Karigan slipped into the king's private dining room earlier than the appointed time. She knew Zachary would be here, fretting or hovering, and doing work as a cover until everyone arrived. The door clicked shut softly behind her and Zachary jerked in his seat at the table. Karigan snorted at the shocked look on his face and sighed when she saw the small stack of papers sitting on top his place setting.

"What?"

"I knew it," Karigan chuckled and pulled a chair around the table to sit next to him.

"Knew what?" He glowered at her, but the look didn't hold much weight.

"That you'd be here, panicking, and working."

Zachary breathed a soft chuckle and tossed his paper onto the stack. "I tried to…I thought I could distract…." He trailed off with a sigh and looked down right pitiful.

Karigan chuckled and slipped her hand along his cheek. Zachary turned into her touch and she gripped the back of his neck, her thumb rubbing along his jaw. "You should not worry," she spoke softly.

Zachary gripped her hand. "I know. That doesn't mean I don't want his approval all the same."

He looked so worried. Karigan felt nothing but warmth and love for this man as he sat there worrying over whether her father would like him. She smiled at him. This kind man she loved so much. Karigan pulled Zachary close by her hand on his neck and kissed him soundly. She pressed her lips to his, deepened it slowly. Lips and teeth and tongue. Her hand slipped from his neck into his hair and after a gently tug, pulled away out of breath and with heavy eyes. Zachary watched her with his own heavy eyes and parted lips.

"What was that for?"

She smiled and leaned back in her chair, creating some distance Karigan desperately needed now. "I love you. And I appreciate your efforts with my father. And," Karigan shrugged one shoulder and smiled. "I wanted to kiss you."

Zachary laughed and slumped in his chair. "You're making this very difficult."

"This?" she asked with feigned innocence. Karigan left her seat and sat across his legs, draping both arms around his shoulders. "What is 'this'?"

Zachary slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight. "Woman…." He growled softly and buried his nose in her neck. He breathed deep and squeezed her waist, pressing her tight against him. Karigan chuckled low in her throat and pressed her lips to his hair line. Her skin was flushed and there was a pressing need she was having a hard time silencing. It coiled tight and low, and Karigan was intimately aware of her chest pressed against his.

"This is new," Zachary whispered into her neck even as he tightened his grip on her hips.

"Hmm," Karigan hummed. "I have wished and waited for a long time. My willpower is growing thin."

Zachary chuckled breathlessly and pulled back enough look into her eyes. "This is not helping my own."

Karigan hummed again and pressed her lips to his temple. Zachary's hands left her hips and dragged upward along her ribs. Karigan sighed a long breath and pressed hard against him.

"Plus," he murmured into neck, "your father should be arriving soon."

Karigan laughed and it broke the tension coiling between the two. "Oh," she laughed, "can you even picture his face if he walked in now?"

"I'd rather not. I can't imagine I would survive the wrath that would follow."

Karigan continued to chortle and slipped back into her own chair. "How mortifying!" Her laughter died down. Zachary's face was flushed and her skin still felt too tight and too hot.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "I'll behave."

Zachary chuckled. "I've never known you to be one that behaved."

Karigan opened her mouth for a haughty response only to be stopped by a brisk knock on the door and it opening in quick succession.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, I hope I am not too early." Stevic spoke from the doorway.

Karigan clapped her mouth shut and felt her face go from hot to boiling red. Silently she prayed her thanks to the gods her back was to the door. Zachary cleared his throat, but not before casting a pointed look at Karigan and standing.

"No, sir. Perfect timing."

The tension, the want that had built up but was denied erupted into hysteria. She could feel the laughter bubbling up in her chest. Karigan tried to hold back the laugh only to snicker behind her hand. Zachary moved to greet Stevic and swatted her shoulder as he passed, which did nothing but make her snicker harder. It was a release. Not that one she wanted but it was a release of the tension coiling inside her.

"I hope I haven't interrupted." Stevic asked from behind her, "are you alright, Kari?"

Karigan took a deep breath and cleared her throat and smothered her giggles. She stood and moved her chair back into its place. "No, no. I'm fine. We were just—" Karigan felt the giggle creeping back up her throat. "I'm fine."

Zachary raised his eyebrows at her as if to say, "are you really?"

Karigan cast him a quick look before stuffing her hands into her pockets. "I'm fine."

Stevic cast looks between the two of them before nodding suspiciously.

"They should be brining in the food any moment now, let's sit." Zachary gestured to the table.

Karigan took a deep breath and turned to the table. The hysterics seemed to have finally passed and for that she was grateful. Karigan reached for her chair only for Zachary to reach it first and pull it out for her. Karigan cast him a side eye and she slid into the offered chair. Zachary gathered his papers and tossed them onto the unused chair. Stevic seated himself on the opposite end of the table across from Zachary.

A servant arrived with a decanter of brandy almost as if by silent cue and filled their glasses. Karigan took a long drink from it and ignored the look her father was casting her.

"How are your babies?" Karigan asked once she set the glass back down.

