garden

(C) Intelligent Studios and Nintendo

-0-

03. All the Colors of the Night

(#24. good night)

She had been dozing when she felt Lord Pent move, but Louise didn't dare open her eyes until she felt his lips on her forehead. "Mn...Lord Pent?" she mumbled.

"Shh, go back to sleep," she heard his voice murmur, but with the drawn curtains and the new moon beyond them, she could barely make out more than the shape of his lean body. The bed shifted as he removed himself from it, and she watched his dark form pick up his clothes from the chaise lounge, where he always left them, and begin to dress. There was nothing exciting about this; indeed, there was always a sense of finality in the reverse of his actions from when he entered her room that filled within her mind a noxious fog of self-loathing. Despite that, she always watched. When he slipped on his dressing robe she closed her eyes, because sometimes he would turn to look at her as if expecting something - but what more could she offer him? Not even when the summer full moons had illuminated the room could she fully see his expression. Perhaps he had none at all.

He was always quiet when he left the room. This time was no different. And so, in the silent darkness of the room, she was always left to wonder if she had only been in the grip of a powerful dream.

-0-

When Pent didn't visit his wife at night, it was usually because he was researching; he had written a paper that had been rejected due to insufficient analysis, so he was currently working on edits he had solicited from his former professors back at Pére Magie. It was tedious work however much he loved researching the different magic systems, and because it could only be done after the day's work of being an attentive count, he found himself working by lamplight long into the night. As summer began to taper off into the harvest season of early autumn and his paper still refused to be finished, he had started to consider going to his office to work on it even on nights after leaving Louise, which admittedly sounded like a terrible idea.

This night he had only kissed Louise goodnight after dinner together, so his mood was well-moderated as he returned to his office to continue the edits. Perhaps an hour in he heard a knock at his door. It was odd for him to receive guests at night, as Raike finally worked at normal hours again and Louise liked to sleep early, so it was with a bit of curiosity when he called out, "Come in!"

Nestor came in, but what made Pent raise an eyebrow was the tea tray balanced on one of the former mercenary's broad hand. "What's this?" Pent asked, leaning forward on his elbows; novelties were his hidden weakness, and he had been over-thinking his last paragraph anyway.

"Tea," Nestor said, approaching the desk with all the quiet grace of...well, of Nestor. Their ordeal on the Western Isles was not one easily forgotten by any of those who had survived it, and Pent could still easily recollect even his men's quirks, small and large. Light-footed and experienced, Nestor had been like a shadow to Pent during their troop's abandonment by the exiled former knight general. He was also maddeningly stoic, which was why Pent was now quite interested in his friend's visit.

"Thank you," Pent said as Nestor set up the tea, taking the cup that was offered to him. "I must admit this is a surprise."

Shrugging, the other man waited until Pent had a sip before drinking his own tea. "I notice your lights when I do my rounds. This time I decided to visit."

The sincerity in Nestor's straightforward manner truly touched Pent. "You should visit more often, then. The company would be well-appreciated."

"You're working."

"Not on official business, if that's what you're worried about," Pent said, slightly smiling. "It's my...well, more than a mere hobby. This is the only time of the day I can work on my research."

Nestor seemed to consider this, as he left his tea untouched while Pent finished his cup and refilled it. "Two nights a week?"

Pent coughed at this, thankful for the low light to hide his warming face. "There are other things I like to attend to. Anyway, how are you enjoying it here? It's been, what, nearly a year since you began to work here? Granted, we had to recover the castle first, but you've really taken to your duties from what I've seen."

Though the way Nestor shrugged seemed nonchalant, Pent thought the older man was actually pleased by his words. "Safer than being a mercenary. Nice to have roots again, a house. The castle city is more lively than the villages."

"I'm glad to hear that," Pent said, touched. "Louise mentioned that you always chaperone her whenever she leaves the castle by herself, even though that isn't your duty. I suppose I could just make the job title official, and knight you while I'm at it."

Nestor's silence seemed deeper than his usual taciturnity, if the length of it was any indication. "A common mercenary, a knight?"

"You aren't really a mercenary anymore, though I appreciate your skills. You've been a soldier both to Etruria as well as Reglay. Why not accept the rewards that come with loyal service?"

