The North (Closed)

[heartofcourage]

Ashleigh turned to face him, the silence enveloping them and leaving them in peace for once. She gently traced her fingers over his cheek as she often did when they were alone with little to say.

"I heard you speaking with your advisors. You're going to join the fight in Scotland." She said softly, against the idea but knowing that his sense of duty would lead him wherever he felt he needed to be. "You've never been much of a soldier, my love. You remind me of my Da, actually. Sensitive and kind but bound by duty. I feel like this is all so much so fast that you'll be hurt or killed."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I have to," he murmured, confirming her suspicions. "We owe... everything to this family, to this alliance. People who shouldn't give a damn about England fought, bled, and died for us to come home, just because they respect the leaders of this alliance and their loyalties. If I hadn't married you... I don't think any of this could've happened. Your whole family is here, darling, trusting us to uphold what they won for us and the people of England."

Sighing deeply, he shook his head. "I know you're right. I'm not a soldier. The few times I've seen battle, it was from a place of safety because of my heritage and title. And maybe I am trying to live up to Ashien's and my father's legacies a bit. Two beloved, famed knights of England who would stop at nothing to serve her people. I'm not going to charge in on the vanguard pretending to be a professional. But if the Northern Alliance strikes the border, I will lead my men personally. I'm a strategist and a defender. I can be of use to Soma at the very least."

Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he looked over to her. "Would you be upset with me if I went...?" Despite his dedication to the cause, disappointing or upsetting Ashleigh was one of his greatest concerns.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Upset?" Ashleigh asked, furrowing her brow as she thought about that question. "No. I don't think I could ever be upset with you. Worried, yes."

Ashleigh sat up on her knees, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind and holding him tightly. "I would always have the children and my family to rally around me, but I don't know if I could survive losing you. I was strong for my Da because I had to be. I don't know if I have it in me to do it twice."

Nuzzling against his cheek, she soon captured his lips with her own again, kissing him passionately and possessively. While the ladies in France often gossiped about the meek and mild seeming couple and about how Prince Edward Beauclerc must have had a mistress on the side, they would never know the depth of their relationship. Grief had united them, but there had always been a spark there before the grief.

"Besides, I think you know who to return home to in the end." Ashleigh whispered against his ear.

 

[KieranSoares]

Edward leaned into her kiss, practically melting for the woman he'd known was his partner for life since they were teens. "Always," he murmured without hesitation, his hands resting on her arms wrapped around him. It was easy to tell when she'd bewitched him and pulled all his focus. He might've been stoic and calm in public, but he was incredibly open with her, if quiet.

"We don't have anything pressing til the children return for dinner," he offered with a little smile. "I'm at your command, dear lady."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, who am I to deny my King's wishes?" Ashleigh asked with a smile of her own, laughing with glee as she pulled him until they were both lying in a heap on her bed.

It was probably too undignified for the King and Queen of England, but Ashleigh had never cared for social graces. She had never fit in with the French ladies of the French court. She had been too plain and meek for their grand tastes. However, when she was with Edward, she felt at peace and at home.

Her fingers were quick to loosen the ties of his shirt, pushing it up his chest and over his head. She smoothed her palms over his warm chest, taking him in after they had been parted by duty for so long.

 

[KieranSoares]

Edward chuckled as she tumbled him onto the bed, sighing contentedly as he kissed her again. She felt one hand slide under her skirts and up her thigh while the other found the laces of her dress and began to pull them loose. Edward wasn't a powerhouse like many of the Ghis men, but he was lean and handsome from doing his fair share of work all his life. "Always ready at a moment's notice," he teased her gently, his lips finding the curve of her neck.

As her dress loosened, he pulled it down off her shoulders, letting his hands smooth over her bare back in appreciation. He turned her onto her back and pulled her dress away, tossing it aside without a care along with his shirt. "I don't know if I've just missed having you to myself, or if you keep getting more gorgeous every time I get you in bed," he muttered against her skin, trailing kisses across her shoulders and chest.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You appreciate me more." Ashleigh said with a groan as Edward kissed her bare skin, caressing her shoulders and chest.

She gasped as he settled between her thighs, her hands moving to grip his hair as her head relaxed back against the pillows. Her thighs parted for him to settle completely, and she grew wet and warm for him. Even if they had once been hopelessly inexperienced in the arts of pleasure, Ashleigh had to admit that she had no complaints for anything that Edward did.

"Your majesty?" A knock sounded at the door, a lady's maid calling through the portal as Ashleigh sucked in a deep breath and stilled. "The court tailor is here for your fittings."

"Later. Come back later." Her words ended on a whimper, fingers pulling at Edward's hair to get him to pause for a moment.

