Elyna didn’t know the last time she had managed a decent night of sleep. The last two nights had certainly been late ones, and so, with a headache thumping against her skull shr had spent most of the day trying to rest in bed. The city at the height of Blaze was scorching, with little air to be found. Her uncertainty at the night ahead didn’t help either. Not when her Mother’s lies still rung in her ears. Had Mal believed her? Was that why he had left so suddenly?

In the early hours of the morning, Emily had returned with assurances that the man was safe. That he would like to meet her the following night. It was the only thing that stopped the woman roaming the streets, headache or not, in search of him.

The little flutters were strong during the day as she lay, half-dozing with her hand on her waist. Somewhere in the house she would occasionally here the frustrated arguments of her Mother. Caelin was not happy to be confined to her rooms, with limited visitors.

Beatrice checked in on her, as dusk fell, hoping that Elyna would have recovered enough for dinner. When it was clear she had not, she was bid a fond Goodnight.

Guilt twinges the Skyrider then, as not long after the door was secured again, Elyna was on her feet. She dressed for the first time since setting sail in trousers and a loose fitting shirt. With her hair braided out of her face, and a knife in her belt she felt a small thrill of freedom.

Emily helped her negotiate the balcony and ease down to the ground. The pair crossed the gardens in silence only to climb into a carriage. The horses rolled away through the back streets, as the young women sat quietly. She peered through the window, trying to make sense of the maze of streets, and finding herself lost in the foreign city. Aramane was bordered by the sea, and it was a sparse stretch of coastline in sight of the city that their carriage bought them to.

Elyna stepped down, hearing horses wicker nearby. The two women exchanged glances before Emily stepped forward into the night, her hand resting lightly on her knife as she climbed up a sand dune and took care as she part-slid down the other side. Standing alone on the beach she glanced back, Emily still stood with the coach. The moon was bright over a gently crashing sea. With a slow sigh the woman sank down, sitting on the sands. Would he even come?

The dunes fell in and out of the favour of moonlight as clouds moved overhead in the night sky like a thick fog. The moon would show her face for a moment before she was gone again, her sisters twinkling in the distance like giant stars on the horizon. The sea was loud as was its energy, masking a distant tall ship that sat anchored in the bay. The wind added to the wildness of it all. The ocean so untamed, seemed to revel and take delight in the chaos and secrecy of the night.

Five figures appeared on the beach close to the shore. Two of them looked to be holding something, the rest moved freely. They paused for a moment to take in the night, before one of them spotted Elyna and they changed course to head in her direction. It became clear soon enough that one of the men was Malcolm, instantly allowing the woman to fill in two of the blanks as Benjamin and Roland. A fourth figure, a female, was a stranger to her, but the slowest of the group, the most familiar by far. As Pavoo drew closer, he caught sight of his daughter and hurried towards the woman to embrace her. As a high judge of Renmere, not only did he make the perfect witness, but an officiant too.

Emily soon joined Elyna on the sand and after the noble woman had some time to catch up with her father, he stepped aside to let Malcolm approach. The man was casually dressed, no more a king than the average man in his dark trousers and plain leather tabard. “I had to get a letter to him last night while I knew he would still be in the capital,” Malcolm explained, “and it just so happens, that your brother’s ship is out there.” He pointed into the distance where the white sails could be seen shivering in the wind as they were raised and tethered for the night.

“A longship awaits us at the water's edge,” Pavoo said. “Let’s not keep your brother waiting.” He smiled and made haste towards the direction they had come from where a boat waited for them near the inlet.

Malcolm took Elyna’s hand and helped her across the sand. “I’m sorry about the manner in which I left last night,” he apologised. “I loathed to say something to your mother that I would later come to regret. As it stands, I believe one day she will warm to me, all in good time.” He watched her in the moonlight, smiling at what she had chosen to wear. Clearly Emily had given no clue as to what the night held in store. It was a far cry from that black dress, but Malcolm would marry the woman in rags just as happily as he would riches.

After a short, rough row to the tallship, Elyna was helped aboard by the men, followed by Pavoo. “I don’t like this,” Pavoo admitted to his daughter on deck, “leaving your mother out of such an occasion, but I plan to stay and bear witness to an official Aramane wedding. Tonight just makes everything legal back home, should you choose it.” He fell quiet then as Edmund approached wordlessly and embraced his sister.

“Fancy finding you,” the man teased, “half way across Noar.”

