He stared at her. It was hard to believe that they had already been married a week. Another week, and his time would be up. He'd have to be back out, performing his knightly duties. And, as he watched her eyelids flutter in her sleep, he realized that he was going to miss her.
Her long brown hair acted like a blanket, protecting her torso from the cold night air. He couldn't believe she was so small. Everything about her physically was petite from her curves to her hands. He had always wanted a tall girl, someone to meet him in the eye. But when he held her, she fit snugly into him, her head tucked into his shoulder, and it made up for it.
He wouldn't call it love. Not yet anyhow. But he couldn't deny that he was happy every time he looked at her, and that she made him smile. He had only a month to get used to her, but she had gradually won his admiration. She wasn't serious at all, except about the people on her lands. She would listen to them patiently, and though she couldn't always come up with a solution, she'd send them away making them feel a little happier. She had eventually broken through his reserves with her jokes, some of them as bawdy as the ones he had heard out on service. And he could tell that she only reserved those jokes for him. Around other nobles, especially his mother, she was quiet, the perfect picture. And through winning his sense of humor, she eventually won him.
She wasn't Kel, and for a while that had bothered him. He couldn't get used to the open humor instead of humor with a wry side. He also couldn't get used to her size. It was also disturbing to be able to read her emotions. But he let himself get used to it. He had to. And everything about her no longer bothered him. He could tell that she liked him a lot and wasn't afraid to show it. Especially that first night. He grinned. He had always thought he would lose his virginity to Kel, and that it would be beautiful. Instead he had lost it to a small brown-haired lady, but the beauty he had imagined was still there. It wasn't awkward, and everything about it had felt right.
He sighed, and felt her stir. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she looked at him with her blue eyes. "Couldn't fall asleep?" she asked, reaching up a slender hand to pull his hair.
He smiled back without saying anything. She snuggled into his arms, and he tucked her head under his chin. "Goodnight," he whispered.
"Goodnight, Cleon," she answered.
He was going to be building a new life with this woman. The thought no longer scared him; he accepted it with open arms. Everything was going to be just fine.
A/N: That was for anyone who felt awful for Cleon like me. I just want him to be happy, so I wrote this. Hope you enjoyed it!