A/N: Brief mention of sexual scene. Also, don't murder me for the emotions in this.

He watched her rituals, sitting upright in their bed. She brushed her hair several times, her lips moving without sound as if she were counting to herself. She drank herbal tea, two glasses of it– "It calms me," she said–and rubbed a sweet-smelling oil into her hands before climbing into bed beside him.

"You haven't asked me your question today, husband," she said in a soft voice, resting her head against the pillow.

He knew he shouldn't waste a question, but then again he had the rest of his life, and the only thing he could think of was: "Who did you pray to in the Temple today?"

Her breath ghosted over his skin as she laughed quietly. "Kynareth mainly."

"Oh?"

"I prayed to the Nines, all of them, for guidance, but in my most dire time of need I turn to Kynareth."

"All?" he asked skeptically.

Aveline smiled and said, "Yes, husband, even Talos." He took a few moments to let it sink in, and she rolled onto her side. "Would you mind blowing out the candle, Vilkas?"

He did as she asked, throwing the room into darkness, and felt the bed shift as she made herself comfortable and pulled the covers over her frame. Within minutes, her breathing had evened out and she was asleep at his side. He sighed, laying down and trying to force himself to relax. How could she do that? He envied it, the ease with which she slept.

How was it possible for someone to be beautiful as they slept? He could see her dimly from the light cast through the window by the moon. The line of her jaw, the curve of her neck, the swell of her breasts...He didn't know how long he stayed like that, watching her. It was exactly as it was the night before; his fingertips traced her body, his eyes following, and by the Gods she was beautiful.

He rested for a few hours only, waking to find he was still facing her. The moon was sinking in the sky, signaling it was early morning and the sun would rise soon. He had not slept away the tension, he realized, as his desire flared forth full force.

She shifted in her sleep, and one of her delicate arms brushed across his hip. He swallowed thickly and stared at her face for any signs of alertness as he scooted his body closer to her. He moved a lock of her hair that had fallen in her face, and her eyelids moved as if she were awakening. He reacted before he could talk himself out of it, pressing his lips to hers and letting out a hearty groan at the electricity the touch produced.

"Vilkas," she whispered, eyelids fluttering. She tilted her head up to follow his lips and he flinched away. "What's wrong?"

It had been so long since he'd lain with anyone, his body was screaming at him to give in, and he began to hungrily kiss her again. "This is wrong."

She lifted her hand to his face and that broke the spell. He tore himself off of her, lurching to the other side of the room towards the door, stumbling in the dark. She called his name but he did his best to block her out, one hand outstretched in search of the doorknob. He heard a whisper of a word he didn't understand and the room was bathed in candlelight. He spun around, coming face to face with her, a slightly dazed expression on her face. She was frowning ever so slightly, just a small ripple between her brows. She looked up at him, her eyes large and more open than he'd ever seen.

"Don't tempt me right now," he said sourly. "It would be a mistake."

"Mistake in what way?" she asked, her voice quiet.

He didn't answer her, ruffling his hair. He didn't like this, didn't like the feeling her eyes were giving him. He didn't like that all of a sudden she had the potential to seem vulnerable.

"When was the last time?"

He narrowed his eyes at what he perceived to be an accusation. "Before we were married. I told you I would be faithful."

She looked briefly at her hands, turning the gold band on her finger. He hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep with it on. She dropped her arms to her sides, met his eyes once more, and said, "Vilkas, why have you remained faithful?"

"I told you that I would. I keep to my word. Why does it matter? You made it very clear that I was not to expect you to remain true. I know you've taken lovers."

"I haven't," she whispered.

"What?"

"I haven't taken lovers, Vilkas." She settled into a set expression, as if worried he would find her false. "There has been no one else."

He stared at her as if wondering whether or not to believe her. Time passed slowly. He was half tempted to call her bluff, to mention her flirting with Torvar–Only, she hadn't been flirting. She had spurned his advances, hadn't she? She had come over to Vilkas instead, had drawn him away from Ria and taken him home.

