Ashe looked around at her and her husband's new bedchamber as Rasler placed her on the bed with the gentleness of a child handling their favorite china doll. He took a seat next to her, wrinkling the embroidered silk covers. She glanced almost wistfully up at the canopy of their bed, quietly waiting for her husband to make the next move. Her eyes closed as she savored the quiet stillness of the room. As much fun as she had had today, it was still good to relax.
"Enjoyed the evening?" he asked with a smile.
Her eyes fluttered open again, and she propped herself up against the plush pillows piled on the bed. "Yes, it was even better than I imagined… Everything was exactly how it should have been," she said dreamily. "How about you?"
She looked up at Rasler and smiled back. Despite her fears and mild apprehension towards the consummation of their marriage, it was the first time she was truly happy in months. With the threat of invasion on the horizon, there was little chance to enjoy life.
"Me too. The food was good, and the drink plentiful - and you were there by my side." He reached over and caressed her cheek.
"Why am I an afterthought?"
"You're not! Without you the whole affair would have been quite dull. I just thought a poetic pause before speaking your name would be appropriate." He rolled over onto his side and faced her.
Ashe felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She timidly disregarded the last bit. "I have a feeling that if I didn't attend, it wouldn't have started." Her hand rested on top of his.
"I probably wouldn't even be here," Rasler remarked, "I'd be stuck back home, listening to mother, or chasing after chamber—I mean, chocobos." He paused and stroked her jawline with his thumb. "I'm actually quite glad I married you." His lips brushed against her cheek.
"But we've hardly been married a day." She shook her head still smiling, and kissed him. His lips were soft and still tasted of sweet rose and almond; she thought of the ball, the ceremony, the wonderful food and sweet Dalmascan wine, their first dance, the swell of orchestral sound, how his eyes glowed at the altar. They parted, allowing her to deepen the kiss. Rasler pulled her closer still, closing the distance between them. She kissed him with all the passion she'd absorbed throughout that glittering night, and she could feel it tingling on his skin too. His hand brushed against her bare skin, and found one of the clasps of her gown. He pulled on it only to find that it remained closed.
He broke apart suddenly. "Let's finish this, after we change." He whispered into her ear, motioning to her dress, and to his armor.
"Sure," she replied, her face flushed pink. Soon, she was to give herself to her husband, and their marriage would be complete. With her innocence lost, the royal court would now see her as a woman. Ashe's hands trembled, as she sat up on the bed. "I'll be in my dressing room," she said, her voice wavering. She rose from the bed and vaulted to one of the adjoining rooms.
"Are you still nervous?" he asked before she could close the door.
Her eyes were downcast as she nodded; the fabric of her veil rustled. Her stomach twisted into knots.
"Come sit back down." He motioned to the bed. It was another attempt to ease her fears. She sat down next to her husband. "Tell me." His hand rested on the bare skin of her shoulder. It was electrifying; she wanted more and yet she feared the act itself.
She let out a sigh, "About everything." There was a pause, "If I end up looking like a fool, or if you find some fault in me, or if it's… just… not right..." She looked down at the royal blue woolen rug under the bed.
He held her hand, and gazed into her eyes, "We'll take our time, and I'll be gentle."
She looked down at her hands folded in her lap, nervously fingering all the little gems and adornments on her dress. "I guess we can try that. Sooner or later we have to…" She began to regret thwarting his efforts for intimacy, back when they were younger… Maybe if she hadn't, she'd be a little more… ready by now.
He moved over. "Sit here, and we'll get started. Never mind the dressing rooms." He motioned to the area in front of him.
That didn't do much to ease the burning in her cheeks. Ashe tentatively took a seat on the bed, still gripping her skirts, and looked up at her husband. "So… How do we start?" she asked.
"Here." He took her hand, and placed it on the opposite gauntlet. She unfastened both of them; her hands skimmed his soft warm skin. She placed them aside, her hands still quivering slightly. "Now it's my turn," he reached for her and slipped the gold bangles off her wrists. His touch lingered on her arms. With a few tugs, she removed his pauldrons, and admired his muscled shoulders and arms, toned from years of sparring and wearing armor. Her veil fluttered as it landed next to the rest of their clothing. Somehow this process of beginning to remove each other's garments - taking turns and exchanging shy smiles - seemed silly to her, a farcical introduction to a very serious event, but at the same time it made her feel comforted, just a little.
