left and saw for more gracious creatures at court?
What if he regretted his marriage?
It was odd for her to think such; her father raised her stronger. able to stand alone. But the longer she was wed, the longer she took lessons on Irkun's lands...the more she felt she needed her husband. He treated her...as no other had. An equal, but a treasure at the same time. Was it selfish to wish to keep that?
His fingers traced over her face, playing much as the seeking rays of light did, tracing here and there in a teasing wash. "I will play besotted," he admitted. "We will coat my hands with wax and gloves so I may not touch any magics and I bear protections; my heart is yours. Keep it safe my flower?"
She turned his face toward hers, ignoring the sting of tears as she kissed him soundly; "Watch for me at three days my love? I will find your rooms as I did once before. And a week of court wins your freedom..." But that was a long time to hold a ruse under exacting eyes. She worried for him.
"I know," he agreed softly, leaning away so he could set teeth to her shoulder harshly. "That will not fade before I am home." Home meant with his wife, wherever they needs must be. "You remember the entrance?"
"Three stones at sun points my heart," she agreed softly. "And I shall flee at dawn." But she could not bear to be parted from him. And two were ever stronger than one alone in dangerous circumstance. She would trust Irkun to his daylight hours...but she would stand in his nights.
"As a dream?" he teased, drawing fingers through her unbound hair as the day grew brighter. "It will be as when we met..."
She flushed under his fingers, bemused that he still found such circumstance to be charming. Curse the blood that made her flush so much more than he! "Never a dream!" she laughed, softly. "Never more. Flesh and steel at your side when you are in danger. And Irkun will bring you fully back to me after a week." She spoke the words more as a reassurance to herself than anything else. Irkun wielded 'custom' as others did weapons, and it worked just as well in his hands.
Custom said a prince of the blood must be trained by the chiefs, and that he could spend a week in comfort for every three moons. They'd had four, no doubt because the Vizier wished Braig to be at his sanity's edge when returned to the deceiving daughter. "I shall never leave," Braig admitted. "It is not a spell that hold me to you, but far, far stronger." Enough so that it frightened him at times. Was this, then, what the stories decried as 'Fate'?
"And you thought to steer me from visiting you," she chuckled softly, pinching his chin gently before finally lifting their blankets. The sun was risen, they had preparations to make. "You speak to my heart so and expect distance?" it was her turn to tease as she flicked the lengths of her hair over his chest and settled in to comb her tresses before dressing.
Braig trailed his fingers through her hair and lifted a handful of the strands to his lips, bemused as she sat above him. "No. I would lament were you to stay away," he admitted. "Risk or no I prefer you at my side." And he had a desire to see her drowning in the silk of his bed, properly adorned in what she had lost. "A strand of hair to hold close to my heart?" he begged, lifting a hand to her comb.
She laughed and bent to kiss his fingers before tugging a strand from her head for him. "What would you my prince?"
"Bind it about my finger," he admitted, holding up his hand to show just that.
She watched as he wrapped the long strand; a tease of thin gold that grew wider with each motion. "It will be noticed," she noted, dropping the comb in favor of clasping his hand her chest. "Allow us to hide it?"
"Certainly," he laughed, taking the opportunity presented to pinch her bosom before she turned to dig in her bags.
She squeaked and jumped just to make him laugh before presenting him with a handful of solid silver rings. "Here. One for horse taming, close as you are I doubt Irkun would call the lie. One for wisdom, one for age...three rings my love, all to be worn on one hand. Will they fit over your own?" The ring he had made for them?
He smiled and slid them, cool and weighty, along his fingers. "Yes. Irkun's badge and your hair my flower, they fit well together. None shall take the ring from my hand." Either ring.
She laughed and poked his hip, reminding him to seek his own clothes as the day grew brighter. "Nor shall your silk leave my waist," she admitted. His golden silk, regifted to her, rode at her waist each day. Gold for gold, a matched set. It seemed fitting.
"It's time," Irkun spoke from the ridge above them.
Nevarra watched as his daughter attached her veil after a long kiss to her husband, then passed her the reins to the mount he held. "You will ride north Aya, your patrol will take you close..."
...enough to slip within the palace walls while having a force to retrieve her if necessary. "Thank you father. We ride in two hours."
"And we in one," Irkun noted, holding the reins of a second horse as Braig slid into his clothing. "Forgive me, prince, this week will be harsh."
"I know," Braig agreed wryly. "But the reward well worth it. Watch well old horse, watch well as I make myself the fool once more."
"As ever my prince," Irkun agreed. As ever. He'd earned that.