ETAN
Etan wasn’t sure if he dozed, or if he only let himself slip towards the dream state, his senses still so full of Ayleth that he lost a little bit of his touch with reality.
Whichever it was, it was some time later that they both began to stir.
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Ayleth sighed first, as if the first negative thought had intruded on their little nest of love. Which immediately sucked Etan back into the reality of their situation, and the danger she was in.
His entire body tensed.
Holy shit. She was here, in his room. On the eve of the Accord. Anyone could come at any moment and—
"Don’t do that, Etan," she whispered.
He blinked. "Don’t do what?"
"Don’t think like that. You go all rigid and... look, we are married. It isn’t wrong of me to be here. It was wrong that we were apart!" she said, her face puckered with worry that he would scold, or something.
She didn’t understand anything—why he had been so distant, why he yearned for her as if they’d been apart for months. She knew nothing, and he had to keep it that way.
How could he possibly keep it that way?
His stomach felt sick.
"Etan, please don’t be angry."
"I’m not, Ayleth. I promise. I’m so glad you came," he said, soothing her with small kisses and stroking his thumb on her cheek. "I only... I only want to make sure that nothing happens to jeopardize us. To harm you. To harm my people. I only... I only yearn for everyone to be safe."
She nodded. "Me too. I know. It’s hard. And I... I won’t stay. But I had to see you and touch you and... my mother told me that you’d signed the declaration and I was so happy! I know it was stupid, but I’d been fearing... I’d been fearing I was losing you already and—"
Etan scoffed and his body jerked within her so that he almost groaned. She clung tighter, not comforted by his response. So he forced himself up onto his elbows again and took her face in his hands.
"Ayleth, look at me," he said, his voice low and dark when she kept her eyes on his chest, tracing the lines of his collarbones in a way that threatened to make him hard again. Her hand paused, but she still didn’t raise her eyes. She suddenly looked very, very young.
"Look at me," he insisted.
Her eyes cut up to meet his. But she didn’t tip her chin. She stared at him from under her lashes. He could feel the fear and insecurity in her and cursed himself for the way he’d handled this, leaving her so in the dark.
"Good, now don’t look away. You remember me here with you in this moment—remember my face, remember my voice. And the next time you’re scared, you bring this to mind with my words..." he whispered, stroking her hair away from her face, and letting his thumb trail across her cheek. "Tomorrow is a very, very dangerous day. For me. For you. For us. But no matter what happens—do you hear me, Ayleth? No. Matter. What. No matter how impossible things might seem, or how determined others might be to keep us apart, you remember that you are the love of my life. My wife. The one the Father of Lights made for me. And that will never change. No plot, no contract, nothing can ever change my heart for you, Ayleth."
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She blinked away welling tears and took his face in her hands. "It’s the same for me," she whispered. "Nothing will ever stop me loving you, Etan."
He nodded solemnly. "Now, if things get scary or look uncertain, you remember this: They can tear us apart. They can imprison me—even kill me. But it will not stop me loving you. They can’t touch that. Do you know that, Ayleth? Deep inside, are you utterly certain of it?"
She nodded slowly, then more when he looked concerned. "I do," she whispered. "I do know that, Etan, because that’s how I feel as well."
He sighed heavily and kissed her, a soft, slow brush of his lips, then pulled back to meet her eyes again. "Good," he said. "That’s all we need to hold onto. No matter what comes, they cannot steal our love away. They can’t even touch it. Remember that, Ayleth, if things go poorly."
Her face crumpled, her forehead in wrinkles, her mouth into a deep frown. "I pray they won’t," she whispered. "I pray and I dream that they’ll accept us, and—"
"No matter what, Ayleth—remember. Say it with me."
"No matter what," she repeated. "Do you think... do you think you’ll have to flee, once they know?"
Etan dropped his face against her shoulder again and cursed himself. He didn’t want to lie to her. He had to choose his words very carefully.
"If things go wrong tomorrow, I will have to travel to stay safe—to keep my parents safe," he said. "But even if I’m forced to flee, I will come back for you, Ayleth."𝐟𝓇ℯe𝒘𝘦𝒃𝑛𝒐ѵe𝙡. 𝑐𝗼𝓂
Her arms came around his neck and pulled him in tight. "I pray it won’t be so," she whispered fiercely. "I’ll plead with my father—with the guards, with whomever it would take. I will not let them hurt you. And I won’t let them run you away, either. We are married, Etan. Even my father cannot shift that truth."
Etan grunted. "Let me tell him that when the timing is right," he said carefully. "Every step of this journey will have to be taken with wisdom and care. It is me your father would hold responsible, so leave me to answer to him as is needed. I know it will be hard, Ayleth, but you must remain silent and let me handle him."
"But, he won’t listen to you!" she gasped. "Etan, he’ll try to—"
"When everything happens tomorrow, we will be in public, Ayleth. All of us will be watched and scrutinized. All of us will be forced to face... whatever, under the eyes of the people. Not just the nobles. Don’t forget that. There will be witnesses. That... I pray that will keep us both safe," he said softly.
Her grip on him tightened again at those words. "Don’t do anything to put yourself in greater danger, Etan. Don’t take any risks you don’t have to. Promise me!"
He winced into her neck, but then laid his lips on her skin gently, tasting salt and her unique sweetness. "I won’t, Ayleth," he said, praying he was muffled enough that she wouldn’t noticed how strangled he sounded. "I won’t. I promise."
She sighed heavily, then pushed him up so she could meet his eyes again.
Nerves trilled in Etan’s stomach as she examined him, as if she knew he wasn’t telling her something. But just as she opened her mouth, there was a soft rap on the door.
Etan yanked the covers up and over both of them to cover her modesty, with a snapped, "Don’t open the door!"
"I’m sorry, Etan," Borsche hissed from the other side of the door. "But you must release Ayleth to Falek, right now! You have a visitor coming and it won’t do for Ayleth to be discovered here."
They stared at each other in horror, then flew into action.
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