𝔞𝔲𝔱 𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔠, 𝔞𝔲𝔱 𝔫𝔲𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔟𝔦 [cyrodilicbrandy & Agnes]

[cyrodilicbrandy]

Cali couldn't help but lift her eyebrows in the slightest surprise as her husband admitted this was something he was entirely new to. She had assumed that, as the crown prince and a handsome young man surrounded by pretty young things, he would have dabbled here and there in seduction, even if not outright sex. She was, however, pleased - she hadn't been the only person losing her virginity tonight, and the affection that had risen between the two of them was apparent in the way they seemed to fit together, physically and emotionally. It was, of course, early days, not even the end of their first day together; and yet, as Cali looked up at her husband, his face just as red as her own, matching his ginger hair, she felt happy.

And so, because of his experience, she wouldn't have expected him to become competent in describing the physical feelings of their love-making in a way that wasn't trite, or cringey. Arcus wrinkled his noise at his choice of words to describe her, and Cali couldn't help but giggle softly, though without meanness, at both his expression and the endearing awkwardness of the moment. She, too, had struggled with telling him how she had liked the feeling of him inside of her, and it was the attempt that mattered. 'It's okay,' she said, voice bubbling with amusement. 'I'm just.. um, I guess, glad I feel good, for you.' Once more, he covered her lips with his own, but this time his tongue snaked forth, seeking to conquest hers; she readily obliged. Their tongues danced and coiled around each other, and a soft moan slipped from the depths of her throat into Arc's mouth as his hips rolled against hers. Within her depths, his cock slid back and forth smoothly, her inner walls squeezing around him in soft pulses. Cali was not naturally a lustful person, and she didn't want much in life, but right now? All she wanted was more, more of Arcus, more of the pleasurable way her lower abdominal muscles tensed and jumped with each wave of desire.

"I'm going to move faster now... is that alright?"

Her husband whispered to her, between the kiss and their panting, and Cali nodded, the nod perhaps a little more eager than she had intended. His hand on her breast, cupping the soft, supple flesh in his calloused palm, was delightfully possessive, and the room started to be filled with the sounds of their love-making; Cali's cheeks flamed once more at the lewd sounds of their bodies meeting, a thin sheen of sweat covering their exposed skin as husband and wife ramped up their speed to match their growing excitement. For her part, trying to hold back the little soft whimpers was practically useless, and her legs lifted, without her even thinking about it, to wrap around his waist; he wasn't the only one who could take some sort of physical ownership of his lover.

Arcus kissed her again as if she was an oasis in a barren desert, and Cali's lips parted beneath his, her tongue slipping forwards, searching for his counterpart. For a moment that felt like an eternity in heaven, their tongues danced and fought with one another, as the pacing of their hips only increased further. His cock had found a part of her, deep within, that was much more sensitive than the rest of her pussy - and each time the head of his cock brushed against that part of her, Cali couldn't help send small, harmless jolts of energy from her fingertips into her husband's skin. Behind her trembling eyelids, green eyes rolled back, and she pulled her face away from his to throw back her head, strawberry blonde hair in disarray. 'Arcus!' she cried out, the sound devolving into soft whines. The heat within her belly threatened to implode, almost - and yet it was the most pleasurable thing she had ever felt. 'Gods, Arcus...!'

 

[Agnes]

The way in which Arcus held the body of his wife gradually shifted towards a rougher, more primal and impassioned state as the pleasure and exhilaration began to overtake reason. The stoic, veiled countenance he so often hid behind as both Prince and King was long abandoned - it crumbled the moment he looked at her, vulnerable and teary-eyed waiting for him - but this was something more. Arcus had never let anyone see him in such a state of unrest and vulnerability, being so expressive in his movements and voice, but he supposed that was a good thing. Who else to see him in his most bare state than his wife? They might've been strangers went the day began, but as the night came to a close he felt that she was the closest he had been to anyone, and indeed, ever will be. Every single part of her, he felt intimately - the rhythmic pulses of her pussy clenching down on his cock, her soft breasts and pert nipples under his palms, the taste of her tongue upon his.

The sounds of their lovemaking began to fill the room in earnest, the loudest of which being their breathless invoking of each other's names and of the gods above. Indeed, the two unlucky guards stationed outside their bedchambers would not be getting much rest tonight. "Cali... Cali...!" His own groans and hitched breaths joined in the chorus of her whimpers and whines, and as he felt a jolt of energy spreading through his skin at her touch, his body jerked pleasurably - subtly, but enough that she would notice. He was no stranger to lightning coursing through his veins - it was required of any king who wished to wield the thunderblade Tempest to its full potential - but he had not experienced it being used for pleasure. He decided then that he liked it, as strange as the sensation was, and the effects were very much visible in the way his eyes fluttered close in the throes of passion.

Suddenly, his own thrusting wasn't enough anymore. Without thinking, his hand snaked to under her waist to lift her hips up, making her buck into his movements, every urgent union of their hips producing a slap that echoed across the large, cosy room. The shadows of his impending release had been building in his abdomen for a while now, and grew with every thrust he made, every arc of electricity Cali sparked on his skin. His strength seemed to leave him, and the young king practically buried his face in the crook of her neck, kissing, nibbling and biting at the skin of her neck as his pleasure crescendoed to the very peak, and then shattered into a million pieces.

For all their loud, reckless lovemaking, the orgasm was quiet, at least on Arcus's part - perhaps all his remaining strength had gone into his hips and his vocal cords weren't working anymore. With one final thrust to bury himself fully within his newlywed wife, the tip of his cock barely kissing her cervix, Arcus let go of the orgasm he had been holding in for so long. His fingers dug into her skin harshly, holding onto her possessively and keeping her in place below him, no doubt leaving a few marks on her pale, freckled skin. His manhood shot load after load of his alabaster seed into her womb, contracting pleasurably with every release until he had nothing more to give, at which point the ginger collapsed into his wife, well and truly spent.

It was a good thing he held up his weight on his knees. He would've crushed her otherwise. It was a few long moments before either of them could form coherent sentences again, and in those silent, peaceful moments Arcus simply enjoyed the high of the afterglow, his claiming of her virginity and planting his seed within her marking their marriage consummated. Not that he was really thinking of the technicalities at the moment. Sighing contently, eyes still closed, he breathed in the comforting scent of her skin, mixed with the faint hint of sweat and arousal, and only after they had regained some usage of their legs and lungs did he speak up.

"Are...are you okay, Cali?" he whispered, pulling himself up a little and looking down at her sweeping away the strands of strawberry blond hair from her face. "I didn't hurt you, right?" he asked, not unworried.