The silence stretched for a while, in which time Pent had managed another cup and Nestor moved on to a second. "I have no reason to decline. Others will say it is undeserved."

"And how do you feel about it?" Pent asked. Nestor sighed, a puff of released tension.

"Strange. Will you be okay?"

"I am Count Reglay," said Pent, and as soon as he did a feeling of chagrin skittered inside him; even when he was working on his life's first passion, his title superseded that. It annoyed him because he thought himself as more than his blood-right, but when it came down to it everything he had achieved was due to this nebulous noble quality that enriched him and made him more than most. Personally he had never felt enriched by it, only by the magic power he bore, or by Louise's presence, or to be friend and helper to others. Though he had discovered pride for his noble duty in the years since his father had passed away, he still believed it could never be the whole of him compared to these treasures.

But to others, it was the world...wasn't it?

"I am Count Reglay," Pent repeated, "and I'll be fine, thank you."

-0-

When she was asked to, Louise would visit with the wives, sisters, and daughters of the city nobles and gentry by carriage on a weekday afternoon, usually for afternoon tea, then take walks along the city streets afterward. At these times either Amy would be at her side, or Sir Nestor would stalk behind her as she window-shopped, talked to shopkeepers and little children, and tried to find it in herself a feeling of being at home. Though she had lived here for months upon months while trying to protect Lord Pent's name and heritage, those had been tiring times for her; no real pleasure had been gained as she stumbled from one embarrassing meeting to another. Now, as Countess Reglay, she found that she commanded, if not respect, then a desire to please from the blue-blooded denizens of the castle city, but she had still not found true and pure friendship.

But it was not as if she were unhappy. Celia's responses to her letters were slow but sincere, Amy was a lovely companion, and Sophie was charming and sweet. And then there was Lord Pent...

She glanced at him now, admiring his profile as discreetly as she could while his attention was riveted to the stage below. On one of her walks she had discovered a playbill for what Lord Pent had once told her was his favorite musical, and brought it to his attention at dinner. Since he was often very busy she hadn't wanted to interfere with his duties, but this time Louise could not but help to encourage the idea of an outing; thankfully, he was quite agreeable to the suggestion. Of course, Lord Pent was always agreeable, but she could sense real enthusiasm from him this time. Added to this was the pleasant figure he made in his elegant attire, and the admiring glances he gave to her evening dress, its color that of a dark rose and her shoulders almost completely bare once she had removed her fur-lined velvet cape - though the neckline itself was only moderately daring, no matter that it was sparsely studded with small diamonds that sparkled in the light. She loved seeing his eyes light up with undisguised pleasure, because it was so very nice to be looked upon in such a way.

His glance at her interrupted these thoughts of hers, though she only smiled at him when he turned to look at her full-face. "Am I more interesting than the stage?" he spoke in low tones, though he needn't have in their private box. Louise only smiled more widely at this.

"Of course you are, my dear Lord Pent," she said with an unsuppressed giggle. "I so like to spend time with you."

Lord Pent smiled, honest and open and incomparably charming, before reaching for one of her gloved hands. "I feel the same, naturally. We don't spend enough time together as is."

"But that's what makes an outing like this especially sweet, wouldn't you say?" Louise replied, running her thumb along the knuckles of his bare hand. His touch was warm enough to seep through her silk gloves despite the bracing autumn night, the gift of his magical potential. His hand was well-formed, his fingers long and graceful, and the continuing frame of her thoughts were enough to send a pleasurable shiver through her.

It seemed, though, that Lord Pent had not noticed the direction of her thoughts; in fact, he looked a little more serious than she would have liked. "If you would like, we can go out more. We've invitations enough for that."

"But you don't like it," she said in a reasonable tone. "And you have your paper that you still haven't sent off."

Now he looked mildly distressed. "Please don't remind me about it. Being away on the Western Isles for so long has degraded my writing. Lately I've been doubting whether I should bother to send it again."

"It wasn't as if you had been vacationing there," said Louise not for the first time, though she was smiling. Lord Pent had every right to his anxieties, but her total faith in his ability could not recede so easily. "Your works had been published when you were as young as fourteen, and you are so much more experienced now. Correct?"

"...Perhaps so, Louise," and though his tone was not encouraging, the smile he bestowed upon her was a treasure. "Shall we leave?"