The deck had been decorated with white ribbon and a vast array of white and blue flowers. It appeared as if Emily had taken a bigger role than her modest smile suggested. She had been busy in town a lot of the day while Elyna had been in bed. As an expert in her friends' tastes, she made sure as many of them were met as time had allowed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t say anything.” Emily smiled. “I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.” She pointed in the direction of the bow where a Volareon stood with its beak raised, sniffing at the sea air. It stretched its wings out to test the breeze, floated for a moment in the air and touched down again. “Your brother travels with skyriders updating old maps of the Aramane coast.”

The woman who had followed them across the beach stood with her eyes veiled and the tips of her fingers painted with gold to the second joint. She wore little but white robes, yet didn’t seem to feel the cold. Her hair was long and elaborately arranged and she stood with a crown of white roses framed in black thorns. When she spoke, it was in the ancient tongue of Draketh, something most knights were educated in but few ever mastered.

“I have weighed what I’ve seen under sun and moon and I give my blessing to this couple.” She held her hands out, encouraging the pair to draw near. Malcolm offered his hand to the temple maiden and she waited on Elyna before continuing.

“I sense a darkness in you tied to the weight of power,” she said to Malcolm. “Don’t let it drag you down the wrong path. Seek always the light and cast away the temptation of night.” The maiden turned her attention to Elyna then. “You long to be understood,” she said, “but just as sand runs through our fingers, one can never truly capture air. You’re of the sky and, as such, your spirit will always seek to soar. Let the earth of your partner ground you and, like the river water, guide you.”

Malcolm smiled at that, but the maiden had more advice for him too. “Do not be unyielding as the mountains you dwell in,” she warned, “but move as the fire of the earth commands. Some freedom would do you both well.”

Emily offered Elyna a guilty look, making it all too clear that she didn’t understand a word of what the temple maiden was saying.

The maiden turned Malcolm’s hand face up and lay Elyna’s hand beside it. She motioned for Benjamin to come forward and took a small handful of earth from him and placed it in Malcolm’s hand before closing Elyna’s overtop. Roland stepped forward then and offered up the water he had been carrying in a small glass bottle. The maiden poured it over the top of Elyna’s hand and watched as it trickled between her fingers to wet the earth. Malcolm threaded his fingers through Elyna’s and smiled at her.

“May your binding be as earth and water, made stronger together,” the maiden said.

Pavoo smiled and fumbled with a small piece of parchment he had scratched a few notes onto. “Tonight, on this ship in front of your friends and family, I Pavoo Richard Burhan, son of Baako Edmund Burhan, be they willing, give these two citizens of Renmere, the right to marry under noble law, in the season of kings, on the property and, thus, territory of Renmere. If you, Malcolm James Krome, King of Renmere, Duke of Mayce, the Wolf of Krome, will have this woman as your wife and queen, make your promise to her for all to witness and see it done.”

Malcolm looked into Elyna’s eyes and couldn’t help but smile. He knew she was nervous, for he felt nervous too, so much so that his hand shook, held steady in hers. “Elyna Reyes Burhan, I, Malcolm James Krome, son of James Rowan and Elspeth Victoria Bennett, promise to listen to, learn with and love you. For you I will find time and, when there is none to find, I will make time. I will stand by you in youth and wisdom, for the rest of our lives. I will honour you, grow with you and, above all else, never stop trying, to love you, to understand you, and to make you happy. To you, and you only, I make this promise.”

“Let it be done,” Pavoo said.

“It is done,” those in attendance echoed.

“Elyna,” Pavoo said, his voice soft as he searched his daughters eyes. If you, Elyna Reyes Burhan, Lady of House Burhan, will have this man as your husband and king, make your promise to him for all to witness and see it done…”

There was something peaceful about the beach and the rise and fall of the ocean on the sands. The moonlight drifted and the wind pulled at her hair, pulling strands free from her braid. Elyna pulled in deep lungfuls of the fresh air and closed her eyes. With just the crashing of the tide to hear, her thoughts slowed. The negativity sparked by her mother, slowly pulled away with retreat of the ocean on the shore. She kicked off her shoes and buried her toes in the sand, leaning forward wrap her arms around her knees.

Surely Malcolm would know that everything Caelin had said was false. The Baronness had told so many lies that it could only be her undoing. Why would Malcolm assume that the accusations made again her, would be any more accurate than the ones laid at his feet. The clarity of her thoughts eased the tightness in her chest. She stretched slowly, looking over her shoulder to see where Emily had gotten to. The woman was still waiting by the coach, having pulled a large bag from the storage compartment that hung underneath.

Confused, Elyna tilted her head before turning to scan the rest of the beach. With a group of figures approaching she knelt up, wary, with a hand on her knife. But as the group separated enough for her to count figures, she stood. Sand spraying in her haste as she recognised the movement of the Wolf. Her heart lurched uncomfortably as she prepared to defend herself from any accusations, to explain that Caelin had lied. But a figure further back caught her attention.