 

[cyrodilicbrandy]

If Cali wasn't quite as engrossed in the passion engulfing the two newlyweds, she could have died from embarrassment at the ever-increasing volume of their love-making. Upon her way to the chambers, after she had so awkwardly talked with Arcus after the wedding, there had bee a couple of guards stationed outside, bowing their heads in deference to her as she entered. Throughout her month of preparation, she had gotten used to the silent presence of at least two guardsmen in most areas, and she didn't think that they would have been sent away - no doubt the two outside could hear pretty much everything, including the lewd slap of flesh smacking against flesh. But Cali was engrossed, and made no effort to pull back the moans slipping from between her lips, lost in the way her body shivered at the sound of her name being moaned in such a manner by her husband. However, she did notice the way he shuddered with the electrical pulses she sent into his skin, feeling a flush of gratification, knowing that he enjoyed it.

Her loins threatened to implode, the heat and warmth between them giving her skin a liberal sheen of sweat; and as his arm snaked under her back to bring her small frame even closer to his as if not ever wanting to let her go, combined with the near desperate way he nibbled at her sweaty skin, crying out in his arms, she felt a climax peak within her, eyes wide as her mouth dropped open. At first, she was silent, her body stretching out as her back arched within her grasp - she could feel her husband trembling and bucking up against her as he reached his own orgasm, and Cali was too far gone to attempt to clasp her small hands over her mouth. The scream reared out from the pit of her throat, hips pushing up with greedy abandon. 'Arcus!' His name, screaming forth, bounced around the plushly decorated room, and then just as quickly at the orgasm rocked her body, her energy left her, body limp and trembling.

Her lips were parted, dry from the panting over the course of their lovemaking - with a quiet sigh, she closed her eyes, revelling in the closeness of her husband and the sense of utter peace and satisfaction that filled her from deep within. They spent a short while simply recovering, the newlyweds clearly both wonderfully exhausted. His voice, whispered and caring, filled the silence, and Cali mumbled wordlessly in response at first. Her legs, having tightened around his waist in the height of her passion, fell back to the bed, and she finally found her voice again. 'Ah... yes,' she sighed, opening her green eyes. They shone like stars within the dim room, clashing with the apple red of her cheeks. 'I-I'm fine... really. You didn't hurt me at all.'

 

[Agnes]

A small, relieved sigh slipped past his lips, coupled with a smile that was a bit winded from his endeavours. "Ah. Good." What else was one supposed to say after sex? Express his thanks? Indeed he was quite thankful, firstly for the fact that she wasn't absolutely repulsed by him, as was his fear leading up to the consummation of the marriage and when he saw her weeping on the bed. Quite on the contrary, it seemed she enjoyed the experience as well, to the point where she seemed to have overexerted her vocal cords a little. Deeming it high time he let his wife breathe again, Arcus pushed himself up (with some considerable effort; constant bucking was quite hard on the knees and hips) and pulled out of Cali, eyes closing and letting out an exhale as her folds squeezed one last burst of pleasure out of him before he departed.

With his senses quickly returning to him, the young king quickly realised that they've made quite the mess of the bed and probably alerted any guards who were slacking on their duty, but he spared the exhausted, flustered woman the embarrassment. In fact, some small part of him was proud of the fact - let it be known to all that she belonged to him, and he to her. Gently, he fell down onto the plush duvet beside her, smiling contently and with gratification. The room was dark save for the radiant moonlight that shone through the blinds of the window, which seemed to perfectly frame the face of his wife beside him. It occurred to him how beautiful she looked, strawberry blonde hair spread on her pillow, her skin glowing ethereally - it would not be much of a stretch to call himself a lucky man. He might've married her for the throne, but he now found his priorities reversed.

Lips pursed, he turned his body to her and placed his arm over her flat stomach, an act of affection he took the liberty in. "I'll consider my promise fulfilled then," he quipped cheekily, a wide grin to match. His fingers curled to grip her soft, pale skin, pulling her in closer, the warmth of their bodies coalescing under the cool night air. Up his palm went, caressing her side, reaching for and clasping her little hand in his. Gone was the uncomfortable awkwardness of the talk at the altar. They had just given to each other a piece of themselves after all - it was only natural, he supposed. Lifting his head a little, he leaned in to press his lips against hers, a small chaste kiss that only lasted a second. "We should sleep, I suppose. It seems we're both a little laboured after the affair. Unless..." Being the opportunistic young man he was, Arcus raised his eyebrows to frame his question, hinting that his stamina and desire were not, in fact, completely spent.

"Ahem. The night is still quite young."

 

[cyrodilicbrandy]

Her body clearly didn't want to relinquish her husband's intrusion within her, for as he lifted himself slightly off of her, she felt her muscles contract around him, before they relaxed, and Cali sighed softly at the sudden, strange feeling of emptiness. And yet, despite that, she felt light and satisfied, even as her body felt tired and moist with sweat. Her eyelids fluttered as she looked up at her husband, expression somewhat dazed - and her lips curled into a soft smile as he settled down next to her upon the bed. She could feel the wetness between her thighs, and in the dim light of the room, she couldn't help but blush profusely. It was strange, and yet somehow felt so normal, for the sensations that still shivered through her veins, the pleasurable glow that seemed to almost envelope her, and knowing that she had given herself to her husband, a man who had entirely kept his promise to her as she lay shivering and crying in their bed... yes, she could say she was very lucky, already.

Arcus's arm laid gently across her stomach, and Cali turned her face to his, eyes wide. During their lovemaking, it was natural for them to touch and kiss each other, and at the wedding, they had shown each other rather simple and awkward forms of affection. But this one was new, and as the warmth of his hand seeped into her soft skin, she let him pull her closer, eager to be surrounded by the arms that she knew would hold her gently. Cali couldn't help the soft tremor of desire, residual, under her skin as his fingers trailed over her, his lips covering her soft pink ones, before giving a soft giggle. "I'll expect you to keep all promises from now on, then, hm?"

When her husband made a soft, vague suggestion of the continuation of the night's events, Cali swallowed silently, breath catching in her throat. She supposed they really should sleep - they'd both had a long day. She wasn't the only one who had become something new, after all -and her new husband would very much need his energy for his kingly duties going forwards. And yet, feeling almost entirely unlike her once-virginal self, she felt desire within her rise once again, and her voice was breathy and need-filled when she spoke, lifting a hand to curl against her husband's angular face. 'The night is still young,' she agreed, and she leaned her face closer to his to bump her soft nose against his larger one, lifting herself up and straddling her husband with a burst of confidence she would later have no idea where it came from. 'I don't think I'm ready to sleep yet, husband.'

Lips covering lips, hands roaming with an urgency that was also apparent in the way her hips pushed up against her husband's. The guards outside looked at each other with wide, incredulous expressions as the obvious signs of yet more lovemaking echoed out into the hallway to them, before the men covered up their smirks - the king and queen were young, this was to be expected. Perhaps it might make the young man a little less uptight- though they would never dare to voice such a comment in his hearing, and only a foolish man would make any comments about the new queen's vocal range in her ecstasy.