 

[KieranSoares]

Edward did pause as she pulled him back, not having noticed the lady's call. Sitting back on his knees, he spoke up with an even, authoritative tone, "We're tending to some urgent personal matters, please serve the evening meal without us." As soon as he heard a confirmation and the woman's footsteps walking away, he immediately set back to his task with gusto, his arms wrapped up beneath her legs and all his focus on her. Despite his usual calm, measured aura, he was an energetic lover once Ashleigh gave any hint she required his attention.

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashleigh melted as Edward welded his authority and then returned to the task at hand. They had never had personal servants in their household, save for Edward's assistant and squire. Everything had been done by themselves, from the shopping to the cooking to the cleaning. It was a different world now that they were king and queen of an entire country.

As Edward wrapped his arms around her thighs and pulled her in, Ashleigh just let herself drift. Her hands moved from his hair to her own body, squeezing at sensitive flesh until she was cumming with a soft groan just for his ears. Her thighs tightened against him, shaking in her pleasure and her face flushed pink in the slight embarrassment that he could bring her pleasure so quickly.

 

[KieranSoares]

As she trembled and then relaxed, Edward sat back on his knees again with a warm, quietly delighted smile at seeing her pleasure. "It has been a while, darling. Normally I have to focus to keep up with you." His hands smoothed up her thighs and he gave her a moment to catch her breathe, laying against her with a boyish grin and resting his head on her shoulder. He'd have his own fun in a moment.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Since our last...evening together in France." Ashleigh murmured as she caught her breath, glancing to her husband as he grinned at her. "Not that I've counted..."

She pulled him in for another kiss, full of passion and fierce love for this man before her. "If you don't mount me in the next few moments, I fear that I'll go mad."

 

[KieranSoares]

At her demanding kiss, Edward's arms immediately wrapped beneath her and he pulled her as close as she could get. He seemed to grow hard right away at her welcome, and he pressed her back into the sheets once more. Too eager to do as she'd asked, he only bothered to toss aside his belt and unbutton his trousers before his hands smoothed down the insides of her thighs and pushed them apart. She felt the tip of his cock massage against her moist flesh before he pushed inward and seated his hips fully against hers. He let out a quiet groan and took hold of her thighs once more.

"Ashleigh," he exhaled, quickly lost in making love to her. He had overcome a lot of nerves worry of being improper as a new husband, asking her what she liked in bed after they'd been married a few months and had begun to learn what they each needed. He'd kept that habit going, asking her often what she needed as she wanted to explore and her needs changed.

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashleigh let out a squeal as Edward did just as she asked, and they were joined together in an instant. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, the bed frame making the slightest noise as he thrust. Their old bed in France made an awful racket from time to time, enough so that they often ended up on the floor or elsewhere in their most intimate moments. The finest bedding, the finest furniture, the finest foods...it was all still such a novelty.

"Edward..." She whimpered as they moved as one, her hands smoothing over his skin as his lips captured what he could reach. "Dear God..."

 

[KieranSoares]

Encouraged by her moans, Edward's hips set a stronger pace and he sat back holding her thighs to his hips. His head tilted back in pleasure and soon had her legs dangling over his shoulders seeking a new angle. "You've no idea how much I've missed having you to myself. I nearly kicked our advisors out of the parlor the other day, I wanted you so badly," he admitted in a moment of deep pleasure and passion.

 

[heartofcourage]

"If it pleases my King, he may have me anywhere he wishes." Ashleigh said with a coy grin as he admitted that he had been thinking about her in some less than innocent ways. "In our bed...in the parlor...in the war room...on your throne..."

She gasped loudly as he changed tactics and moved her legs to his shoulders. She cried out in pleasure and found herself floating again just a few moments later. Her fingers balled against the sheets and blankets, pulling hard as she came with a squeal.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Quite a fantasy, Your Majesty. Out in the middle of a great hall on the throne, on my lap, and wearing nothing but a crown," Edward enticed her with that fantasy, leaning in closer and pinning her to the sheets when she came. He wasn't far behind, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist once more as he gave a few more strong thrusts and seated his hips flush to hers. He let out a shaky groan before sinking down against her for another kiss. "I fully intend to make love to you all over this castle," he promised in a husky tone.

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashleigh gasped as he shared in her fantasies, her perfect match in nearly every way. They shared another passionate kiss, her hand coming to his cheek once more as they settled in bed. She welcomed his heavy weight over her body, just living in the moment as his head settled against her shoulder.

"I fully intend to hold you to that promise, my love." Ashleigh murmured back. "Which means you'll have to come back to me from Scotland. I can't dare to think of going to King Louis and taking him up on his offer..."