It was hard to pinpoint how she felt, surprised, shocked and then relieved. The relief came in a rush as she half-stumbled over the sand to be caught in her fathers embrace, ‘Pa!’ Her shoes left abandoned in a dune.

Elyna hugged him fiercely before drawing back and smiling into a pair of familiar brown eyes, ‘Lady Cain has been trying to contact you today,’ she explained in a rush, ‘we were going to ask that you travel but couldn’t make contact,’ she nearly laughed, ‘it must be because you’d already made the journey.’

‘It’s good to see you,’ Pavoo drew back, lightly holding her hands, ‘though I have to say, travelling with such haste does not agree with me.’

Elyna smiled at that, turning to look at the group as Emily joined them. Pavoo would much rather be home in Burhan or in his offices in Renmere than anywhere in the world. Surrounded by his books and neatly stacked parchments, he was king of his own organised domain. ‘I’m just so pleased to see you,’ Elyna admitted softly. ‘And I know Mother has missed you terribly.’

Her gaze landed on the veiled woman and she paused, having paid too little attention before. The women of the veil always made her feel a little nervous, as though she had been caught doing something wrong. Still, she steadied herself and inclined her head politely in way of greeting. The question was, what was everyone doing here? She had expected, hoped even for a chance to speak to Malcolm without the world feeling as though it was falling apart.

The man himself approached and she couldn’t help but extend her smile to him, releasing her fathers hand to take up Malcolm’s. She stepped lightly towards him, ‘thank you, for bringing him here -‘ she blinked then, ‘Ed?’ The woman moved onto her toes, peering at the ship with delighted incredulity, as though she could pick him out in the darkness, ‘Ed is here?’ The ship was one she recognised, one that had been built in Burhan during her time as a squire. Elyna had always spent far too long in the dock yards during her free time, preferring it to bring under her Mother’s watchful eye.

The group moved to their longship and Elyna squeezed Malcolm’s hand in turn. She looked around them as she walked, trying to make sense of the party and the arrangements that had been made. He looked like Bennett, rather than the King of yesterday and she found herself at ease. Her bare feet padding silently over the sand.

She shook her head as he spoke, ‘Mal…please don’t. It’s not you that she despises, it’s me.’ She squeezed his hand again and tried to meet his gaze. The truth falling simply from her tongue as she wore a faint, sad smile. ‘Please don’t put any efforts into trying to change the wind, the tide or the fury of a fire…it’s not worth your efforts.’

Even feeling the first effects of her balance offset, Elyna stepped nimbly onto the rowing boat and settled down beside her father. Aware of the veiled maiden behind her, the hair lifted on the back of her neck as she watched Malcolm. What had he planned? This was a far cry from the rendezvous she had expected. She lent to one side, dipping her fingers in the water before Emily pushed the bag she had been carrying onto her lap with a knowing grin. Confused, Elyna peeled back the straps and peered in at the dress beneath.

Emily lifted her brows with a wriggle and nodded to the ship. Ely twisted, glancing at her friend before being helped up on board.

‘Mother hates ships,’ Elyna swallowed some of the bile that threatened to rise. She never wanted to share space with her Mother again. But what had Pavoo meant?

Flowers and vines twisted around the mast and railings. Caught in the moonlight they were ethereal, even if she had little time to appreciate them
with Edmund catching her so quickly. The woman hugged her brother tightly, and finally, the decorations and the strangely assembled party fell into the place. She almost stumbled again, but held by her brother, recovered herself.

‘Anyone would think you were following me,’ she teased in reply, though the words seem to catch with nerves.

‘You get into enough trouble to need an escort.’ He replied and grinned to their father.

Elyna glanced across at Malcolm, heart thundering as she gave a small nod to herself. Before a protest could be made, she took up Emily’s bag and the pair vanished into the nearest cabin for a few moments. With shaking hands, Elyna struggled to unfasten her shirt and was glad of her friends assistance.

‘I told you to wear a dress,’ Emily teased quietly. The actions lit by a single lamp, rocking back and forth with the motion of the water.

Elyna giggled, the sound soft and uncertain as the dress was pulled into place. One picked out by her friend it was a pale blue colour but covered with embroideries that the woman couldn’t make out in the dim light.

‘Where are you shoes?’ It was Emily who laughed as she noted her friends sandy toes.

Elyna shifted her feet, shrugging with a smile. Who cared?

