AN: I know I was updating each day but the busy weekend hit. I uploaded a decently long chapter in recompense.

Point of order: The color of King Zachary's hair. While some have described it as red, golden red, brown, blonde, etc; I've picked a color and ran with it. It may be wrong but it is what it is.

Danger Danger: There are body descriptions and an attempted seduction in this chapter. No actual act but you have been warned. Rated M.

Brienne frantically pounded on the heavy door of what seemed to be a small wayside inn, desperately holding up the semi-conscious queen against her side. After a few moments of shuffling, the door opened tentatively to reveal the face of a wizened old woman, who gathered her wool shawl tightly around her shoulders as she peered out, 'What's this noise about?'

Brienne hoisted Karigan up again as she pleaded, 'Please madam, my fellow Rider is sick, can we take shelter here for the night?'

The old woman opened the crack wider, lifting a candlestick out towards Karigan's pale face, 'Och, the poor lass. What are you about, traveling in this sort of weather? Bring her in then.'

The door swung open to reveal a modest sized common room, with a welcoming fire that burned heartily in the simple yet impressive large fireplace. The old woman led them into an unoccupied room, turning down the covers of a decent sized feather bed, 'And yer mounts are nearby?'

Brienne nodded, her eyes trained on Karigan as she hastily yanked off wet clothing. The old woman nodded to herself briskly, 'Aye then, I'll send one of my lads out to tend to them. And I'll be getting some more blankets for this one and a hot toddy I think. I'll be around and you call for Marta should she come about, aye?'

The Weapon gave a grunt in response as she tugged off Karigan's boots, absently hearing the door click behind her. After she managed to remove most of the sodden clothing and tucked the shivering queen beneath the covers, she hovered anxiously as she waited for Marta to return, paying no mind to her own chilled state. Karigan's damp hair lay strewn across the pillows as she tossed in her feverish state, her lips moving in muted syllables. Brienne leaned closer, bracing her hands on the soft mattress to hear Karigan ask almost tearfully as her hands grasped the empty space around her, 'Where is he?'

Hesitantly, Brienne reached out to brush the hair from the younger woman's forehead, her heart clenching in response to the pitiful plea as she whispered sorrowfully, 'I am sorry Majesty, it is only you and I.'

The rustling of the door caused Brienne to lurch back and stand awkwardly to the side as it swung open to admit Marta, her arms laden with a tray and a shy faced girl in tow with a stack of quilts. The old woman set the tray down at the bedside table, looking at Karigan with a critical eye, 'Has she ever been sick out in the cold before?'

Brienne shook her head slightly, 'No, I don't think so.'

Marta scrunched her nose, turning her attention to the tray, 'Some tea, honey, and spirits will add some warmth to her insides, but we better hope she doesn't take to this fever.'

The Weapon gulped, 'And if she does?'

Marta said nothing but gestured for Brienne to assist her in lifting Karigan's head, holding the mug to her lips and pouring a little of the liquid into her mouth. Karigan sputtered but managed to get a few drops down her throat as she dropped her head back to the pillow. Marta crooned, placing a small weathered hand against the queen's brow, 'We won't let the lass go down that road. She's young and hale, she can fight it.'

Brienne sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the covers up higher, her eyes filling with unshed tears as she looked down on her charge with regret, 'I should have seen how bad she was getting. We should have stopped earlier.'

Marta saw the light sheen over the Weapon's eyes and reached over to pat her hand, 'Och now, there be no reason for that. You were rather close to being in a bed yourself. I've treated this sort of thing before, they recover quickly enough.'

Brienne wiped furiously at her eyes, embarrassed by the uncharacteristic show of emotion and nodded briskly at Marta. 'What do I need to do?'

The old woman waved a hand at her absently, 'You are doing it. Keep watch over her, make sure she is warm and drinks a cup of tea every so often.'

Karigan let out another stream of mutterings, again calling out for him, turning her head into her pillow desolately. Marta looked down at her sympathetically, 'Does she have a young man?'

'She does,' was Brienne's quiet response as she reached out to grasp Karigan's hand tightly.