Cali's body was on fire - at least, that's what it felt like, and as her back arched, head thrown back as her strawberry blonde hair fell down her back in soft, bouncing waves. 'Arcus...!' his name left her mouth in a prolonged moan, and as the pleasure threatened to overtake her once more, her hand stretched out almost blindly, finding the thick, decorated canopy. Her dainty fingers clenched around it as their lovemaking reached a frantic pace, and with a shrill, full-throated scream, she collapsed against her husband, face pressed into the crook of his neck. With it, came the canopy, pulled with such force from the burst of magical ecstasy that the wooden beam cracked in half. So lost within the second, all-encompassing afterglow, she didn't realise she was even still firmly holding onto the canopy's fabric, or that it had even come down, until moments later, when she was finally able to sit up atop Arc. Immediately, her eyes widened, even as her chest rose and fell with her slowly calming breaths. 'Oh... oh, no, I-I'm sorry!' the new queen stammered, letting go of the fabric and looking up at where the beam should have been. Her cheeks and the tips of her ears flamed bright red, her embarrassment curdling her desire in her belly, even as she was desperately trying to fight the giggles that threatened to leave her lips. 'Arcus, I-I... didn't mean to!'

 

[Agnes]

"All promises?" he mused amusedly, propping himself up on his elbow to look at her with a bit more decorum, carelessly slicking his hair back with a hand. "That's a bit demanding of you, don't you think?" he teased good-naturedly, though not without a trace of truth to it, as there were things even a king could not grant in this world. But, seeing the flushed cheeks of his newly-wedded and freshly-bedded wife, the way her hair splayed out around her pretty face, the way she smiled beatifically at him, Arcus was reduced to little more than putty in her hands. The young king considered himself an honourable man who would treat his enemies with respect and his allies with benevolence, and his wife with utter adoration. So, he continued, "But, yes, on my honour. As a king, as a man, and as your husband... you know how it goes."

As if to reward his devotion, Cali whispered her affirmation in a way that sent shivers down his spine and a smile creeping across his face - for something as simple as being called her 'husband' had the young king feeling something akin to a smitten teenager. Indeed, he still was, technically, though he was a man and a king for all purposes. "I quite like the way you say it... wife," he chuckled as the young woman, in a vibrant show of confidence, rose to her knees and straddled him. His eyes widened in both surprise and reawoken lust, and nose and cheeks still flushed from where her lithe fingers had brushed his face. They closed again contently as they met in a kiss, the queen mounting him and rolling her hips into him with an enthusiasm that would be pretty uncomely at her home temple, and the king matching the tempo with ease.

Breaths became shallow, voices became louder, and Arcus was soon again lost in the bliss of their lovemaking as the young couple fell into a rhythm. She reared up and threw her golden hair back to cascade down her body, and Arcus took the opportunity to slide his hands up her body, from her hips to her sides and then to her chest, where she cupped the perky breasts, caressing and fondling them with greedy hunger. His hips met those of the woman riding him with a feverish, slightly-mismatched synchronisation, the sounds of their bodies meeting echoing out, only matched by their moans and invocations of each others' names. "Cali, Cali... fuck..."

He let out a groan as he felt his release building up again, a bit faster than he would like, even though he had finished inside her moments ago. He opened his eyes to tell her as such, but she found him utterly lost in her world, fingers tangled in the canopy threads and displaying an impressive vocal range in the throes of her lust that would fill the court's many bards with envy. It was as if there was a hidden connection between them as the moment he felt his pleasure reach the precipice, "Cali, I'm clo-" he felt her crash down on him as she screamed and let out her own orgasm, bringing the canopy down with her.

It was a mess of pleasure, mortification and laughter as the two newlyweds came out of their blissful reverie to realise they had made a right mess of the bed. Cali was the first to rise, Arcus still quite out of it, and only her sweet voice clouded with worry that he opened his eyes and finally saw what had happened. And his first instinct... was to laugh. A disbelieving, impressed chuckle, mind, one that devolved into a fit of laughter as the beam fell down onto the floor with a thud when she let go of the beam. "How... how did you even..." He burst into a laugh again, though this time he quickly quieted himself so as to not embarrass her further. Her cheeks were as bright red as her hair, and he quickly rose up and pressed a kiss to her lips to calm her down a little.

"Cali, it's fine," he said laughingly, hands quickly cupping her warm cheeks. "It's fine. I'll..." he paused, not quite sure what he was going to do. "I suppose we'll be sleeping without the expensive blinds for the night." Gently, he pushed her off him so he could survey the extent of the damage. "Remind me to never offend you, my queen," he jested, as he hobbled off the bed in all his naked glory and picked up the beam, turning it around uselessly in his hands before setting it back down. "I'm more impressed you destroyed so much with so little movement than anything." He spent a few moments getting rid of the cloth overhead, throwing it on the ground so that they may sleep peacefully without being tangled up in bolts of silk.

Afterwards, he crawled back onto the bed, falling on his back and glancing at her with a grin, as if they had known each other forever. Obviously, she was still quite mortified, even if she didn't say anything. "It's okay. Really. I'll have the bed repaired discreetly before anyone can say anything." Perhaps her maids would see it, but he did not care much about the opinions of the servantry, in all honesty. He was more terrified of what his mother and Cassius would say if they found out they broke the bed during their lovemaking. At least Cass would be happy he got his ten sovereigns from Lothric. Arcus, looking quite laboured but content, patted the spot beside him. "Come here... wife." His brows raised playfully. "The night is still young, but I think we've both overexerted ourselves a little now."

After a moment, she acquiesced, smiling bashfully as she laid down next to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck as if trying to hide from the mess she had made. Arcus chuckled as he turned towards her, placing a small peck on the lobe of her ear. "Had to prove you're a prodigy in magic, hmm?" He earned a glare for his cheeky little remark, and he put up his hands as a sign of surrender. "I'm just kidding. Really."

Seemingly satisfied after giving him another look, she settled back into his chest, and he reciprocated by gently trailing his hand along her back, idly caressing her as the two slipped into a fitful slumber.

"Goodnight, Arcus," she mumbled sleepily.

"Goodnight, ...Cali."

 

[cyrodilicbrandy]

Thoroughly exhausted from the days events, even well before the two rounds of lovemaking she and Arcus had, Cali found that she was falling into a soft slumber faster than expected. The bed was incredibly comfortable, which definitely helped - after so many years of sleeping on a rather cheap and lumpy mattress, with only one pillow, a bed that was literally fit for royalty felt almost too wonderful. The warmth of Arcus' body, too, was new, and not unpleasant. The halls of the temple could be chilly, even in high summer, and Cali was well used to waking up shivering. Even in her sleep, she kept close to him, for the warmth, but also a subconscious need to be next to him. Often, she dreamt, less often would she remember them - all she could sense within her dream this night was a sense of satisfaction. It didn't wholly seem to come from her, but some distant presence, perhaps a god smiling down at her; and so when Cali woke, she was already wearing a smile.