Returned to the deck, she took in the Volarean and felt her heart soar a little more as she moved towards the Maiden and Malcolm. She glanced at the creature, teeth pressed into her bottom lip. It would be so easy to flee. To race to the creature and fly away into the night. Though she wouldn’t be leaving her problems behind, only the man she loved.

Elyna tilted her head as she took in the Draketh. She understood enough of the words, but in took concentration to fully absorbe them. Her heart continued to skip beats, pressing hard against her chest. Her legs felt weak beneath her as she glanced at the tall man. Now? Here and right now. This was happening?

Elyna swallowed her nerves and extended her hand, leaning forward as though to hear more clearly the lessons given. She glanced at the woman in surprise as her own path was discussed. Breathe, she reminded herself, keep breathing. She would find time later to dissect the words and make sense of the advice given. But it was hard not to smile, Malcolm surely would be her guide. The support she could lean upon. She repeated the words silently, trying to commit them to memory.

Their hands joined over the earth, Elyna stared up into his face, the wind ruffled his curls and the lanterns outlined the profile of his face. How many times had she stared at him like this, during their hours patrolling through the city on a cold Frost night. Never had she imagined her might actually be hers. The water trickled through their fingers and she shifted her weight a little as it tickled and landed on the deck beneath. Stronger together? Elyna swallowed again, it would be so. She would make it so, she wouldn’t be a millstone around his neck.

Elyna turned enough to listen to her father and couldn’t help but smile, he was a little nervous. The slight fumbling of the paper and the catch of his voice. If Pavoo was nervous to speak publicly, then she would also find a way to master her shyness. Her heart almost stopped when he mentioned the word Queen. Elyna looked to Malcolm again and forced herself to breathe. She could do this. She would do this.

His gaze met her own and she smiled in return. The rest of the ship fell away into the darkness. As it always was, she was captured by him and the gentle timbre of his voice. She curled her second hand beneath his, as though to steady him. Or perhaps afraid he would steal his grip away before this could come to pass.

Too soon Pavoo turned to her and she felt her mouth go dry. She wet dry lips and racked her brain for the words. Glancing back to Malcolm she smiled, all her shyness threatening to render her mute.

‘I-‘ her name, she knew her own name. Elyna closed her eyes and gathered herself before looking up at Malcolm once more. ‘Malcom James Krome, I, Elyna Reyes Burhan, promise to love you, to learn with and listen to you, to support you from our youth to our wisdom. To make you laugh and ease the burdens of your days,’ she drew another breath, ‘I will honour you,’ she promised, ‘and never stop trying to understand you. All of this for the rest of our lives,’ she smiled then, ‘this promise I make to you, and no other.’

‘Let it be done,’ Pavoo smiled at the pair.

“It is done,” those in attendance echoed.

There was a cheer, led by Benjamin and Owen that rose over the deck. Startled, Elyna felt her cheeks flush crimson, even in the dark as she grinned at the man she could call her husband.

‘And now we can celebrate!’ Edmund declared and collected a bottle of wine from where he had stowed in on the deck. He popped the cork and turned to pour the deep red liquid out, offering to fill the cups of the gathered crew and assembly.

‘Was this all planned?’ Elyna searched Malcolm’s expression, her own wry with amusement. ‘Is this why you were having the ring made already?’

Edmund and Benjamin seemed to get on like a house on fire, though Elyna was surprised that her brother took his responsibilities on the ship and didn’t indulge further than a glass of wine. After the ceremony was complete there were celebrations before those who should have been working returned to their duty.

Malcolm had been pulled aside for well wishes and Emily had thrown her hands around her friend in a tight embrace. ‘Thank you,’ Elyna whispered to her friend before watching as Emily sauntered across the deck, swept up a bottle of wine and settled herself down beside the Maiden of the veil. Truly, Elyna reflected with a smile, her friend was incorrigible.

Pavoo stood beside her at the mast. The pair resting in comfortable silence.

‘Your mother does love you,’ the man frowned into the darkness as Elyna watched her new husband shaking hands with any number of the ship’s crew.

Elyna rubbed her fingertips over the bridge of her nose. ‘I used to believe that,’ she admitted softly, ‘I used to believe she simply hoped for a different future than I saw for myself.’

‘Something has changed?’

‘Malcolm was a gift, father. A man I truly
intend to treasure. And for Mother’s designs, what title is higher than that of Queen?’ Elyna drew a shaky breath then, the mantle threatening to wear heavily upon her slender shoulders. She tried to shake off the feeling and smiled instead as Malcolm managed at last to wind his way towards her. ‘Yet…she remains dissatisfied…’

‘Mmmm.’ Was all her father would say.