Zachary smiled. "They are happy. F'ryan is turning into quite the talker; always chittering and chirping at the things he sees. Little Laren is a quiet one but I think she's going to be mischievous. She makes such faces at things."

Karigan couldn't stop the smile erupted. She had been there when Zachary had told Laren he'd finally settled on a name for his girl. Laren's face had been a mixture of shock, joy, and confusion. It wasn't a look Karigan was used to seeing on her steadfast mentor.

"She has expressive eyebrows." Karigan agreed just as servants entered with trays off food.

They were silent as the food was passed around and placed on plates. Stevic cast cautious glances between the two of them. Karigan ignored his looks and started in on her dinner. Zachary was equally quiet, but not in a strained way. They'd grown into a familiar habit with these dinners and silent stretches while they ate was normal and peaceful. They let the silence grow as they ate, Stevic eating slowly with watchful eyes at the end of the table.

"How was your meeting?" Zachary asked around a mouthful of bread.

Karigan grunted and tried not to roll her eyes. "Long. A few of the new recruits are having…." Karigan grunted again, "issues adjusting to rules. It was an interesting meeting with Drent, to say the least."

Zachary chuckled. "Were you two plotting punishments together?"

"Having experienced most of them I thought it fitting." Karigan snorted and sipped her drink. "He then pestered me on my own training, or what he preserves as lack of training, and we ended in a glowering match that might've scared a few of the youngsters." She shrugged, not all that repentant. They needed a healthy dose of fear, better to learn in now and not in the mud with a practice sword in your face.

"I'm sure," Zachary chuckled. "You have an impressive glower."

Karigan chuckled at him and caught her father watching them carefully from his end of the table. "Da," she said, hoping that bringing him into the conversation wouldn't make it more awkward. "How did you spend the rest of your day?"

"It was…" Stevic set his fork down and wiped his mouth. "I spent the day thinking."

Karigan raised her eyes at him expectantly.

"I'm still thinking. This is a lot to process. A lot…" he paused. "It's a lot."

She tried to hold back her sigh and glanced at Zachary.

"Tell me," Stevic said. "If we're to do this, tell me. When did this start?"

Zachary leaned back in his seat and Karigan grabbed her glass.

"I suppose I don't really know when it started." His words were soft. "She was this strong-willed woman who had the spirit to tell me all I was doing wrong as king. She fascinated me." He glanced at her, sitting quietly to his right. "She intrigued me. And before I knew it I was in love with her."

Karigan smiled softly at him. "Lost Lake. I knew there was something different during the battle at Lost Lake."

Zachary frowned at her softly while he waited for her to elaborate.

"He was going to put an arrow in your chest and all I felt was panic at the thought. I was being tortured by his magic but all I could focus on was his arrow pointed at you."

He reached across and gently gripped her hand before leaning back in his chair. "That is so long. I didn't know it was so long ago," he said softly, no doubt remembering what came after Lost Lake; the hand mirror, Estora, his children. All the time wasted. All the pain.

She shrugged at him, forgetting for the moment her father sat watching them with fixed attention. "What could have been done? Hm? You still could not have married me. And I still wouldn't have allowed for the other option."

"I still feel like a fool for even speaking that."

"What option?" Her father cut in sharply.

Karigan closed her eyes with a silent sigh. When she opened them, she saw Zachary watching her with a look she couldn't quite name.

"What… Option?"

She turned to him, part of her reacting as a daughter to her father, ready to answer his questions. But a larger part of her, the part that answered her father's question, was a woman not willing to speak of private conversations with her lover. "Nothing. It isn't relevant."

Stevic opened his mouth, no doubt to rebuke her, but he must've seen something that made him pause and instead he nodded his head and went back to his dinner before looking back up. "Have you ever been improper with my daughter?"

Karigan snapped her head to her father only to have Zachary tap her hand gently. Her mouth clamped shut with an audible snap.

"No." Zachary said simply.

"And would you ever do anything to hurt her?"

"Never, if I can control it." Zachary squeezed her hand.

Stevic sucked his teeth and leaned back in his chair. "I've never seen you this happy, Kari."

Karigan let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and her shoulders slumped with the release.

"You two…together, here like this. It's so easy between you. Like it was with Kirany and me." Stevic sighed softly. "You have my permission. This was important to you; that I approved. You wanted to do right by her family and I can appreciate that. And, you make her smile so much."

Karigan smiled, smiled so hard her cheeks hurt. She didn't realize how happy her father's approval would make her or how much it meant to her. So much of her life had become fighting for what she wanted that she had forgotten what it was like to not have to. She turned to Zachary, who was smiling as wide as she must've been.

She leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek. "You did good."

Zachary chuckled and looked just so damned proud she had to tell herself not to kiss him again. Gods…she loved him. Too much it seemed sometimes.

"Let's finish dinner and tell me more of these babies of yours," Stevic said and they settled into casual conversation that lasted well into the night.

So. I hope I remember Karigan's mom's name right but I was too tired to research it so... *insert shrugging emoji*

I had fun writing this one. it was a little more steamy than before. Hopefully ya'll like it and I can get the next up soon!