I found her leaned comfortably against the railing, staring up at the large, luminous moon that sat just above the treeline. She cut an impressive figure in the moonlight, and I couldn’t help but smile as I walked up behind her. I leaned up against the railing at her side and stared at her face, waiting for her to speak. Eventually, she obliged. “It’s beautiful,” she said quietly.
“Yes, it is,” I answered, never taking my eyes off of her.
She chuckled softly at the compliment, then fell silent for a long time. Eventually, her eyes fell from the moon and stared off into the forest, and she let out a long sigh. “We have to go back to Kaldan.”
Her sudden change of demeanor caught me off guard. I wanted to protest the statement to lift her spirits, but we both knew she was right. “Yes,” I answered, staring into the forest alongside her.
“I think I’ve known it ever since I woke up after the fight, but it’s been easy to forget with all of…” she paused, motioning down to her dress, “...this. Maybe forget isn’t the right word; ignore is more accurate.” She leaned her chin forward against her hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before. If we had left for Kaldan when you first suggested it, maybe—”
“No,” I cut her off. “You were right, back then. If we had gone to Kaldan like I wanted, we wouldn’t have been here to stop those beasts.” I shuffled nearer to her and put a hand on her arm. “And we wouldn’t be married.”
She smiled. “Okay. You’re right.” She stepped close to me and leaned her head against my shoulder. “Between Aunt Ellie’s letter and the attacks we’ve seen, it seems like things are getting worse everywhere, not just in Kaldan. I don’t think we can rely on Val to take care of it anymore.”
“It’s not exactly the honeymoon I was hoping for,” I said, shaking my head.
“That’s okay,” she chuckled. “I just want to be with you. Going on an adventure is an added bonus, if you ask me.”
I gave her hand a tight squeeze, and we stood together quietly in the cold night air. Her weight gradually grew heavier against my side, and her head began to bob. After a particularly forceful dip of her head, she let out a loud yawn. “I think it’s time for bed,” I laughed, bumping her with my hip.
She nodded sleepily but remained by the railing as I moved to go inside, anchoring my arm. “Lux,” she started, turning me back around. “Thank you...for asking me to marry you.”
Warmth blossomed in my chest, and I slipped my arms beneath hers and spun her around, kissing her deeply. “Thank you for marrying me,” I replied as I set her down.
“I’m gonna make it count,” she smiled, joining me as we made our way inside. “Every second we have, for the rest of our life.”
An expectant silence grew between us as we crossed the living room and ascended the stairs. Lia paused a few feet away from our bedroom door, nervously shuffling her feet as she stared intently at the doorknob. “Are you...tired, Lux?”
The exhaustion I had felt from our whirlwind day and night of drinking instantly vanished beneath the implication of her question. “No,” I answered immediately, “not even a little.” I took a single step forward and placed a hand on the doorknob. “You?”
I heard the soft rustling of fabric behind me and turned to find her struggling to slip out of her fitted dress. When it became apparent that the effort would require a second set of hands, she paused midway through her undressing and locked eyes with me. “No. Not at all.” Her cheeks flushed deep crimson as she shuffled towards me helplessly, exposed from the waist up.
My brain emptied of all thoughts beyond its most instinctual desires, and I rushed forward and pressed my lips against hers. I traced my thumb along the line of her jaw, down her neck, and across her collarbone while she pulled against the chains fastening my cloak. Her shoulders shuddered as my fingers danced across her bare skin. My cloak fell away a moment later, and she planted a hand in the center of my chest and shoved me backwards into the bedroom door, knocking our heads together.
I pulled away from our entanglement just long enough to unlatch the door and give her a lustful grin. “Let’s make it count.”
***
19. RETURN
“How does it fit? Too snug? Any pinching or scratching?” I stepped back and admired my work with a critical stare. “I know the epaulettes are a new addition; are they bothering you at all?”
Lia carefully rolled each of her shoulders, then shook her head. “No, I barely notice them.” She increased her range of motion with each test, eventually moving into a quick series of sword swings and acrobatic dodges. Apparently satisfied with her results, she sheathed her swords and brushed a small spec of dirt from her new armor. “I’ll miss the old cuirass, but this one is perfect. Thank you.” Her eyes scanned over the chestpiece, and a grin curled her lips. “Plus, it’s beautiful.”
I smiled. “There’s something to be said for your armor’s appearance. It might not add any physical benefits, but an imposing set of matched armor can give you an advantage on the morale side of things. I think the delay was well worth it.” With Lia’s original cuirass ruined after our encounter in the forest, I had taken it upon myself to replace it before we left for Kaldan, but the process was delayed multiple