Elyna moved to greet her husband with a kiss on the cheek. ‘I’d best be getting back,’ she admitted with regret.

It was then that Ben swung over, Emily giggling behind him. ‘The two of you yes, off you go!’ The pair encouraged both Elyna, Malcolm and Pavoo from the ship. Back in the row boat they bid a fond farewell to the ship and returned to the shore.

‘You didn’t think we would allow you to spend your first night apart, did you?’ Emily looked between them, incredulous.

Elyna exchanged a nervous look with Malcolm, but allowed her friend to lead her back to the carriage.

The journey back to the Cains townhouse was longer than Elyna imagined. Suddenly nervous once more she found it difficult to look directly at anyone, especially her father. The carriage rolled to a gentle stop and the party clambered down.

A footman, unusually posted outside so late in the evening admitted them all to the house. A maid appeared with a curtsey, despite the hour and explained that a rooms had been set aside for Benjamin and she would shortly show Pavoo to a temporary chamber, save him waking his lady wife. Pavoo scoffed but nodded his acceptance.

With their party disbanded, Elyna was astonished to see Emily standing at a garden door, beckoning with a grin. Too tired to argue, the woman followed her friend out, beyond the terrace and the grasses and decorative borders was a small cottage, not much more than a summer house.

The door was open to cool the walls as Emily gestured for them to enter.

‘It’s for you two,’ she smiled, ‘Beatrice would be delighted if you made yourselves at home…perhaps we will see you for breakfast? Or maybe lunch?’ She winked at the pair, without seeming to remember that Malcolm was anything other than a colleague in the Iron Hand. With that the door was shut behind her.

Elyna turned slowly in the room, smaller than her own little home two doors led away from a tiny living space. Low candles had been lit in the corner of the bedroom and on a bathroom shelf. The woman struggled to hide a yawn behind her fingers. It had been a long day. The room smelt like furniture polish and the salt water that had splashed onto their clothes.

Set on the table was bread, milk, herbs for tea and fruits. Elyna drew a slow breath and finally turned to the man who had needed to duck beneath the quaint little door.

‘My King…’ she looked up at him with a shy smile. Her feet still bare on the rug that covered the floorboards.

Malcolm had not seen Edmund since Frost, nor had he forgotten the man’s words to Elyna. He made no attempts to spark conversation, but accepted the man’s congratulations with grace, knowing he owed Elyna an apology. She was not impossible to marry off or devalued in any way by her associations with Yvan. Elyna remained, in fact, Malcolm’s whole world. She carried a promise for their future and his heart was full of love for both. Edmund may very well become a baron or duke one day, but he would never exceed his sister's title of Queen, thus Malcolm hoped the past stayed in the past.

The night all seemed a bit of a blur by the time they found themselves back in town and in the little cottage Beatrice had assigned them. The place was small and cosy and warm after baking in the sun all day. Malcolm cracked a window to encourage some airflow and set down the bottle of wine he had brought back with him from the ship. He soon found a glass and took a taste, finding the red wine in Aramane far too sweet for his liking. He set the glass aside and it was forgotten in an instant as he turned his attention on Elyna. He couldn’t help but smile at her greeting. There was no need for liquid courage when their eyes met.

They were both tired, he knew, given the lazy manner in which they undressed one another. Whoever had arranged the room had filled the bath with hot water, which remained just warm enough to entice the pair. Malcolm got in and held his hand out for Elyna to join him. He sat back and let her rest with her back against his chest. Her hair smelled of sea salt and brine. It was windswept and waxy between his fingers. He teased it from the braid she had fixed it into and combed it back away from her shoulder and neck. The bare skin was soon attended to by his lips, a trail of soft kisses pressed from shoulder to ear.

It all felt a bit surreal and strange to look upon her bare form. He had not been able to enjoy a wedding night with Vanessa or seen with his own two eyes the swell of her belly. As a young man he had been duty bound to serve. Now that he was a little older, he didn’t want duty to get in the way of life as it had all those years ago. Tentative, Malcolm ran his hand over Elyna’s side, letting it come to rest just below her breast. His hand looked too dark against her milky flesh, the difference between a summer spent outside and one in. “There will be an official ceremony when you return to Renmere,” he told her, “to make you queen. It’s a very dull affair.” Malcolm teased, something he had sat through not long before joining her in Aramane. “Of course I do not expect you to rush back. Take as long as you need.”