Is he now inspired to research again? Louise wondered, her feelings complex and not wholly pleasant at that. "But," she started, trying to moderate her disappointment, "wouldn't you like to finish the musical? It's your favorite."

His hand had been in hers; now, he turned it over and squeezed one of her hands. "You're my favorite," he said in tones of the deepest fondness, before an odd look crossed his face and he half-covered his face with his unoccupied hand. "Hm, that was a little..."

It was always very adorable whenever Lord Pent was verbally less reserved than he ought normally to be, because Louise knew he only ever tried to be so open to her. She wondered - what had he inspired in her? With a smile, she stood, nearly pulling him up with her. "Shall we go, then?" she murmured.

"Of course," he responded, letting go of her hand in order to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her close to him. For a long moment he held her in this way in their darkened theater box, to which Louise allowed herself the pleasure of pressing her face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it quickened at her touch. Then he leaned his head down, so that his lips just touched the top of her ear. "Your room then, Louise?"

A flicker of something trembled in her chest, but it was not wholly pleasure, nor desire. It was a warm feeling edged with a small, quiet fear, because soon enough he would be leaving her and she would have to wonder what was so noble and good about sleeping alone, his heat fading from her body no matter how much she wrapped herself in blankets.

It surprised her; she felt like a small child jealously guarding her time with her favorite person, except she was already almost eight-and-ten and a wife too. Or did that just mean that a child's feelings and an adult's were not oceans across in distance, or even shallows-wide?

She smiled ruefully to herself, for it was such a small thing to be bothered about when Lord Pent was so attentive and gentle. "Yes, Lord Pent," she said into his chest as she closed her eyes. "Yes..."

-0-

"Milord, there is a visitor for you."

Pent started; he had been pages-deep into making his corrections on the contract drafted by his clerks for new vineyard licenses and actually making good time to be finished by dinner. Evening was coming fast, his west-facing office lit in sunset colors, but it was only now that he had been able to notice its beauty. It made him wish he could take his daily walks for communing with nature in the evening and not the morning, when he was hardly awake enough to appreciate it.

"Milord?"

He shook his head. Lately his concentration had been a fleeting thing. "Who is it?"

"Lady Jacqueline Vassey of House Seine," the footman announced grandly. Pent frowned; he had an idea why the lieutenant-general of the mage division of the Etrurian army would come to visit, and to be honest he hadn't given it too much thought about it due to his own many duties.

"I see," he said, his tone dry. "Please invite her in."

The footman, whose gray hair and mustache signified his seniority in the position and therefore must have had an advanced sense of propriety, seemed to pause. "Into the drawing room, milord?"

Oh, but it's hardly a social visit, Pent did not say. Instead, he folded his hands in front of him on his desk. "In here, if you would. And please find my wife and bring her here immediately."

There was that pause again, though this time it seemed more like the footman had flinched. "The countess is currently at the archery range. Perhaps she should be given time to prepare -"

"No need to worry about it," Pent said with a little more force than he would have preferred. "In fact, it would be more appropriate if she is in her archery attire."

Looking more than a little confused - for which Pent felt sorry for him, having to perform against his professional duty - the footman left the room. After glancing down at the contract in front of him, he decided that perhaps another day would only improve the clauses. Lately he'd been feeling as if any progressive thoughts he had about the function of certain legal mechanisms were fated to be held up by the law clerks, including his own steward, for months. He supposed change was not something to be pushed in within a day, but certainly his opinion counted for something?

"Lady Jacqueline Vassey," announced a far younger footman as he held the door open for the lieutenant-general, who wore her military uniform sans armor and with an inscrutable expression. Her dark brown hair was loose as if it were her one allowance to express her noble femininity, but Pent wondered if she didn't look more impressive when she was fully her job title than her noble one. While he and Louise were visiting during their honeymoon he remembered seeing her appear at the fetes at court on behalf of her family, a look of perpetual displeasure on her face as she stalked around in layers and yards of fine muslin and silks. Louise always looked at ease whether she wore elegant dresses or hunting gear...ah, was it terrible of him to compare other women to Louise when he would always find them lacking?

Thankfully, the lieutenant-general could not read his mind and have just cause for offense. She bowed her head to him. "Count Reglay, an honor."