It had long been a joke between the both of them that King Louis of France had taken a liking to Ashleigh, once asking her what it would take to leave the heir to the English throne and join his court. She'd never considered it but was flattered that she was such a desirable commodity.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Never. Then you'd be stuck back in French courts forever. I wouldn't submit you to such torture," he laughed breathily. "I wouldn't leave you for anything, no matter what's ahead."

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashleigh smiled warmly at his promise, falling in love with her sweet prince all over again. They would reconnect several times over the course of the afternoon before duty pulled them back to reality and the evening meal was announced with the peeling of bells from Windsor tower. Lords and Ladies made their way to the great hall while servants gathered in the kitchens, the castle filling with life.

Out with the dragons, Fiona still remained. She was absolutely exhausted, sitting on the ground with Avfairn with her back against his scales and head resting much the same. She had used her abilities several times over the afternoon, soothing the beast until he was able to raise his head up close to sunset. It didn't matter that he was still foggy with pain and weary. He sat like a great Sphynx and Fiona counted it as a small victory.

 

[KieranSoares]

As Avfairn sat half-dozing with Fiona, he'd wrapped his tail around himself and her. He'd also briefly had the strength at one point to eat finally. Dragons could go a month without eating while awake, and even decades while hibernating. But one of Rory's biggest concerns was that Avfairn hadn't eaten at all since his crash and he'd need the energy. Sadah had brought him fresh meat while Rory provided dark greens and some wild herbs. And now that he'd gotten both food and some basic medicinal herbs down, he seemed to be feeling at least a little more stable.

"You're exhausted," he commented to her in the quiet of evening settling over Windsor. "And you've hardly rested or eaten today. Don't make yourself sick too, Fiona."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I don’t need a lecture from an ill dragon.” Fiona murmured, opening her eyes as Avi seemed to be a bit more aware of his surroundings. “Sam will be along shortly, I’m sure. Jani as well.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Cracking a hint of a smile at her retort, Avfairn settled once more to doze. Not long later, they were both stirred by the arrival of not just Sam, but Jani and Dola as well with Riley and Andre close behind. Dola and Riley carried a couple baskets and a lidded pot, and Sam had a rolled-up blanket under one arm. Andre was supporting Jani, as she was too stubborn to allow herself to be carried.

Jani was already staring in surprise at Avfairn to see him sitting with his head up. When his eyes opened, she nearly pulled away from Andre to try to run to her partner. Andre was quick enough to catch her before she fell, thankfully. "Easy," he reminded her, bringing her closer as Avfairn lowered his head to the ground. Getting her settled beside him, Andre smiled to himself as Jani let herself drape against Avi's maw, her hands running over his scales as she murmured to him in their native tongue.

Meanwhile, Dola helped Riley lay everything out while Sam sat down beside Fiona with a sigh. "Evening, love," he muttered, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Dola realized she's the only level-headed adult here, so she's decided to look after all of us."

"You Ghis have a tendency to skip meals," Dola said softly. "And as long as I'm here, that's not acceptable."

Andre came to kneel and make a plate for Jani, chuckling at his mother. "This is why I'm like this, Ri," he commented to his fiance with a handsome grin. Despite the war and despite the worries, Dola and Andre had a constant calm and collected air that helped settle others. Riley knew it firsthand, the way Andre could pull all the tension from her when she had trouble sleeping or was having a hard day. Dola seemed to naturally radiate the same soothing energy without thinking about it.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Well, unlike the other pampered royals around, I had to work today.” Fiona murmured as Sam kissed her cheek and she leaned her head against his shoulder. “Avi and I have been…sharing the day. He knows my secrets and I know his.”

Riley saw how exhausted her mother was and knew just how hard she was working that day. It was part of being a caller, especially one like Fiona Blackstone. It was a testimony that her father wasn’t saying anything but providing quiet support.

“Hey, I’ve been trying to get Soma to not work himself to death all day.” Riley grumbled. “The little mite insisted he still had meetings to attend after dinner.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"You look after him well, love," Sam offered a smile to Riley, letting her know her efforts weren't going unnoticed. "He's got a lot he wants to prove. He's usually alright at knowin' his limits, but sometimes he gets a little too lost in his work. Just like his mother."

Dola got everyone a plate of the thick beef stew over potatoes. She'd also made a pot of dumplings with strawberries that had been stored over winter, and she'd brought out cordial and ale. Once everyone was settled, she and Andre made their own plates and sat beside their loves.

 

[heartofcourage]

“I told him he has a few more hours before I come and drag him away.” Riley said as Andre joined her side. “And he knows I mean it.”

Fiona was asleep before the meal even began, her head heavy in Sam’s shoulder as Avfairn was content with Jani and at peace. She didn’t need to watch him any longer or stay vigilant. All of her senses could melt away.