He leaned forward, and kissed her softly, reigniting her passion. She pressed her lips against his, and they pulled themselves closer to each other, the two of them craving each other's touch. She wanted to feel his firm muscles, and soft skin, but he still wore his breastplate. Her hand searched his armor, looking for the lacing that held the plating together. His hand found hers and guided it, gently but keenly, and the breastplate momentarily came to join their growing pile of garments on the floor. Her dress was next to appear in the pile – Ashe was left in her undergarments. Never in her life had she been this naked in front of a man, and yet she felt almost no shyness or shame. His feverish kisses trailed down her neck, traversed her collarbone. She reveled in her husband's kisses – it seemed so long ago now, distant in a way – that she had ever been nervous about this. She was all too content now to live in this precious moment with her husband; it seemed only appropriate, on a night as romantic as this, laying in each other's arms with the same warm desert night outside the windows that they had danced their first dance to, and she felt no further hesitation as the pile of ivory plate-armor and silken white garments beside their bed was completed.
0o0
Morning came all too early for Ashe, the rising sun filtered through the thin curtains and peeked through the gap in the canopy. She was a bit sore around her loins, not in a bad way, more as if she went chocobo riding all day. Laying in the comfort of sunlit sheets with his warm body still next to hers, she reflected on the night before. Everything had gone so much better than expected. She was a little surprised to find there was hardly any embarrassment in the thing - it had just been pure bliss. And now, she was his until death.
She propped herself up, and brushed her lips against Rasler's cheek. "Good morning, dear."
He opened his eyes, "You're quite amorous this morning," he said, kissing her back.
"The same could be said about you." She caressed his chest, feeling the muscles there. His chest was broad and well defined, each muscle perfectly toned from years of physical activity. A faded scar ran across the side of his stomach, one she had noticed only in passing really. It made him look all the more like a handsome prince-warrior. "In what battle did you receive this scar?" she said, giving a teasing smile as she traced the scar lightly with her finger.
"Oh, the scar?" Rasler asked. "I got it ages ago, while swimming with my brother. He pulled me into the water and I slipped."
"Onto what?" she asked.
"Some sharp rocks." He replied, shrugging his shoulders. A grin broke out on his face as he began to kiss her again, as if to refine his morning greeting. He pulled her closer, and more caressing and touching and giggling ensued. Ashe longed to slip back into the bliss she recalled from the evening before…
Then there was a sharp insistent knock on the door. Rasler and Ashe pulled away from each other like rabbits fleeing at the sight of predators. "Who the hell is that?" he asked with an annoyance Ashe wasn't sure she'd ever heard from him before.
"You know…" She paused, her cheeks turning a bright scarlet. It was her mother-in-law and ladies-in-waiting come to wake them up, as was tradition – though undoubtedly they were also curious as to how things were going between them.
"Oh, that." He frowned, and reached over the side of the bed. He sifted through the pile of discarded clothing from last night, found his underpants and slipped them on. They heard another knock, this one more impatient and louder. "One moment," Rasler shouted through the door.
Ashe jumped out of bed and sprinted to her dressing room. She grabbed a nearby robe and slipped it on to preserve some modesty. With the robe securely tied, she walked to the door, dreading what was to come next.
The door creaked open, and in walked in Linerva, wearing a simple traveling dress, followed by Ashe's ladies-in-waiting. "Let's make this as quick as possible, I've got an airship to catch." She then turned to her son; "Oh, dear, please don't let the two young ladies see you in your underclothes!" She motioned to the great door of the chamber, still ajar, concealing Ashe's servants Illyana and Elani as they waited for their okay.
"It's not like we've never seen a man before!" Illyana voice called in a singsong fashion, thrusting her left hand through the doorframe, waggling the fingers so that all would look and see her wedding ring. She was proud of her relatively recent marriage to another nobleman.
"Except for Lady Ashe – well, before last night, I mean," Elani added.
"Rasler, go, dress," Linerva commanded, disregarding the ladies' comments, and she lovingly shooed him into his dressing room, the prince walking slightly awkwardly with a pile of clothing in his arms. Once the door shut behind him, she said, "Come in, girls!"
First Elani entered and walked towards the bed, closely followed by Illyana. The two reached reached for the covers. Ashe stood aside, and watched the ladies begin removing the sheets layer by layer and Linerva watching, giving furtive glances to the "consummation" they had no doubt been seeking, once they found it. She stayed quiet, waiting for them to say something about this development in her womanhood. Her servants pulled the soiled sheet off the bed, wearing deceptively impassive smiles, and promptly replaced it with a fresh one before leaving the room.