Her next sense was the aching within her body, along with the warmth pressed up against her side from her husband. In her sleep, she had stayed close to him, although she was looking up at the ceiling when her bright eyes opened. A moment of confusion - she had remembered there being a canopy, hadn't she? And then the events of the night rushed back to her mind, and she couldn't help flushing. The balls of her cheeks were apple red as she turned softly to face Arcus, holding back the soft grunts as her body moved, trying not to disturb him lest he still needed more sleep. The first flush of the morning light was filtering through the slightly open curtains, casting a beam of light that perfectly lit across her husband's head - his already red hair seemed as if it was a warm fire, the way the light shone through it. Another wave of embarrassment rocketed through her as she remembered how loud she had been, how her behaviour had been so much the opposite of her entire life thus far. And yet, there were no regrets, and she supposed the embarrassment and awkwardness would fade in time. They both had been, after all, virgins, and even if Arcus's sexual experience had been nil, he still had not been brought up in a nearly entirely chaste environment. As she looked down upon her husband's sleeping, angular face, she felt satisfaction and gratitude. He had kept his promise last night, and had given her no reason to think he might break it at any other time. She hesitated for a second, before dipping her head to press a soft kiss against his lips.

Carefully, she shifted from the bed, her body protesting somewhat. The hem of her shift fell to cover her thighs somewhat adequately, though not before Cali saw a few faint imprints upon her fair skin, no doubt having been made in the height of her husband's desire, and a faint smear of something red - blood. Her eyes dropped to the bed, where she had been laying, and upon seeing the slightly spotted bedsheet, she swallowed audibly. It had not hurt, not really, and that there was not more blood was a good sign - she was sure of that. And even now, she was just sore, as if her body was faintly bruised. Nothing more. And yet, it was the symbolism that affected her, more than everything. Not that she had given herself to Arcus, but that she knew, from the crass words his mother had implicitly said, that this proof of consummation would be the business of nearly everyone at court. Cali's cheeks burned, and checking that her shift was suitably covering herself, she padded ever so softly in to the adjoining bathroom. She gently washed away the faint smears of blood, patting her inner thighs dry, looking over her reflection in the mirror. From what little she had heard, you were supposed to look or feel different after you lost your virginity. Cali only felt a sense of satisfaction, but didn't notice anything different about her appearance. Perhaps her eyes were brighter - yesterday had been a day of awkward uncertainty, and then the evening had carried fear, until Arcus had made her that promise. She supposed that now the burdens heaped upon her in the last month were gone - to be replaced with whole new ones, now that she was actually an anointed queen.

Arcus still seemed to be asleep when she left the bathroom. Quietly, she went over to one of the windows, under which there was a small nook. She parted the curtains a little - not enough to blind Arcus with the morning's rays, but enough that she could see the sky. Every morning, she prayed - or she tried her best to. In the past month, she had been more lax than she would have liked, when she needed the gods' guidance the most. But now, she knew she could have some peace in the morning, and so she knelt, somewhat awkwardly as her body still wanted to simply be still, and clasped her small hands together.

Thank You. I haven't had the chance to talk to You properly, but I do now. Thank You. I know the days, weeks, months ahead... will be hard. But I know, with Your guidance, I can prevail. My husband seems like a genuinely good man - thank You for that, as well. I will do my duties as required of me as a queen, and I will continue my duties to You, as Your acolyte. Thank You, Vergillier.

The morning light almost seemed to sharpen as it came through the window, almost pulsing around Cali's prostrated form. An onlooker would swear that Cali was nearly glowing within the light - but then talk themselves out of it as a trick of the light, and nothing more.

 

[Agnes]

The faint rays of light from the window roused Arcus from his sleep, though the young king only awoke halfway, mumbling incoherently and turning over in the bed. The previous day had indeed been very tiring for the two of them, and Arcus, who had had to preside over a draining public coronation in addition to the wedding, was completely exhausted by the time he slipped into a slumber. He had a dreamless, fitful sleep, made more comforting by the new, yet strangely helpful warmth of his newlywed wife's body beside him. He had thought it would be strange to share a bed with a wife who was scarcely more than a stranger, but obviously, he was wrong in his assumptions, as the king very quickly got used to the feeling of having Cali curled up in his arms. So much so, that upon a few minutes of tossing around under the sheets and reaching around for a missing something in the bed and finding nothing, Arcus snapped open his eyes and sat up with a start.

Thankfully for the young man, he did not have to look far to find his wife. Cali was kneeling in front of a window, seemingly praying and... glowing? Arcus blinked a few times and wiped his bleary eyes with the back of his hand. The praying, he understood - she was a priestess of Pax Aeterna after all, and he had expected that she would be devout to a degree to her goddess. Even Arcus, who paid little attention to religious matters, held the patron god of his house in the highest regard. Aerenhul, the aspect of war, an 'anti-god' in the tongues of some preachers, but a god nonetheless. No, it was the faintly golden glow enveloping the woman that confused him. At first, he imagined that his sleepiness and the dim light must be playing tricks on his eyes, but he found it hard to put his stock completely to the idea when her whole body seemed to glow, her face and golden hair almost radiant under the sunlight. Arcus was absolutely smitten with the sight. He had been married less than twelve hours and already, he felt as if she had him wrapped around her dainty little fingers.

Deciding that it was a bit too early and his brain a bit too tired to investigate the mystery any further, Arcus instead turned his attention towards getting himself out of bed. After a few moments of clambering around, he reached for the shirt he had worn last night and slipped it on, cracking his neck and fingers and running back his hair before finally crawling out of the bed. It was then that he noticed that the bed looked a bit different - realisation hitting him as stormy grey eyes fell on the wooden beam at the floor. Ah. Cali's little incident last night. He had almost forgotten. Chuckling to himself, he pushed the log away with his foot and reached for his breeches. Slipping them on, he checked the bed again, lips turning into a frown as he saw the red spots on the snow-white sheets. Memories of last night came back to him, almost all of it being that of satisfaction and perhaps a bit of embarrassment, but he also remembered how he had made her bleed in taking her virginity. She had told him it was okay, but he feared that she may simply be parroting what was expected of her. Nevertheless, Queen Mother Iolanthe would be happy to see that they had consummated their marriage. No doubt she would be on their tails again, hounding them to produce an heir and give her a grandchild. Arcus sighed at the thought. Sometimes, it felt like it was all his mother did.

Pushing the less than pleasant thoughts about his mother out of his head, Arcus padded over to where Cali was prostrated in front of the window, taking care not to disturb her, even though it seemed that she had finished her prayers and was simply basking in the glow of the morning sun. Sinking onto his knees behind her, he gently touched her shoulders, not wanting to rip her out of her reverie. His hands were soft, as was his voice, as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Morning." There was some sleepiness still, but it was mostly overtaken with certain thoughts about the woman upon seeing her in such glorious beauty.