"It's all mine, Lady Jacqueline," Pent said as he rose from his seat. "Please, sit."

"No, my reason for visiting is a brief one, or else I would have sent my card ahead..." She trailed off as it seemed something occurred to her, then bowed again. "Actually, if it will not take too much of your time, I would like to sit." She did so, her back straight against the backing of her chair, impressing Pent not for the first time on her military precision. Pent sat down, trying to take in as much of his visitor as possible. Other than her perfect posture and her expressionless face looking just off-center from his face, there was nothing to notice; indeed, she was making him uncomfortable the longer neither of them said anything...

"Well then," Pent said, diverting his gaze to the grain of the door past her, "I have an idea what this is about, but I don't wish to be presumptuous..."

The lieutenant-general nodded. "Yes, there is only the one thing. Regarding your recruitment, have you decided -"

The door opened. "Countess Reglay," the older footman now announced, his head bowed as Louise, endearing as ever in her simple archery outfit with a small cape over her shoulders for warmth, her quiver draped over her hip and her strung bow over one shoulder, more or less bounded into the room.

"Oh!" his wife exclaimed, a smile broadening on her lovely face as she brought one gloved hand to her lips. "Lady Jacqueline! How good of you to visit! Oh, I shall get tea ready -"

"Louise," Pent said, unable to help his own smile as his wife spun one way, then the other at the sound of his voice, her tail of blond hair flying over one shoulder to the other. "You needn't worry. I want you present for this discussion."

Louise looked curious, if her wide eyes and parted lips meant anything, but then she smiled. "All right. We can have tea after this business, then." She sat next to the lieutenant-general, adjusting her chair to face them equally before removing her bow and placing it in her lap.

"...Well then," the lieutenant-general said; Pent thought that she looked more cautious, something of equal parts confusion and suspicion in her dark eyes. "Put simply, I would like to hear your answer regarding our proposal. Your reputation has risen greatly after your ordeal on the Western Isles, and the opinions of those who served under you were generally quite high. You have showed yourself to be a capable leader, able to rise up during adversity. We would like you to continue and strengthen our military."

Pent nodded. "Yes. Against who?"

"Pardon?"

"Who are we strengthening the military against? Not the Western Isles, surely."

The lieutenant-general looked straight at him, her expression tight. "I am not privy to that information, Count Reglay."

Bewildered, Pent said, "But you are the lieutenant-general of the mage division. The only one higher is your father."

"Yes. You see, I am not the mage general. There is quite a lot of information I am not privileged to know, such as who will be the successor to the knight generalship now that it is open. Perhaps you are familiar with someone who knows more than I do on that manner." Her tone was flat, expressing a certain sardonic wit that Pent was only familiar with in himself. It was not a gratifying feeling to have it aimed at him. "In times like this, the mage division must stand more firmly to cover the weaknesses of its brother divisions. If you require enemies to fight before you can agree, then you have very little idea what it means to have a standing army."

Very quietly, Louise said, "I don't know what it means to have one."

"...Hm." At first the lieutenant-general looked stricken, as if she thought she had been rude, then her natural forthright look returned. Pent wasn't sure why until she said, "That would almost certainly have to be false, Lady Louise. You are familiar with Count Alloway, who does keep knights though his land is peaceful. No, it is because of the reputation of the count to use his army to the fullest to protect his investments that Alloway County enjoys such prosperity."

"I understand, but I do not agree," Louise replied. Pent saw that her hands were in her lap, and they were clenched tight. "Uncle Aramis is protecting his people, not investments. And it is because of those people that Alloway does well."

"A little more than well, though I'm sure you know the numbers better than I do. It is the richest county in Etruria, after all." The lieutenant-general's gaze slid to meet Pent's for the briefest of moments. "Reglay does have the greatest reputation, on the other hand. It is too bad prior counts were very free allowing the king to house titled nobles into this land, though."

I know they're parasites too, there's no need to tell me, Pent thought in undisguised annoyance. Out loud he said, "Let's not stray from the issue at hand. I have considered the recruitment, but I am very busy with my duties as is. And, I can't say my last stint with the army has made me interested in joining of my own volition."