Linerva got up and gave an approving nod to her son and daughter-in-law. "Well, it seems your night went well," she said. Ashe blushed once more.
The door to Rasler's dressing room swung open and he emerged, now decently dressed in white shirt and trousers. He glanced shyly at Ashe, and then looked expectantly at his mother. She made a little waving gesture with her hand.
"So, you two are fine!" she exclaimed. "I have to go back home - the situation with the factions is getting much worse. Rozzaria has sent troops within our borders to support their supporters; that's not a very good sign. We are leaving for three days - and your brother is managing to make matters worse…" She shook her head disapprovingly and shrugged off the topic. "Seems like you'll have to wait before returning home!" She then turned to Ashe. "I do hope that you already are carrying child when you come to live with us!" She paused. "Well, I have to leave. Your father will send you a message once we return home!" she said, taking her leave. Ashe and Rasler were now the only two left in the room.
Rasler took a seat on the bed, and shook his head. "It's getting worse," he said. "At the rate things are going, we're going to have a full scale war on our hands."
Ashe sat beside her husband. "Don't worry. Your father is a capable man. I'm sure that he'll restore peace and unity soon. Then efforts can be made to protect the border." There was always the possibility of Rasler going to war; he may be a prince, but he was also the protector and defender of his people. It was his duty as a prince to serve them, as was hers.
"I know, but our plan for peace seems to have been sabotaged." He gazed at Ashe. "We married to form an alliance, in hopes of preventing invasion. As soon we wed, there is civil unrest, and Rozzaria sends troops to support its faction. Now our borders are left unprotected. It's too convenient." He shook his head.
She took his calloused hand and twirled the silver band on his ring finger. "I know, but we can only do so much. We must hope for the best, and try to protect ourselves as best we can." His concern for his country was admirable. Ashe thought what a pity it was that his chances of ruling were low.
He nodded. "In doing that, I would feel useless. I can't just wait and watch."
There was a long pause, and then Ashe broke the silence. "You would make a fine king. I mean, the way you handle duty and responsibility, and how you care about your people." She held his hand tightly.
Their eyes met. "And what is a king without an even finer queen by his side?"
"All a 'fine queen' has to do is stay faithful and obedient, and look pretty – and produce heirs…" Ashe smiled, maybe a bit sarcastically. "The rest is all extra." Her education focused on making her an ideal wife; she was taught history, etiquette, art, music, fencing, and whatever else she was willing to learn.
"Anyone can do that." He wrapped his arm around her waist. "A fine queen can do much more than that. She can inspire hope in her people, she is strong and compassionate; she does what is best for all, and is true to herself. But there is much more to her than just that." He pulled her closer to him.
"What else is there to this queen of yours?" She rested her head against Rasler's chest, her cheeks turning a soft pink.
"Her beauty and intellect rivals those of the goddesses; she is an excellent dancer and huntress, and an even better lover. And perhaps, when she is ready and decides to have children, she will be an outstanding mother." His lips brushed against her temple, and his hand skimmed her flat stomach.
She caressed his jaw, and smiled, "What if she is ready to have children? Or to at least ready to accept what children she may be blessed with?" Bearing children was part of her duty as a princess and as a wife. As a younger, recently betrothed teen, she had feared childbirth, but now that she was married and older, she had grown accustomed to the idea of starting a family. Perhaps they would bring happiness and joy.
He smiled. "Then I'll not make her wait. If she is ready and willing, then why not?" He paused. "I'll do my part, and take care of her when she is expecting. And once they are born, I shall help raise them."
Ashe placed her hand on top of her husband's, and smiled back. "You'd do that for me?"
"Yes, and I'd do more for you, should you need it."
"You're going to be a great father." She placed her hand on his, feeling damp palms.
"You think so?"
Ashe nodded. "I know so."
"How do you know?"
She looked up into her husband's eyes, "The same way I know that you shall make a fine king."
"Intuition?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't call it that… more like understanding."
"Of life and politics?"
"Exactly." Her eyes lit up. The room was very quiet and still for a moment, as the warm morning breeze blew through the room.
Rasler pulled Ashe closer, and planted a kiss on her cheek. "If you want those children, we should finish what we started." He reached over and began to untie the sash holding her robe closed, his touch lingering on her sweat-dampened skin. "It's just too bad I've already gone and dressed." He laughed wholeheartedly as he descended a loving kiss to her lips, and she smiled against his own lips. Her heartbeat raced, her kisses trailed down his skin. The rest of the morning was spent blissfully unaware of what was happening outside of the palace.