You were spoiled rotten. "Only the best for my precious little magician," Nadia would say, hovering over you, expression reverent but eyes dark, "I want to repay you a thousand times over for all you've done for me in my time of need."

Of course, you assure her that she is more than enough. Nadia isn't insecure, per se… She just wants you to feel the love she has for you, her admiration, her gratitude. Together, you'd unlocked the mystery of what happened that fateful night, her ex-husband be damned, and began paving the way for a healthier post-plague Vesuvia.

You were to be married. "Soon," the new courtiers urged, but you were hesitant. Not about marrying Nadia; you could think of nothing you wanted more than a lifetime with your countess… No, you were hesitant in the idea that you could ever be as strong a ruler.

"What if I make a mistake?" you whisper in the soft glow of twilight; it peeks in through the half-drawn curtains, the dark, heavy cloth resting at the base of the wall in a nebulous pool. Nadia is lounging beside you on her ("Our," she corrects often) bed, her robe slightly open, hair down and wavy from the plait she'd been wearing all day.

A long strip of her thigh is revealed as she moves closer towards you, the top of her robe loosening as well; if you weren't so anxious, you'd find yourself graciously distracted. (Nadia is the pinnacle of beauty, you think, you've never met another as lovely as her.) "What do you mean, darling?" she whispers back, brow furrowing as she watches you pull the blankets further over you.

"You say you want to marry me… but what if I am not good enough?" You hear her sharp intake of breath but before she can argue, you surge on. "I don't… necessarily mean as your lover… More like… what if I don't make a good ruler?" You close your eyes so you don't have to see the worried look on her face. You hate stressing her. "I'm going to make a terrible decision. I'm going to disappoint the whole country."

Silence hangs heavy in the room at your confession. Outside, you hear Chandra hooting quietly. It's a full moon tonight. Nadia shifts closer to you, so much so that you feel wisps of her hair tickle at your nose; she smells so comfortingly of lavender, of love, that you already feel your body relaxing. "Where are you right now, love?"

You're confused by the question, but you answer regardless. "In the palace, in your room. In your bed."

"Our bed. Say it, dear."

"...Our bed."

"Good magician," she purrs, pressing closer to nuzzle her nose against yours. If your eyes weren't already closed, they would have at the pleasant sensation. Her skin is so soft. "Now tell me, do you truly think you would be here if I thought you unfit to be a ruler?"

You sigh when she kisses you softly, framing your face with hands as soft as the silks she has you wear. "You do lean towards excellence," you murmur against her lips, and you smile when she laughs quietly.

"Mmm, correct you are." Nadia makes no move to put any distance between the two of you, instead choosing to lean over you, thick, long hair blanketing you like wall.

You open your eyes and you see only her. Her auburn eyes lid as she runs a gentle finger along your jaw, up to your ear, traces the shell of it. You tease, "Explain Lucio then."

"Who?"

You laugh, loud in the quiet of your shared bedroom. She smiles, too. No hurt crosses her face, she feels safe to jest about the past with you. Your heart aches.

"I love you," she says as she dips down to kiss you once more. You return the press of her lips eagerly, pushing all of your love into it. You feel the draw of your magic down from the tips of your toes as it courses through you, all the way up to your mouth and even further into Nadia. You don't realize you're doing it at first, but there's a gentle light in front of your eyelids that has you open them slightly, disappointed as Nadia removes her lips from yours.

She's moved away from you, instead taking to hover over you, her hands planted firmly on either side of your head. She glows, her eyes wide and bright, fluorescent tears pricking at the corners. She's overwhelmed, you realize belatedly. You've shown her the full force of your love. You can see her aura mingling with your own, colors merging into one soft hue, dancing along the apples of her cheeks and the shine of her lips.

You're breathless at her radiance, the beauty before you. When her tears fall, they're a soft pink, and when one splashes against your cheek, it sizzles out into a small heart. Cliché, you think, but you see she thinks otherwise.

Nadia surges forward to kiss you again, but this time her teeth nip at your bottom lip and her tongue swipes into your mouth with a hunger. You grasp at her shoulders and tangle your fingers in her hair, hands flitting about busily as she makes to devour you in her own love, her own type of magic. She teases at the edge of your robe and immediately you're shifting if off your shoulders so she has more room to play.

Only once, does she stop, and you're met with the full force of her loving gaze; her tear stained cheeks shine in what bits of magic still linger in the room, and you swear you see each strand of her hair shine a different color. She's beautiful. She's intelligent, a strong leader, the saving grace of Vesuvia. "But so are you," she breathes, and you hadn't realized you'd said any of that aloud until she's kissing you again.

"Where are you?" You hear her ask in your head.

I'm home.