Wildfire

Sixty One

When morning comes I find myself lured out of my first peaceful night's sleep in quite some time by the feel of my husband's hand stroking my cheek, his hands the ones that had carefully unwoven my hair from the wire that Mama had shaped for me and set it aside so that I might wear it again on the day we were actually meant to be married... And I cannot help but think to myself how peaceful this moment is... Our first morning as a married couple untainted by the plans of the day... I know that eventually, we will need to rise so that we might set about the greatest coup in the last millennia hand in hand and unstoppable. 

There will be no fighting the laws surrounding succession... There is no possible way for Xiang to weasel his way back onto the throne when we sweep into his rooms to inform him that he shall never terrorize another citizen or courtier in this kingdom ever again... He shall never be allowed to strike terror into the hearts of the people he has ruled with cruelty for so long. 

My father in law shall bear witness to the brand on my back and know that his reign of terror is over, and it shall be up to him whether he steps aside gracefully and end his reign on a decent note... Or he can fight and be defeated by his own son and the soldiers that he has abused for far too long with his anger and misplaced savagery. He shall see that his people have chosen and that they have turned their backs on his ways... And it shall all happen in time for us to join the palace for dinner as a pair, though half of them will likely think our elopement is nothing more than rumor, and that is exactly how it needs to stay at the moment... They shall have no idea that our new intimacy regarding each other is indeed due to our hushed ceremony... That the way he lays his hands on me so tenderly is due to how newly healed my back is and not just how much he cherishes me... They have no idea that tonight we plan to consummate our marriage even further by finally allowing ourselves to indulge in the physical side of the draw that we both feel towards each other... But they will know soon enough... For when we reveal ourselves to everyone... We shall do it as bonded to each other as possible, a very tangible set of matching crowns to grace our heads as soon as we retrieve them from the chambers of a King about to be dethroned. 

...

Emrys

...

I could not help myself... When I awoke to find that Rayne had slept through the night for the first time in who knows how long I could not contain my joy and spotting the edge of his brand just through the loose bandages he had been wrapped in to keep his newly marked skin safe and comfortable through the night... I could not keep my beast quiet... It had overwhelmed me in how emotional I feel knowing that he feels safe once more... That he now feels secure in the knowledge that no one can ever take him away from me, no matter how hard they try... 

And to see my sweet shard of starlight look up at me with his dazzling shining eyes and witnessing how they track my movement so much better than when we had first found ourselves wrapped around each other in this bed...I know that everything is still slightly blurred for him, but not in a way that truly impairs him, and for that I am grateful... He was able to witness our wedding, rushed as it was, and I know that it is a memory that both of us will always cherish no matter what happens to the two of us later today. 

The original plan had been for my sweet Moon Beam to be hidden away in the room of his faithful guard with them and their wife so that he might stay safe if any violence were to break out... I would hate to give my father any further chance to hurt my sweet wife, the abuse he's already dealt to the stunning young man who has blessed my life with his presence too much for any of us to stomach... But my sweet wife had insisted that a Queen's place is always by his or her husband's side not just in times of happiness, but also in times of stress and strife... I had promised to never leave his side, and though it will be hard for me to expose him to possible danger, it is a promise that is important to my wife, for he feels ever safer standing by my side. 

"Husband..." The way Rayne nuzzles into me with a chuckle steals my breath away, and it is all I can do but chirp at him, a kiss pressed against his forehead before I am allowed by my beast to finally speak instead of just crooning to him. 

"My wife... You slept!" He slept tangled up with me, just the way we both love, and waking together after a peaceful night's sleep means the most to both of us, the obvious joy on his face as he cuddles closer to me.

"I did sleep... There is just something about healing that expends so much energy... Not that I shall ever complain about expending energy with you..." His tone of voice lifts my spirits, even more, the institution he lets his statement end on one that brings heat to my face as his thigh twitches just slightly against the stiffness that I imagine plagues most males upon waking after a restful sleep... 

We had been dancing around the subject for days now, my sweet shard of starlight not understanding why I've wanted to wait when to him it felt as though the walls were closing in on the two of us from his perspective... He had repeatedly told me that he held no objections to a moment of passion when it felt as though Shen Hirai was wanting to pop out from every shadow and was lurking behind every corner... And I had told him over and over that there is no rush, and there still is no rush, though now as of last night officially, the two of us no longer have to deal with any repercussions to our reputations because there is absolutely no reason for a husband to not bond with his wife in that way... But it will happen after our small morning meal and knocking my Father off of his throne so that there will be nothing clouding that moment for either one of us.