Come to think of it, had there ever been a night so far in their union–aside from the initial two week period–where she had been apart from him?

"Yet," he snapped, recovering. "I know you intend to–"

"I don't."

Now he really was at a loss. "Don't toy with me, Aveline, you said–"

She interrupted him yet again. "I said that as a precaution, Vilkas, to protect myself and keep you from feeling any guilt should you decide to take someone. I told you the option was there for you, and I expected you to take it. Never did I imagine..."

"That I was a man of honor?" he seethed. "Of integrity?"

"That isn't how I meant it, Vilkas."

"Then how did you!" Vilkas roared. "Tell me how you meant it, Aveline!"

"I merely wanted," she said, "you to continue with the pleasures you enjoyed previous to married life. I had thought you would resent me for the marriage once you learned my true intentions, I'd thought you would have no desire to consummate our marriage, and you are a man, Vilkas. You have needs which I assumed you would want satisfied by any woman other than me."

He stared at her incredulously, chest heaving. He couldn't believe this woman! She was so frustrating, so logical, so incredibly stupid–

"So you were lying then," he said, trying to clarify. "You haven't taken another, and you don't intend to take another."

"That is correct."

He lifted his chin and boldly said, "Promise me." The relief that flooded him when she told him that there was no one else had shown him that he was in deep trouble with this woman, and he'd be damned if she tried to go back on it now. "Promise me you'll remain true."

She responded quicker than he anticipated, with a nod of her head and a murmur of the word "promise". Vilkas remembered the rings he'd had made, which he had tucked safely away in a little leather pouch in his pack, and briefly considered going to get them for her now. Before he could entertain the thought much longer, however, he found his body had made a different decision for him; he was pressed against Aveline, his mouth on hers while his hands tangled in her hair. He thought for a moment on the intelligence of the action, but any idea of stopping fled his mind when he felt her kissing him back.

He didn't try to walk her backwards to the bed—her character was too graceful for that, it simply wouldn't do. Instead, he simply lifted her in his arms and strode into the bedroom, kicking the door closed and laying her gently on the sheets. She sighed in what he almost mistook for boredom or apathy, but there was a slight smile on her face when he looked at her and her hands tugged lightly at his nightshirt. His blood boiled at her touch, and a thought surfaced in his mind: This is right.

He pulled the thin slip from her body; she shivered as the air came in contact with her bare skin, her arms moving up to cover herself.

"Cold?" he asked, surprised at the low baritone of his voice.

Uncertainty passed over her face and he froze. This was only the second time he had ever seen her lacking confidence–the first being that dreadful time with the bow–and for some reason it just didn't make sense in this situation.

"What?" he whispered. He attempted to pry her arms away from herself, but she shook her head.

"Don't look," she replied softly.

"Why? Are you ashamed?"

"They're…small." She was looking at him, but her eyes held that same fogged look they held earlier, as if she were elsewhere entirely. "I've seen the women you've bedded. You don't like when they're…small."

"Aveline." His gaze narrowed. "Aveline, you frustrating woman, look at me." She did as he said. "Are you telling me that you, you of all people, are insecure about the size of your bust?"

She bristled immediately, as he should have realized she would. "Perhaps you were right, Vilkas. This was a mistake." She pushed him off of him, his body and mind both screaming at him.

"Aveline, wait," he grasped her hand. "Stop. I'm sick of chasing you, Aveline."

She hesitated, but only for a moment before extracting her hand from Vilkas' grip. "I think I'll begin packing. We'll have to leave before noon." She stood, replacing her slip and leaving the room entirely.

Vilkas flopped backwards forcefully, slamming his fist down on the bed, and nearly screamed in frustration. Damn her, damn her, damn her.

A/N: In Aveline's defense, the poor girl is just self-conscious and he didn't exactly reassure her.