A/N: As always, I would recommend putting the video on loop.
Over the course of the next week, (f/n) had found her schedule to be rather typical. She had been expecting him to teach her the wedding customs, but he had merely explained that there were the vows and rings. (F/N) had figured, however, that she could make a few modifications; she was getting married only once. So, why not add a little something extra to the occurrence?
She had stressed that they should at least have a wedding dinner for themselves and that he shouldn't see her the morning that they were married. He had agreed to prepare a dinner, but he hadn't seen the point in not seeing her right before the wedding. (F/n) had explained the purpose for it, and the reality that it was because families didn't wish to have the groom walk out on the bride before they were married.
Since that wasn't an issue in their case, she had mentioned that it would make things more exciting. She had received a skeptical look as he had explained that they were getting married and that was thrilling enough. In the end, he hadn't budged on the issue.
It being the night before their marriage day, (f/n) had waited for Tarhuinn to fall asleep. When she felt that he had, she sat up on her bed and glanced over to her dresser. She had decided to wear the purple dress. The dress was the most elegant out of the selection. Granted, she was tempted to wear her traveling clothes to spite him for not agreeing to not see her tomorrow morning. Besides, the travel clothes were rather comfortable since they were a bit looser than the measurements that she had given Tarhuinn.
Turning her attention back to him, she glanced downwards and noted that he was still asleep. It was hard to tell since his long locks covered most of his face. Carefully, she placed her feet on his bed, reached over towards him and went for the chain around his neck. If he didn't have such long hair, it would've been easier to remove the necklace, but she would manage.
Once her hands were on the chain, she lifted it and moved his hair out of the way. There wasn't a real problem until some strands of his hair were under his left arm. Muttering a few curses, she set the necklace back down on him and rolled him a bit from his side to his stomach. She grabbed all of his hair and lifted it before she moved him back to his original position.
Glad that he was still asleep, she now removed the necklace with the room key. Smiling to herself at her accomplishment, she picked up her nightgown some and stepped into the water. Honestly, she didn't think that would work so well. She would've definitely woken up if someone had done that to her.
When she was at the room door, she inserted the key and unlocked the door. Once she left the room, she locked the door behind her. Now if he awoke, he wouldn't be able to follow her. She wished for a little alone time before she was married to him. The only alone time which she had received was when he had left for the market. Granted, he was only gone for a short time.
Besides, it's not like she had the key to the entrance door, and she had learned that the pool they entered through would mean death for her. Tarhuinn had told her that unless she could hold her breath for fifteen minutes, she would drown. The only reason she had made it on her entry to his home was because of his quickened ability to swim in water. So, there was no real reason for him to worry, but she still locked the door because he would probably rage at her for leaving their room in the middle of the night.
Stepping onto the stone path, she headed for the farm area. Once there, she headed over to the animals and went to the rabbits first. She picked one up and set it on her lap. Its nose twitched some as it stood up on its hind legs and sniffed her. (F/n) brought her nose down to its small one and nuzzled the creature, which was thankful for the attention. One of the goats, though, came over and bleated.
A small laugh left her lips, and she set down the bunny. Going over to the goat, she petted its head while it nuzzled into her touch. This goat was the most affectionate out of the five and seemed to want attention whenever Tarhuinn or she went near the goats' pen. After she gave the animal a few more pets, she turned around and headed for the window.
Unlatching it, she leaned on the edge and glanced out over the scenery. A light rain sprinkled down from the sky as a few beams of moonlight broke through the thick clouds. She could see parts of the lake below, and a slight chill ran up her spine at the cold night air. Despite this, she reached her right hand out and felt the rain hit her skin.
Keeping her hand out in the rain, she rested her head against her left arm. After tomorrow, her journey for answers might bring her to that lake below her, and she might be able to explore the mountain terrain around it. Such a thought excited her greatly. She might have to get married to gain that adventure, but she wouldn't be locked away anymore.
(F/n) caught a few more drops in her hand before she heard footsteps and light splashes of water behind her. Tensing, she pulled her hand back and looked behind her. Tarhuinn appeared less than pleased as he stopped a few feet from her. "Locking me in our room is quite uncalled for (f/n). Did you think that I wouldn't have a spare?"
"Well, I knew that you would be angry," she murmured, glancing down at her feet and avoiding his piercing gaze.
"Of course, I'm mad. I woke up to find you and my key gone. Not only that but you also locked the door on me. For all I knew, you could've been trying to find a way out or attempting to kill yourself. Now, tell me what you're doing by the window."
"I just desired some time to myself. You never give me any, and tonight is the last night that I'm single. And, it's relaxing in here."
"Oh, I'm not relaxing to be around?"
"Truthfully, no. Your voice is comforting at times, but I don't like you watching me all the time."
"That's your fault for running away that one time and now this. Such actions don't inspire trust."
"Neither do yours," she countered, meeting his blue orbs now. Ire and sadness filled his eyes as he pushed back some of his locks. He walked towards her and only broke his gaze once he was a couple of steps from her. Reaching over, he closed and latched the window. She remained quiet and watched him as she hoped that he wouldn't unleash that anger on her.
"I trust you enough to let you outside of my home. That should satisfy you. My watchfulness is to protect you. Maybe, that frustrates you, but I won't apologize for it. You'll be grateful for it, though, when we leave the safety of my home. On this search, I don't know what we'll find, but I won't let anything take you from me. Do you understand, my chosen?"
"Yes," she responded even though she wanted to argue back, but she couldn't. He had used that nickname again, and she leaned towards him. Catching her, he held her up in his arms. Her hands clutched his nightshirt while she wished that she could overcome this effect. The male picked her up bridal style and began to head back to their room. "Tarhuinn ... can we stay here for a bit longer?"
Peering down at her, he seemed to debate her request before he took a seat by the edge of the water path. He placed her on his lap. "I suppose that it would be nice to enjoy this place before we set out," he remarked as he pulled some of her hair back.
Figuring that there would be no use in trying to get off of his lap, she leaned back against him to be more comfortable. "Is someone going to watch this place while we're gone?"
"Yes, I have a friend of mine who will be coming over."
"I thought that you didn't interact with other kelremm much except for market interactions."
"That's correct, but my friend is another crop grower like me. Over the years, we met each other on multiple accounts, and we eventually set up a schedule so that we would head to the market on the same days. When I requested an officiant for tomorrow, I asked her to watch over the place for us. She agreed to come over each day to take care of the farm until we return."
"What's this friend like?"
"You'll see her the day that we head out. It's strange, though, to have another kelremm come into my home. She found the request odd as well, but since we've been friends since we were little, she agreed."
"She doesn't find it weird that you're taking your partner outside of your home?"
"She does indeed think that it's bizarre, but she knows that I must have a good reason for doing so. And, I do. If we do find a way to give life energy back to our human partners, it will make our lives better, and we can enjoy time with our children more. I also wish to make up for those years that were lost to us. Even if I'm hesitant about taking you beyond the walls of this house, I understand that we might have more time together. And, the longer I have you to myself, the better."