"Are you sure?" asked the lieutenant-general, leaning forward with interest in her eyes. "I do not believe you. Certainly you found the corruption edifying. I as well find it instructive whenever it appears, because it strengthens my own resolve to be an incorruptible leader. In this way we inspire our soldiers to be proud of their duty and to serve their country well, for they will be treated fairly and with dignity in return. I know you wish the same. Everyone has mentioned how you treated the pegasus knights as though they were equal to our own."

Pent frowned. "They are equal, Lady Jacqueline."

"Correct. That is exactly the sort of officer I want under my command." The lieutenant-general spread her arms as she leaned back, a very deliberate gesture that Pent didn't understand. "I can bargain. What would you like?"

Pent noticed Louise was staring at him, then the bow in her lap. Well, that was why he had asked for her presence to begin with. "Louise," he started, watching her gaze snap upward to meet his, "what would you like?"

"I want to be by your side, Lord Pent," his wife said with no hesitation; he thought he would color at the twist of bright emotion inside him that was his singular reaction to her words. "May I, Lady Jacqueline?"

There was no immediate change of expression on her face. "This is an unusual request. Do you mean you wish to be placed in the archery division?" Louise smiled and shook her head at this.

"No, I wish to protect Lord Pent. I have no interest in military endeavors besides that."

Pent watched the lieutenant-general closely but could not find even a single hint as to what she was thinking. Truth be told, he was willing to join the mage division; he even believed he could do good there. However, the question of Louise had to be answered, and because of that he had delayed and tarried to provoke this response. That the lieutenant-general was able to see Louise not in her ballroom finery but as a woman skilled and ready to enter battle was a happy coincidence. Though he was not fond of the idea, it had been her bridal promise, and even years later Louise's conviction had not wavered - to be her equal, neither could his.

"I respect that you made a promise to protect your lord husband," the lieutenant-general finally said, her expression still very controlled. "I do. The logistics behind allowing you to enter our division are, as you can imagine, somewhat troublesome. Firstly, you are not a mage. Therefore, you cannot enter training sessions, which he will have to attend. Secondly, I assume you have no military experience. I am certain you have skill enough, but it is different to aim your arrows at another human being on the battlefield."

A tremor seemed to run through Louise's frame, but before Pent could say anything - insofar that he knew what to say in the first place - she pursed her lips and nodded. "But it is necessary to protect him."

Still the lieutenant-general's expression did not change; indeed, he thought he saw it harden. "If you say so. However, there is still another thing you need to consider. What if you are pregnant?"

Pent went still. They'd only been married for about half a year, and for all the talk of fulfilling his duty by having his wife bear an heir he had to admit that he simply hadn't considered that they would be having children anytime soon. He certainly hadn't been visiting Louise at night just for the sake of an heir, or even at all for an heir. Looking at Louise's blushing face, he wondered if she had been the same way, or if she was always thinking about children. Certainly she was always receptive, but they were newlyweds, and...

"We-ll, I'm not...in that condition just yet," Louise said to her lap more than the lieutenant-general. "I'm not sure what I will do when I am, but that is not now."

"Lady Louise, please." The lieutenant-general leaned towards Louise; Pent thought she looked almost friendly, in a quiet way. "You are Countess Reglay. You must think of it, and be prepared. For you, it is only a matter of when. I admire your passion in keeping your vow, but soon enough you will be a mother. So you must think..." She paused, then shook her head. "Forgive my impertinence."

"No, no," Louise replied, now smiling as she reached out and touched the lieutenant-general's knee. "I'm so very happy for your regard, and I appreciate your concern. But for now, while I am still able, please allow me to accompany my husband. I know it is an uncommon, perhaps unheard-of request, but I request it all the same."

The lieutenant-general looked to him, her face bare and white, a considering look in her eye. One side of her mouth slanted upward. "And I am certain that Count Reglay likes nothing more than the uncommon. Well, that is fine. And your answer, sir?"

Pent half-smiled; what could he possibly contest of the lieutenant-general's words? "I am yours to command, Lady Jacqueline. I'll arrange my affairs accordingly to be available when necessary. Just let me know ahead of time."

The lieutenant-general stood. "I only ask that you refer to me by my title. There are no ladies in the Etrurian army."