Exhaling on her ear, he went to press a kiss against her neck. He sincerely hoped her goddess would not mind him stealing her acolyte away from her morning prayers. "Do you pray every morning?" he asked inquisitively, genuinely interested, though his hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they slid down her sides and wrapped around her waist. "I was thinking," he continued, letting his hands snake up to her chest, lightly cupping her breasts through her crinkled shift, "perhaps we could return to bed for a while before we get on with the day." They both had long days ahead of them and it was unlikely they'd have any private time until late at night. Perhaps it was unbecoming of him to show so much affection and lust when they had scarcely known each other for a day, but what had he to be ashamed of? No one was here to judge, and he doubted Cali doubted the attention.

"That is if Vergillier doesn't mind me cutting in like this."

 

[cyrodilicbrandy]

Cali heard Arcus slowly wake up behind her, his weight shifting about on the bed, but she was caught up in the general sense of peace she felt after her morning prayer, remaining where she knelt for the time being - that he had not immediately asked her what she was doing as he grunted softly and cracked part of his body after the exertions last night meant that he seemed to be happy with allowing her this time to pray, for which Cali was once again flushed with gratitude. She herself, had not realised that her frame had taken on a glow within the light of the morning, though it was something that she definitely felt within her. It felt good to pray properly again. She had had to rely on small moments of peace and quiet to whisper a line or two of prayer before getting back to the tasks at hand.

His steps slowly approached, and she opened her green eyes to see that the room was filled with a little more light than there had been when she had closed them. She could feel her husband kneel behind her, and her pink lips curved into a soft, almost shy smile, at the gentle intimacy of his hands upon her slender shoulders. 'Good morning,' she responded, her voice clear as a crystal in the dawn of the morning, a subtle shiver creeping pleasurably up her spine at the whisper within the shell of her ear. Then his lips dropped to the cool skin of her neck, kissing her softly, where she gave a shaky inhale, her words coming out quiet and somewhat tremulous. 'I try... I try to pray every morning, yes,' Cali tried to focus on the words, but his hands seemed to want to continue to explore her small frame, first to her waist, and then up to cup her breasts through her shift. Her nipples stiffened in anticipation, the tips of her ears colouring with embarrassment at the eagerness within her body.

Another audible swallow, and she forced her voice to sound confident and somewhat amused: 'Was your sleep that good to invigorate you again, husband?' Cali chuckled, turning to face him and covering his lips with hers; her hands took hold of his and directed them to the curve of her hips, just above the swell of her ass. This, combined with the meeting of their lips, inflamed Cali's hitherto unknown desires, and her lips parted to allow her tongue to seek entrance into her husband's mouth. The kiss deepened, and Arcus's hands squeezed the flesh of her ass through her shift, causing a soft squeal from the young queen as she pulled back, unable to help panting softly. Her green eyes were bright and contrasted greatly against the red in her face as she reluctantly pushed herself from her knees and onto her feet. She stood above him, though he was so tall that even standing her full height, he still was equal to her chest. A sudden cheekiness came over her, and she leaned forward, allowing his face to rest between the soft mounds of her breasts. 'I'm sure I can think of something we can do in bed before we start the day -' another chuckle as she pulled back once again, stepping daintily out from where he knelt upon the floor to return to the bed. She stepped over the discarded canopy beam as if she hadn't been dreadfully embarrassed by the whole thing, before dropping onto the soft downy bed, front down. Her eyes sparkled as she looked over at him, her expression almost playfully questioning. 'Well?'

 

[Agnes]

"Perhaps," he replied cooly, meeting her lips halfway as his hands were led to her hips, which he squeezed emphatically. "Though I'm sure seeing you in a sheer shift under the sunlight helped quite a bit." Their tongues met in a slow, passionate tangle as the kiss deepened, and Arcus became visibly more 'awake' as his caresses became greedier and his breathing became heavy, not to mention his less than subtle erection pressing against the swell of her ass through his breeches. He smirked and chuckled amusedly as the young queen squeaked and broke away from him as if she had become suddenly embarrassed in what she was partaking in. He raised his brows innocently, his eyes trailing over her flushed, freckled cheeks and verdant green eyes, following them as she pulled herself to her full, glorious height of little more than five feet. Curious as to her intent, he stayed still, observing, and then, laughing in pleasant surprise as she pulled his face into the soft swell of her bosom. They were soft and warm, comforting even, and Arcus quite liked the idea of laying in them after long days and tiring nights of dealing with affairs of the court and the kingdom.

Smiling ruefully, Arcus nodded and let her lead. "I'm sure you can, wife." He promptly got up from his position, eyes fixed on the swaying gait of his wife and thinking to himself that if anyone had told him that priestesses of Pax Aeterna were in fact not prudish hags, he wouldn't have been as apprehensive about the marriage. The same must've gone for Cali as well, for he can only assume what kind of reputation he held among the common people, especially the acolytes of the goddess of peace. As generous as they were, he doubted the good laymen would have good things to say about the kings who claimed to be sons of the god of war. Perhaps that was what contributed to her breaking down on the bed the previous night. At the very least, he was glad he was able to waive that illusion, that he was some callous monster.

In fact, he believed he had managed to change Cali's mind quite a bit, as she was soon on the bed on her fours, her front flush against the bed and her ass provocatively up for display in the air, exclusively for his viewing pleasure. And by the gods, Arcus feasted his eyes on the sight. She actually had to snap him out of the little trance, and the young man gave a garish grin and made his way over to the bed, wasting not a second more. "Coming." He too stepped over the wooden beam with ease, the state of the bed the last thing on his mind. The downy bed squeaked under his weight as he climbed onto it, standing on his knees between her legs directly behind her, her hips aligned with his.

Letting out a breathy exhale, he cupped her supple ass cheeks through her shift, squeezing and kneading them, pushing them flush and spreading them, thoroughly enjoying all that was offered to him. "Gods, you look stunning," he whispered, not without some humour in his words, though it sounded almost fully reverent. Reaching forward, he swept her strawberry blonde hair to the side, letting it fall beside her neck and exposing her back, on which he placed several teasing kisses. "Are you going to be as loud as you were last night?" he teased, before quickly pressing a kiss to her cheeks to appease her. He quite liked the fact that she was vocal in her pleasure. He thought it appropriate and romantic even, for a wife to be openly receptive of her husband, even if it came at the expense of others' sleep.