With her smile returned, Elyna’s shyness fell away. The distance was closed between them and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling, cheeks flushed as her fingers made careful work of his buttons and ties. Stripping the man of his worldly defenses as he relieved her clothes in turn. She stepped out of the delicate dress, leaving it abandoned to the floor as he led the way through the rooms. There wasn’t time to feel self-conscious as she stood before him, her hand pressed lightly against the curve of her side. She slid carefully into the water, washing as it splashed against the sides of the tub. With her back to the man, nestled in his arms she knew she was at risk of falling asleep. Surrounded by him, there was a security that she hadn’t felt in long seasons. A deep exhaustion of uncertainty and quiet heartbreak that had been too dangerous to acknowledge. No longer because all the world was as it should be.

The caress of his lips however, was enough to stir her blood to wakefulness. The woman purred beneath his gentle touch, leaning her head back against his shoulder. She sought his hand against her skin and eased it lower to the swell of her body. It had been nothing short of a miracle that the bump had stayed hidden so long, because she was certain that suddenly it was growing each day. The life within refused to be ignored any longer or to remain a joyful secret. She’d had mixed emotions upon discovering herself with child, but there had always been a determination to love and protect. As though aware of its father, the little one fluttered a foot or an arm against the man’s palm. Elyna grinned, stretching to ease the pressure in her ribs as it kicked again.

She turned, pressing a kiss to her husband's jaw. Her eyes closed as she absorbed the moment and let his words wash over her. They threatened to cause panic, but this wasn’t about her. Elyna reminded herself that this wasn’t about being Queen. It was about being there for Malcolm, about sharing their lives together, no matter what that entailed. She reclaimed his hand and held it against her mouth, pressing kisses to his knuckles as she considered her reply, rather than rushing to say the first thing that came into her head.

‘I’m sure I’ll find a way to make it entertaining for myself,’ she smiled. ‘I’m sorry you’ve had to so much alone.’

Elyna tilted her head back enough so that she could speak, but was captured by the man she could finally call her own. She kissed him, hungry, determined and finally free to enjoy the passion that they shared. When simple kisses were no longer enough, Elyna managed to retreat. Droplets of water dried instantly on her heated skin in the humid night as she pulled Malcolm gently by the hand. Blowing out the lone bathroom candle as she wound her way through the rooms until finding what she sought.

In the bedroom, she turned and pressed herself against the man in a kiss. Her fingers threading through damp hair at the base of his neck. There was nothing forbidden about their desire any longer. No one could protest their intimacy, yet that knowledge did little to dampen the passion shared. Fire, wind, earth and water, Elyna felt that she understood the ceremony with unexpected clarity. Finding meaning in the symbols that she’d not considered. She was the wind and he was the earth, together they burnt and were soothed by the touch of water upon their skin. Perhaps she was reading too much into her thoughts, which were ultimately lost to the night and the long hours of darkness as the candles flickered and faded.

Later, Elyna lay in his arms, curled around to watch the man as he readied himself to sleep.

‘You know I would never want to be a Queen,’ she whispered softly, her dark eyes searching his. ‘You know that’s not why I’ve married you?’ Elyna moved to kiss him again, not wanting him to doubt her commitment to their relationship. ‘I want you, I want our family…if I had to live underground for that to happen, or in the middle of the deserts or the moons…I would do whatever it took to be with you.’ She bowed her forehead against his, ‘I will be more than content, I will be happy in whatever role I am given in life…so long as I can share it with you. No regrets,’ she promised.

Malcolm knew it was impossible to feel at ease in a place so far from home, but this didn’t seem to deter Elyna’s persistence. Her kisses came as a welcome distraction and when she led him from the bath, wet and dripping, he halfheartedly ran the towel he had managed to take up over his form before letting it fall away, forgotten. He followed her lead in passion, but remained so very tender with the woman, ever aware of the life growing with her. They had not planned any of this, imagining years ahead of them, time together without children. Their new titles added a certain amount of pressure Malcolm was determined to ignore while in her presence, but he could not ignore the bump, his hands never straying too far, even in rest.

Elyna made her truth known and Malcolm blinked awake to hear it, his thumb drawing back and forth over her own. “This was never meant to be an option,” he admitted, “there was no way you could have known.” Really he could have laughed at it all. A boy… a nobody, who had once upon a time dreamed of becoming a knight, was now a king. It seemed too impossible to be real, yet here they were.

Darkness made the stripping of one’s self easier to bear, so too did it seem to be the time in which most truths were spoken. “I fear I am a stranger to my sons. I do not want to be a stranger to our child,” Malcolm admitted. “I want to be a father first…” Was it just another impossibility?