"All right," Pent said easily. "I only think of you as the lieutenant-general, anyway." And, by the way she smiled, revealing her even, white teeth, he knew the lieutenant-general was more pleased by such an admission than any number of recruits.

-0-

Lord Pent has such nice hair, Louise mused as he slept, his breathing even and slow against her chest while she ran her fingers through his hair. It was not soft, nor was it silky, but it had a fineness to it that was pleasing to the touch. It now reached his chin all around, but he was hardly going to talk to her about his hair care regiment anymore than she would him, though she hoped to see it grow even longer since it fit the shape of his face so well. And she so liked the look of it hanging down from his face when he was raised above her...

She sighed, not meaning anything by it other than the slow dissolution of tension that had drawn her body taut for a moment. Since returning to Reglay Castle, it felt as though the only time she could truly be with Lord Pent were these nights in her room, little buddings of happiness when everything in her heart craved for more. And she thought that...that she did deserve more. She could see it plainly that she was being put in her place, just another event in Lord Pent's day, and she did not like it one bit. But she knew that to demand more made her lesser in the eyes of Reglay, the monolith Reglay, that great big house of one person and thirty-thousand dependents. She knew it because sometimes she would think of plans for her and Lord Pent to be together during the daytime and Amy, who she always told these plans to, always looked so perturbed, as if even thinking these things was troublesome to him as it were!

Was she being troublesome? Was she really that much of annoyance without doing anything at all? Amy would only ever tell her to concentrate on having a child, that it was for now her great duty, but the thought of having a child right now did not have the shine that she had imagined it would have. Little doubts nagged at Louise, ones that made her wonder if she would be able to raise that child as her mother had raised her.

She pressed her face into Lord Pent's hair, holding him more tightly to her as she fought against the cold, desolate feeling creeping into her chest. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to run away, so very far away, with nothing but Lord Pent at her side. She wanted more, more, much more than this!

There was a tightening of his arm around her waist, his hand pressed against her back, as Lord Pent roused himself from his slumber. Louise pulled away from him, embarrassed now and afraid she'd disturbed him by clinging to him too much - a worrisome metaphor - but he was still holding onto her as he looked up at her, his light eyes and his sincere smile visible to her in the moonlight. "Louise?"

She tried to return his smile. "Y-yes?"

He seemed to be waiting for something, for he didn't speak at first, so Louise kissed him with all the chasteness of the maiden she once was, then drew away when he responded only minutely to this. Looking at his face afterward, she had the feeling his expression would be just as difficult to read in full daylight. "You didn't go to sleep," he said. It was an odd statement, she thought.

"No."

His expression was still clouded by more than the lack of light. "Hm," he said in a quiet tone. "You must find it difficult to sleep when I'm here."

"Lord Pent?" Louise whispered, unsure of his meaning. She understood it in full a moment later, when he began to remove himself from her.

"I am sorry," he said, before he rose to sit up in her bed. "I know you like to sleep in early, and yet I can't seem to limit my visits..."

"But why must you limit them?" Louise asked in a rush of words as she rose to sit behind him, the cold of the room clashing with her bare skin. "I like being with you. How could the amount of sleep I get be more important?"

"Well, I...I don't really know." And after that he said nothing at all, and his back was still to her and there was certainly little she could communicate with that. Out of a feeling that was as small and fragile as helplessness, Louise reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his back.

"I don't like this," she admitted in a quiet voice.

His words seemed to reverberate through his body and against hers when he asked, "What is it that you don't like?"

She closed her eyes for a moment; the darkness was very nearly the same. "How could all noble marriages turn this way and lead to happiness? You have so many duties and I am not allowed to help you or see you at all, even. I am only allowed to really be with you at this time, and only for a short while..." Louise sighed, troubled by her own words. "I don't wish to be a burden to you, but is this really what we struggled so long to meet each other again for?"

Lord Pent was turning to face her even while encircled in her arms, so reluctantly she loosened her embrace. In response, he put his arm around her shoulders. "I see," he said, his tone odd but she could not see the details of his face to discover the reason for herself. "I do apologize. I'm not quite familiar with how an ideal marriage should be. All I knew was that everything seemed regimented, but I suppose everything follows my schedule. What would you like, Louise? I think I told you before, but there are always invitations we could attend." He kissed her ear through her loose hair. "I'd like to see you in more dresses."