Pulling himself back, he gazed over her prone frame once again before he got on with the show. He pulled the hem of her shift slowly above her hips, his positively shining with need as her ass came into full display. Last night, he had not had the opportunity to fully appreciate her derriere, being in the dark and occupied with lovemaking in other positions and whatnot, so he took this moment to rightly salivate over his wife's shapely ass. It suited her lithe build perfectly, he thought. Accentuating her hips just right, having enough for him to squeeze to his heart's content. "Wow." He noticed that he had been staring at her for a while now, and cleared his throat and continued. "Sorry. Got a bit lost there," he quipped lightly.

He put his hands on her backside again, lightly pulling her cheeks apart, revealing the puckered little hold hidden between, which was made to slightly wink as her ass was spread. Pursing his lips, steeling his nerves and calming his beating heart, he traced his thumb lightly over the tightly clenched ring of her anus, teasing her smooth little hole lightly with the enthusiasm and care of a smith crafting a blade. "Do you think you might let me take you here someday?" he asked hopefully, his voice a mix of humour and genuine curiosity.

Unable to contain his lust any longer, he quickly undid his pants and grabbed his cock, pressing the tip against her moist folds, which were already slick and warm, almost begging him to enter her again. Smiling playfully, he teased the lips of her pussy by brushing his cock up and down in them, getting the tip quite well lubricated in the process before he finally slid it in. There wasn't as much resistance as last night, though it was still incredibly tight. Arcus make sure to take things at a reasonably slow pace so he wouldn't hurt her, though his neediness showed in the way he quickly picked up the pace once they had settled into a rhythm. "You're... quite a bit more receptive this morning," he laughed breathlessly.

 

[cyrodilicbrandy]

As Arcus' stormy grey eyes fell upon her appreciatively, Cali idly wondered what the other acolytes would think her sudden shift into a lustful confidence, giving that hitherto she was entirely shy and naive about such matters as this. No doubt they would be somewhat shocked, especially some of the older mentors, but perhaps her own peers would be giggly and silly, some of them at least. But the thought passed quickly, because her husband had now joined her on the bed, and her mind fell to other matters. Despite her general boost of confidence, she still blushed prettily when his hands began to explore the soft, round flesh of her ass through her crumpled shift, and his hoarsely whispered compliment made her nip her lower lip softly in anticipation. They had not had time last night to truly explore the other, and although from where she rested against the bed upon her hands and knees she could not see as much of him as she might perhaps like, she was very much pleased that her husband seemed to enjoy her physical attributes in the morning sunlight.

Mentioning her rather vocal exultation of the night before, she pouted ever so slightly, as if annoyed, yet her eyes shone with a certain cheekiness. 'That entirely depends,' she muttered, fighting something of a smirk. Slowly, his long fingers pulled up the hem of her shift, exposing herself to him, the cool air of the morning making the fair skin erupt into faint goosebumps. There was a decently long pause, before her husband cleared his throat and professed that he had been rather lost in thought, eyes trained upon her bare flesh. Cali couldn't help the ringing laugh, though the sound was not mocking or mean, but genuinely amused. The laugh died away into a soft breathy gasp as his hands began to play with her, seemingly paying special attention to the entirely untouched ring of her anus. She flushed even further, fighting the urge to press her burning face flat against the pillow to hide her face as he asked, with some actual curiosity, if he might... - it was almost too lewd for her to bear, and as she turned her face to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes were wide, expression doe-like. Even so, there was an edge of humour in her quietly spoken response: 'I don't... think that's how you make babies, husband.'

But then his cock, hard and already somewhat familiar to her even after such a small amount of time, slid into her eager, warm pussy, and suddenly the embarrassment slipped away like a shadow after the curtains are opened, her breath catching in her throat. '...but that is,' she continued, voice almost a giggle. Cali was pleased to find that her body was still as eager for him as it had been last night, and a certain kind of instinct started to take over her. She dipped the top half of her body against the bed, breasts pushed against the duvet to push her hips even further against him, rolling rhythmically. 'Mm... you can say perhaps you awoke something in me?'

 

[Agnes]

Her answer was so damnably reasonable that Arcus could not help but be impressed, despite his slight disappointment. Perhaps a puzzle to tackle for another day, he told himself, for they would have their whole lives ahead of them to figure out exactly which carnal acts they wanted to try in the bedroom. "That may be so," he admitted, returning her gaze pointedly, "but isn't sex for more than just making babies?" They'd make plenty, of course, if Iolanthe had anything to say about it. And not just the Queen Mother, Arcus too wanted a large family, a host of sons to carry on his legacy and daughters for him to cherish. "I'd hoped we could be a little more adventurous than simply doing one thing over and over until we're old and grey, you know."

But his little grievances were forgotten very soon as he entered her again, this time in the one aptly described by Cali as the one for making babies. He let out a surprised snort at her rather brazen comment and the adorable giggle that followed. She seemed to instinctively assume a position best suited to their lovemaking, her breasts and face pressed into the duvet while her hips rolled rhythmically into his. Although Arcus enjoyed this new position very much, letting him control the pace and leverage of his thrusts, he wished he could see her face properly and kiss her. For now, though, he contented himself with simply enjoying the view of her upturned ass and messy golden hair and, most importantly, literally fucking her into the bed.

"Awoke?" he mused, talking through rather laboured breaths of exertion and pleasure, scrunching his brows in thought. "That sounds rather sinister, don't you think? Why, the rakish villain corrupting the pure and naive maiden. Sounds like something from those smutty novels Melanthe enjoys so much." Indeed, if he had awoken something in her, she surely had done the same, because Arcus would've never imagined himself this taken with any woman, least of all a priestess. For all their playful banter though, the lovemaking was twice as intense. "Mhm... Cali..." he cooed, closing his eyes as he felt a rush of bliss course through his veins, ready to spill his seed within her womb.

It was then that the doors to their private bed chambers creaked open.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING-" Arcus roared, which was quite a difficult task at he had to simultaneously cover up the two of them under the blankets (which was hard given their position) and he was also right in the middle of cumming into Cali, and as one knows, it one does not simply stop cumming. So, what happened was that Arcus, in a mix of rage and pleasure, frantically pulled the sheets over him and Cali, making them tumble awkwardly into the mattress, shouted at the intruders, banged his elbow on the nightstand and let out a string of choice curses, all the while he was still buried inside Cali.

"Your Majesties, I'm so sorry! I-I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen!" called a frantic, shrill voice, and Arcus snapped to see a very distressed looking Eloise, the maid from the night before, running in after none other than his mother.

"Oh, don't be silly, girl. I can enter my son's room as I please!" said Iolanthe haughtily, turning on her heels and facing the red-faced royal couple, knitting her brows in the same way her son did as she surveyed the room. "Well, I was hoping to check the bedsheets to see if you've actually managed to do your duties, but I see that is unnecessary. Cassius told me he couldn't sleep last night with how loud you two were being, but I needed to check for myself. My! Is that... did you break the canopy?"

"Mother," Arcus growled, shuffling uncomfortably and trembling with embarrassment and rage, "GET OUT!"