Elyna kissed in reply to his answer. As much as she tried to ignore the words of her mother, and the toxic waste that they left in their wake, it was hard to put them entirely aside. Caelin had accused Malcolm of predatory behaviour but all of her accusations could be turned against her daughter. It was a relief to realise once and for all, Malcolm didn’t believe that her interest had been sparked by his title. By any title. It had been Malcolm Bennett she had fallen for, Malcolm Bennett who she’d wed. It stung though, that Owen probably thought so poorly of her. That she’d used their friendship with any kind of deceit or bias in mind.

Malcolm’s own worries surfaced and Elyna listened, intent. Her face cradled in her hand as she watched him, just about able to mark his silhouette against the starlight that managed to slip around the sides of the curtains. She lay her free hand to rest against his chest in silent promise.

‘We will raise our baby, as we see fit, together,’ she confirmed her actions with her words, soft but fierce in her determination. She found herself chewing on her bottom lip, ‘I don’t know how it all was for you before, with the Princess,’ she admitted. Her brows drew together in a frown, should she speak of his previous wife? Would he want to?

Elyna swallowed and bent to kiss his cheek, ‘you don’t have to tell me how everything ended as it did, with your boys but…I’m here…if you ever wanted to talk it through…’ her gaze lowered then. She inhaled slowly and against all her better judgment decided to lay her own heart entirely bare before him. Elyna offered a silent prayer that she wouldn’t regret her words.

‘I…I would never want you to feel any breath of doubt…Mal…since your name day those years ago…there’s been no one else for me. I’ve been with no one else, I’ve…this baby is ours.’ She closed her eyes, suspecting that if he’d ever had a doubt he would never have mentioned it. She wanted him to share her certainty. ‘It has been unexpected, unplanned…but he is a gift.’ Elyna was sure it must be a boy, to follow his older sons.

“Vanessa?” He asked, sure Elyna had never met her. Perhaps in passing at one of the many balls she liked to attend, but Elyna would have been far younger then. Was it appropriate, he wondered, to bring her up on their wedding night? They were married, he reminded himself. Vanessa was dead. She offered no threat to their binding.

“We met at school… but I think I’ve told you that?” He was quite sure he had not. After all, he never spoke about Vanessa to anyone. “I thought she had a crush on Jared, but I was wrong.” He smiled at the memory, how strange and different courting had been in his youth. “I knew she was noble and completely off limits. Then one day she came to me regarding some trouble she was having. I did my best to help her and the rest is history.”

Elyna opened up then, admitting that she had been with no one else, that there should be no question in his mind. “Of course not,” Malcolm accepted without challenge. “Your mother has no clout when it comes to our relationship or marriage,” he told her. “I won’t be misled or deceived. But promise me that if things ever change, if you find your heart longs for another… you’ll not make a fool of me?” Malcolm could accept a change of heart, but he could not accept betrayal.

“I was always away on behalf of the Iron Hand. It’s a wonder Vaughn ever came to be. He was a big surprise,” Malcolm admitted. “And he arrived at such a terrible cost… Still these things cannot be undone and I know Vanessa would have it no other way.” She had told him so herself, told him to be strong for their boys.

Malcolm closed his eyes, pushing back a sad smile. “Seven… It really does seem like a lifetime ago. I’m thankful for the life I’ve led, I’m thankful for you and this child, but I want to do better. I can only promise to try.”

He felt a tinge of sadness for Elyna. The role of a noble came with so much expectation. Adding the title of Queen would only double that. She would be pampered and comfortable, there was no doubt of that, but Malcolm worried that her life would not seem like her own. She would be expected to accept a wet nurse, tutors, a whole team of staff to see to her child’s needs, so effective at what they did that it would sometimes feel as if the role she played was not that of mother at all. This was exactly why Malcolm had encouraged her to take all the time she needed in Aramane before returning to Renmere.

“Vanessa has two sisters. By all accounts they could have challenged the council's decision to make me king and taken rule of Renmere for themselves… but instead they voted for me. It’s almost as if nobody wants the crown,” he acknowledged. “Andaris almost never vote and Venora always follows their lead. It may be wise to secure a match with one of their houses for Marcus. As much as I long for him to build a life of his own and follow his heart as I have been able to, he has led a completely different life to the one I've known… it would be nothing short of cruel for me to see him change course now.”

Vanessa, she repeated the name silently. She could see in hanging in the air above them, as though Malcom had etched it out in silver light through the darkness. Elyna couldn’t help but regret the turn of conversation, but it was one that needed to happen. Even if not all on this night. She cuddled up to the man, ear against his chest as she listened to both his careful words and the steady thump of his heart. Had she ever met Vanessa? Had she ever met Malcolm under such different circumstances?