Gladdened by the compliment, still Louise could not help but still feel the curls of dissatisfaction tremble over her heart. "But you are always so busy. Even if you've finished your new draft, there are always things you must attend to about the county, more magic to research, and now the commandership in the army..." She drifted, wondering why she was building a wall between them with these words, even if they were the truth. Was she being unreasonable by speaking such reasonable words?

"That is true," Lord Pent said, his tone calm. "Then I will make sure that you are allowed in my office at anytime you please, even if I should be in a meeting, for as long as you like. Of course, I'll have to tell Raike that this is because you'll be in charge while I'm off training. He'll have to accept that, and I'm sure he'll appreciate it. But in actuality..." Louise smiled when he leaned in and kissed her, a mirror of her own chaste kiss given earlier, though he lingered far longer than any maiden would dare. "Does this meet your approval, Louise?" he murmured against her lips.

"Yes...yes," she replied in-between his fervent kisses. "Dear Lord Pent...sweet Lord Pent..." Her hands roamed, from his face and hair to his shoulders, to his chest and further down before rising upward again, too occupied by the heat of his mouth to care about very much at all until she'd pulled him down with her on the bed. "Lord Pent, please stay with me..." she whispered.

"Of course," he mumbled against her neck. She bit her lip, her mind clouded in the most wonderful haze.

"Oh, but...you must stay with me forever..."

She felt him lift himself off her, his forearms on either side of her head and his face above hers when she, with the greatest reluctance, opened her eyes. "In this room? I have a feeling some might complain," he said, his voice warm with humor. With the utmost gentleness, he kissed her cheek. "But I am tempted," he continued, and she didn't need any sort of light to know that he was smiling, and doing so with nothing less than joyful openness.

A lovely feeling bubbled inside her, and whatever the parts were the combined total was nothing less than the bright giddiness of laughter. It was a feeling that could not be quelled; no, indeed, it should not ever be ended or silenced. It was formed from the very best of realizations - that no matter what happened, she could trust in the bond they were forging as husband and wife. Perhaps it was a thin series of links right now, but it would grow - oh, how it would grow!

And they would grow in turn - oh, how they would grow.

-epilogue-

It was the crash that woke him up, a great clashing too alike to the sound of metal against metal, sword to axe. Pent had been trained in battle, against guerrilla warfare, and though there was a pattern to the Western Isles resistance's attacks, they could be taken unawares. That was why, in the same instant the sound had registered, he had already grabbed the tome on the table beside him and sat up, ready to cast as soon as he opened his eyes.

Then he actually opened his eyes, and found a wide-eyed maid in front of his bed. Although, when he thought about it, this wasn't his bed, was it...

Another maid ran in, stared at him for a brief moment, then with a red face hurried to pick up the tea tray and broken tea instruments before pushing the first maid out of the room. The door slammed behind them.

Dumbfounded, he looked to Louise, who was also sitting up, holding the blanket demurely over her chest, and realized that the second maid's embarrassment was certainly his fault. Then he looked to the tome he had grabbed and read its title with some disbelief: The Adventures of a Brave Knight in Service to His Wandering Lord.

"Somehow, I imagined you read Saint Elimine's words every night before going to bed," he mused, privately mortified enough by the recent series of events that he wasn't above teasing his wife. "Just like the image of the sweet country Lighter Eliminean girl I thought I'd married."

Louise pouted at him, though her tousled hair and clouded eyes blunted much of the irritation he thought she was surely feeling. "I like adventure novels," she huffed, "and in any case I'm sure you didn't marry me for what you imagined my look to resemble."

This was true; reality was much better than whatever he could've imagined. He glanced up from the curve of hip her blanket didn't hide and smiled at her, though she wasn't looking at him. "You're right, of course. But if that scene is going to be a reoccurring one, perhaps we should sleep in my room from now on?"

-end-

Is there something about this serial that you like or dislike? I would love to hear your thoughts! When no one says anything, I can only take that as an expression that there is absolutely nothing worthwhile to the words I write. I was greatly enthusiastic about creating this serial, but if there really is nothing about it that evokes anything in you, the reader, then I will stop this serial with the fifth theme, which is the last of the completed stories I have at this time.

The next theme will be up on 1/18!