 

[cyrodilicbrandy]

Arcus' point, too, was a solid one; they might be making love for the third time within the span of twelve or so hours, but she doubted that even the second time would have been initiated had it not felt so damnably good for the both of them. Clearly, even in these early moments of what was going to be the rest of their lives together, the attraction they already felt for each other was driving them. So yes, lovemaking was not just about conceiving, though she'd had it make clear to her by the Queen Mother prior to the wedding that bearing the king's children was her highest duty. She was about to make another playful retort, when his cock brushed against that hidden sweet spot within her, the moan spilling out of her lips with abandon. Against the sheets, her dainty fingers curled and stretched as the lust threatened to overtake her senses once more, and she turned her head to the side so that her husband might at least see traces of the pleasure he was, rather expertly, bestowing upon her.

Another giggle, breathy and almost lost between her cries and gasps of ecstasy - 'It... ah, was not meant to s-sound sinister. B-But if you should like to....gods - think of yourself as a rake, I-I won't stop you. You're... handsome enough for the l-lead role,' she teased, the words practically struggling to leave her lips. And then she could speak no more, her skin warm and coated with yet another thin sheen of sweat as the two climbed ever closer to their shared highs. She was starting to become familiar with the small ways that she could tell he was close to orgasm - the tautening of his muscles, the firm yet unpainful way his fingers sunk into her supple skin, the breathlessness with which he crooned her name into the room; all of this was subtle, and yet let her know exactly how much his body was pleased with her own. For Cali's part, quite at odds with her rather quiet upbringing, she was loud - almost uncontrollably so. It was as if, all this time, she only ever needed to feel some pleasure like this in order to fully let loose her melodic voice. Beneath her husband, she bucked and thrashed as his name fell out of her mouth in a long moan.

And then everything seemed to go wrong all at once. She knew Arcus was on the very precipice of spilling his seed within her when his voice rang out into the chambers, loud and angry, quite the opposite of his breathless and growled words of just moments ago. Cali's eyes had been tightly shut in the throes of pleasure, but now they sprung open, her body both freezing and shaking - her first thought was that perhaps she had done something wrong, that he was suddenly displeased with her. But quickly she realised that wasn't the case, and experienced a dizzying sense of emotional whiplash, all whilst her body trembled as the last moments of her orgasm faded away, as relief filled her, followed by utter shame and mortification. Her husband wasn't displeased - that was good. What was most emphatically not good was the sight of the Queen Mother, having barged into their private chambers, gazing at the two lovers with her brows narrowed, as if surveying a dance floor. Cali's heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and Arcus, having tried to cover the two of them up, only ended up banging himself up against the nightstand for his troubles. Still, the sheet over them mean that Cali should shuffle even further down it, her face more red than it had been hitherto. Even then, she had been slightly embarrassed or flustered - but this was something entirely different. The breach of privacy, on its own, would have been enough to make Cali feel flustered and uneasy, but on top of that, she and Arcus had been very obviously... busy. She had known Queen Mother Iolanthe was not perhaps the most diplomatic of women, nor someone who shied away from crass and wild statements. She had also expected that the woman would make it her business to check upon the state of the bedsheets, to confirm for herself that the deed had been done. But surely, she should not have expected this?

From under the sheets, the young queen could hear the older woman exclaim about the state of the canopy, having noticed where the broken beam lay discarded upon the floor, along with the fabric. Last night, she had been rather pleasantly embarrassed, and Arcus had made her feel more amused about the situation, for which she had been grateful. It had seemed like just a casual side-note to their lovemaking. But hearing Iolanthe mention it, rather loudly, the door to the chambers still open behind her, Cali couldn't help it - she burst into tears, pressing her face into the mattress so that they might not hear her.

 

[Agnes]

"Arcus! You would speak to your mother like that? I only came to check on you with good intentions - I even brought some fertility tonics for your wife. Send them in," she said to the two guards, who looked utterly bewildered at the situation, terrified of the two royals clashing, and absolutely exhausted from a sleepless night. Eloise fussed around and flapped her arms like a useless chicken. Though, to her credit, she ran to the bedside to check on Cali once the young queen, hiding under the duvet and trembling beside her husband, burst into tears. Arcus's eyes flashed dangerously once he heard her wails, and decided that enough was enough.

The grey eyes, normally calm and mirthful like a cloudy sky, morphed into a stormy rage. "You will do no such thing," he seethed to his guards, who immediately bowed and scraped in respect, for a king's anger was a terrible thing to behold, especially when it was someone as hot-headed and explosive as Arcus. The worst they could get for disobeying the Queen Mother was a proverbial slap on the wrist; the King could have them flogged at a whim. "Mother, I will not repeat myself another time. Out. Please. Have some semblance of self-awareness, I beg of you. Leave us alone."

"Arc-"

"No. Get out."

The finality in his voice left no room for further arguments, and after a moment of angrily huffing, the Queen Mother turned on her heels and marched out of the room, taking her whole entourage with her, which he only realised was about twenty men strong. Arcus sighed and placed his face in his hands. Gods damn this woman. Beside him, Cali was sobbing pitifully into the mattress, and his stomach felt like lead. So much for a good morning. He felt truly awful for her, to have to experience his mother's crassness in full force like this.

He pulled his breeches up and slid out from under the sheets, coming to a full-height that towered over Eloise, the young man looking akin to an angry bear. Quickly buttoning his shirt, he glanced at the door, which was now empty save for the two guards posted outside. "Leave," he ordered, "and close the door. Do not send the next shift until an hour has passed. And by the gods, do your fucking job. You're supposed to guard the place, not let everyone in like it's a whorehouse. Go." Glad to be let off so easily, the pair quickly shuffled away, not daring to meet the young king's eye, and disappeared as the doors closed behind them.

Arcus then turned to Eloise. "Can you help me?" he pleaded, his tone much softer now, gesturing towards Cali with his eyes. The maid nodded her head nervously, but with conviction. Also nodding in return, he climbed onto the bed and gently peeled the sheets off the crying woman, fingers gently cupping her tear-streaked face. "Cali... I'm so sorry."

 

[cyrodilicbrandy]

It seemed that even though she tried her best to cry as silently as she could, her husband could still hear her well enough over the thick, bunched up sheet, if the sudden change in the tone of his voice was any indication. To her, he had only spoken softly, voice alternating between quiet awkwardness and suave confidence. Through the sheet, she could hear Iolanthe summon even more people into the room, and Cali froze - still unmoving, tears wetting the bed, as Arcus loudly decrying his mother's order. She felt movement against the bed, a small, worked hand pulling up the sheet just enough to reveal the worried, pallid face of the maid who had stayed behind last night before her husband had arrived. Cali, as if a child, clung to the slightly older woman, a familiar face in an entirely stressful situation.