She smiled at the way he described his developing relationship with a noblewoman. So they had been friends first? Much like her and Malcolm…had there also been such all consuming desire and passion? Elyna swallowed her jealousy. Something easier to do when he accepted her own truth so easily. Some of the burdens of her heart,
laid down the night before lifted and she was able to breathe easier. Still, her frown remained when he asked her tell him of any change of heart. They had promised their fidelity for life…why did he not expect that of her? Why would he imagine that she could desire someone else? Or perhaps he was only creating a way to make his own excuses… Elyna drew a slow breath. Malcolm wasn’t like that. He wasn’t Yvan, he just wasn’t.

His words continued to wind through the dark, posing more questions than they managed to answer. Why had Vaughn been such a surprise? Even if Malcolm had been home so infrequently…had he wanted to be away? It was hard to imagine his first marriage as anything less than perfect. His wife would forever be beyond reproach and compare, she existed timeless and beautiful for eternity. Elyna closed her eyes, regretting again her own curiosity. This isn’t about me, she reminded herself and set those feelings aside once more. She wanted to support Malcolm and how could she do so without knowing feelings, his thoughts, his hopes for the future and regrets of the past? How would he ever share them if he were judged whenever he tried.

Elyna lent forward once more and pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw. ‘Perhaps it’s best to ask him?’ She suggested softly, ‘whether he would prefer a match made or to find his own path?’ Elyna ran her nose against the line of his neck, inhaling his scent. ‘Even if an arranged marriage with Andaris or Venora was what he preferred then would it hurt to wait to name it? Both families might benefit from having the hope it could be them…rather than having the hope dashed that it is definitely the other.’ She frowned then, was she attempting politics? Perhaps she had learnt more from her time in Aramane than she had expected.

‘All anyone can do, is their best.’ Elyna added finally. She half knelt up, propping herself on her arm as she studied his form in the darkness. ‘You can do anything Mal…but you don’t have to do it alone…’

There were so many questions she burnt to ask, but decided against. It probably wasn’t the best time to ask about the troubles facing their homeland, not when he was so far away and able to do little to resolve them.

‘Will the Baby be a Bennett?’ She asked softly, ‘am I a Bennett now? Or a Krome?’ Her brows drew in a frown, ‘surely you are not a Burhan?’

Elyna had not asked as to the nature of Vanessa’s trouble that she seemed only Malcolm capable of fixing, and he did not elaborate. There was no honour in divulging a dead woman’s secrets, a secret that was just as much his own to keep, for the sake of his eldest son, Marcus, who was such in every thing but blood. No one could ever know. No one would ever know… unless—Elyna distracted the man with a kiss and he smiled, drawn to the present once more. “Yes, I suppose that would be wise. There is no reason to rush to announce a match at this time, but I will make no secret of the prospect. Perhaps then everyone will act accordingly until a decision is made. Atler had struck a deal with the sultan of Nejem. The people of Renmere will be pleased to know the crown looks inwards once more, whatever trouble a change of heart may bring, it already exists on our doorstep.”

Malcolm expected the sultan would not take too kindly to the news, but as his people were already causing so much grief back home, Malcolm was prepared to weather the storm that may ensue. Either way, Elyna had a point, Marcus should be involved in the decision. It would not be right to keep him in the dark.

“Krome,” Malcolm said. “A commoner always takes the name of a noble. Had Atler not made me a duke and, thus so, your family name would win out. Mayce is also a noble name, one you may bestow to our children if you so desire. You will be the Queen of Renmere, whatever you choose you feel most comfortable to be known by is best. Krome considers me an honorary son and, having grown up in the region, I take a lot of pride in that. I would not be insulted in the slightest if you wished to remain Elyna Burhan.”

Elyna couldn’t help but grin into the darkness, even if she then had to cover another yawn with her hand. She was quite sure that no one had ever called her wise before. Malcolm really did bring out the best in her. She was surprised that a match had been made in Nejem for Marcus, tilting her head at the news before curling up against the man’s side. Nejem was so very different to the high society of Renmere, how would it have been for a young lady to start fresh in the country, a queen? She gave a slight shake if her head, if she thought it was a bad idea, it really didn’t matter now.

Malcolm discussed their naming options and Elyna found herself nodding along. Even as her eyes closed as she lay against him. Beyond the curtains the very first signs of dawn began to shimmer into existence. The distant call of a skylark, crickets starting to awake in the longer grasses. ‘Bennett,’ she smiled, voice half-slurred with slumber. ‘That would be the best name,’ Elyna pressed her lips to whatever skin was closest and allowed herself to slip into dreams.