It only took a few more hardened words before the Queen Mother saw her son was completely serious and stormed back out, along with the entourage she had brought with her. Still, Cali stayed under the sheets for now, her shaking hands holding onto the maid's. Arcus was still unfinished, two more targets of his anger and displeasure in the room; namely the two guards who had been staying outside the chambers all night. They, too, quickly departed, feeling mighty lucky they had only suffered a verbal lashing. And then the door closed behind them, and Arcus and Cali and Eloise were alone, the young queen sniffling quietly.

She was mortified - beyond mortified. To be interrupted in such an intimate moment, especially when she was also still getting used to such attentions, would have been bad enough, had it just been the Queen Mother on her own. But for the woman to bring more people with her to their chambers, entirely uninvited, was a series of actions that Calista just simply couldn't understand. Softly, her husband pulled back the expensive, soft sheets away from her frame, revealing her red, tear-splotched face, her strawberry blonde hair a messy halo around her soft features. As she looked up at him, she looked innocent and scared - much like she had done last night, before he made his promise to never hurt her.

'I'm sorry,' she whimpered, although not entirely knowing why she was apologising. She suspected that hiding under the sheets and crying was not exactly a queenly thing to do, and yet there was a part of there that chided her softly not to be so hard on herself. She was seventeen, young and relatively naive, entirely new to life and court, still reeling from the hurried marriage and the whirlwind of emotions that had coursed through her mind and body in the last day. 'They'll... they'll all be talking about it, w-won't they?' Her voice was tremulous. 'About w-what... we were doing, a-and the... the...' Cali's watery green eyes lifted up to where the canopy should have been, her lower lip trembling again. It seemed as if, despite her excellent use of her magical focus the day before, it was all falling hard upon her shoulders this morning.

 

[Agnes]

White lies fell from Arcus's mouth like second nature, trained in the courtly affairs as he were, but he felt guilty and heavy of heart as he spoke them to Cali, even if his intentions were pure and to simply soothe her tears. "No, no... no, they won't, Cali. It's... just something natural to happen between husband and wife. They'll have much more intriguing things to gossip about, okay?" His voice was soft and soothing, like a parent cajoling a crying child. His fingers delicately stroked her cheeks, thumbing away the warm streaks of tears, and he gave her a warm, understanding smile. "There's no need to be sorry about anything. Mother was wrong to barge in like this. I won't let it happen again. I promise." A grin crossed his youthful, handsome face. "And you know I don't break my promises."

Sighing, he leaned down to press a soft kiss on the corner of her lips, a hand sneaking under the sheets to squeeze hers encouragingly. "The, um, canopy can be fixed while we're gone, I'll see to it. In the meantime... we have breakfast in an hour." One where he was expected to introduce his wife and queen to his immediate family. Well, officially, that is. He hadn't exactly counted on his mother making an utter mess out of this and ruining tradition. Then, they were expected at a procession around the upper parts of the city to be received by the people of Nyr, though he expected it to be a quick and tireless affair. They were mostly just nobles and merchants who looked to curry favour with him. No doubt they would bury him and Cali in mountains of gifts and revelry. The true commoners - the smiths, the doctors, the peasants, the whores, they were sequestered in the middle and lower parts, and the kings usually did not venture down there except for cases of war. And Nyr hasn't fought a war ever since his father took the throne.

Stormy grey eyes flicked to the maid, silently telling her to attend to Cali as best she could, to fulfill any need she might have. "I know how terribly embarrassing it was. I'm sorry." Gently, he ran a hand through her matted strawberry blonde hair, wiping away the sweat and the tears from her face, doing the same to his own with his arm. "Can I... can I do anything? To... help you?"

 

[cyrodilicbrandy]

Cali's eyes lingered on her husband's face as he worked to soothe her anxieties, brow furrowed somewhat. She couldn't quite tell if he believed his words, or if he was simply saying them to comfort her. She wasn't unappreciative, but given the way the morning had already turned out, well before she was supposed to really start any of her queenly duties, she thought she would have to perhaps take his words with a grain of salt. It was natural, of course, for people to gossip and spread news; even if no one specifically whispered about their antics during the night, the Queen Mother's intrusion into their chambers was done very publicly. If her husband's explosive temper was anything to go by, anyone who did choose to gossip would have to do so quietly - but Iolanthe would not feel such a need, especially if she had a glass of wine in her hand. His words were softly soothing, but it was the gentle way in which he stroked her heart-shaped face that made her feel more at ease again, and she gave a soft giggle, through a sniffle, at his mention of keeping promises.

The mention of breakfast did cause a beat of anxiety within her breast but as she kept her eyes fixed upon the young redheaded king, she thought that she might, maybe maybe, be able to survive it well enough, as long as he was there to give her hand a gentle squeeze, as he did again now. There was a part of her, though, that desperately wanted to ask him if they couldn't just stay in their chambers - but although Cali was new to all of this, she wasn't a foolish girl. There was a procession planned, too, as the Queen Mother had told her the morning of the wedding. Thinking about it, she was a mixture of excitement and nervousness - she wouldn't describe herself as an extrovert, but as an acolyte, she had enjoyed talking with the people of the city, aiding them and listening to their concerns. It was the 'masses', as they were commonly called by nobility, that truly held the power - nobles and gentry might own land and uphold laws, but unhappy citizens could overpower lords and ladies if they had a mind to. And there was the slight chance she might see some old faces, of those that she had helped. It was just the idea of decorum and duty that daunted her.

Arc's fingers slid into her hair, the locks messy and in need of a good brush, and the young queen smiled up at her husband, the tears in her eyes from before now gone to be replaced with a soft gleam. 'No,' she mumbled quietly. 'Well, maybe... just a kiss?' Arcus blinked, then gave her a toothy grin, clearly more than happy to acquiesce to her rather innocent demand, closing the distance between their faces with such eagerness that his nose bumped into her smaller one, like it had when they were at the altar. Eloise, watching silently through all of this, couldn't help but smile to herself, averting her eyes, even though they were paying her no attention. It was very gratifying to see her new queen so comfortable with her husband already, especially having seen her on the verge of a breakdown as she lay waiting for him in their marital bed. The kiss seemed to last a lifetime, and yet didn't seem quite long enough, when Cali pulled away, her reluctance clear on her face by the way her lips pressed into a pout.

'I... suppose we should start getting ready, then,' she said, bumping her nose against his in a playful tease of just moments ago, before pulling back to slid from the bed. Her hands pulled the hem of her shift down, before she looked up at Eloise with some sudden confusion. 'Oh. I... um, I don't know what sort of routine I should be following in the morning.' Usually, her mornings were filled with prayer and reflection, before she washed and dressed simply, ready for the day ahead. But now, as queen, she imagined there was more to do, and even if she knew how to lace up her new, fancier dresses by herself, it would probably break some kind of decorum to get ready by herself. Eloise gave her a kindly smile and nodded. 'I can help you, your Grace, don't worry.'