Zachary no longer resembled the king, the soldier, or even the noble born in his Rider garb. With his beard gone and his reddish brown locks shorn short, he seemed years younger to Fastion's eyes, a fact that gave the Weapon small comfort as they passed through the quiet countryside and met other travelers upon the road. Most only nodded in acknowledgement of the two Greenies but none looked close enough to notice the peculiarities of the two men.

True to Mara Brennan's predictions, the weather remained clear yet crisp on their journey but the accumulated inches of heavy and wet snow still impeded their progress. They followed the main roads west, traveling through the rolling open farmland and coming upon the fringes of the heavy forests of L'Petrie. The wind had blown less fiercely through the dense foliage and thus their trek became easier as they fell upon a somewhat well treaded path in the snow.

Occasionally, the sound of ice or a heavy clump of snow falling from a branch would echo against the trunks of the trees or the sound of a hare emerging from its burrow would draw their attention in mild alarm, but all was relatively quiet in the peaceful forest.

They continued in companionable silence in the early afternoon sun, their minds turned towards the possibility of finding shelter soon before the short day ended in a few hours.

It was Fastion's keen eyesight that spotted the small hamlet in the far distance, picking out the stone and rough hewn log buildings against the white backdrop. Directing their mounts forward, they picked their way through the trees until they reached the center of the small settlement.

Zachary dismounted, handing his reins to Fastion as his eyes roved about each building, 'You think this is a likely place?'

Fastion shrugged, 'You can only ask. I know the Riders usually carry special marks of credit for innkeepers and the like for lodgings. There should not be an issue of payment,' he remarked as he removed himself to the ground.

Zachary blew out a long breath and approached one of the larger buildings, Fastion following closely behind. Knocking tentatively, they waited a few moments and listened for signs of occupation. When none were forthcoming, Zachary raised his gloved hand to knock again but the door swung open a crack to reveal a young girl in apron and cap, who regarded them with wide eyes, 'Yes sirs?'

Zachary gave her a reassuring smile, 'Hello. Do you know where my fellow Rider and I can find a place for the night?'

The girl looked beyond him to take in Fastion's slightly intimidating presence and looked back at the king, 'My gran sometimes takes in travelers; I will go fetch her now,' she finished timidly, closing the door abruptly in Zachary's face.

Zachary leaned back in slight surprise and looked back at Fastion with a slight scowl, 'You've scared her.'

Fastion raised an eyebrow and sniffed, 'All I did was look at her.'

The king huffed, 'Smile next time and do not have a stare down with the poor girl; I don't want to spend the night in the open woods.'

The door re-opened, this time revealing a kind-faced old woman who held her arm around the girl, 'You be needing a room for the night?'

Zachary inclined his head respectfully, 'Yes madam, for myself and for my friend,' he said, indicating Fastion. The old woman peered at his face closely with squinted eyes, roaming over Zachary's features with her shrewd gaze. He tried to keep his expression open and guileless but felt as if he had been hauled in front of his grandmother for telling a fib. He offered a hesitant smile, 'If a room is open that is.'

She dropped her gaze and waved them in, pushing open the door, 'Aye, a room I have. The other was let out to two of your Riders.'

Zachary's breath caught in his throat as he looked back to Fastion. The Weapon indicated for him to go in, 'I will see to the horses.'

The king stamped the snow from his boots and carefully ducked his head to enter the warm front room. The old woman frowned as she turned to regard him, 'Best warn you, the younger lass is a bit sick. Fighting a fever, she is.'

Zachary's brow furrowed as he clamped down on the rising worry, 'And when did they arrive?'

'A couple nights ago, just as the storm was dying down,' the old woman answered, 'Poor thing had to be half- carried in by the other girl into bed.'

'Did they say where they had come from?'

'No, but you can ask them yourself,' she said, ushering him to a closed door and knocking gently. A tired female voice called out, 'Yes?'

The old woman replied through the door, 'It's Marta, love. I've got two other Riders just arrived. Can they speak to you?

There was some minor shuffling behind the door, both the king and Marta stepped back as it opened to reveal a haggard looking Brienne who wearily raised her eyes as she closed the door tightly behind her.

Both Weapon and king visibly started when they saw each other. Brienne opened her mouth and closed it abruptly while Zachary's eyes immediately flew up to the closed door. With a soundless cry he bodily moved forward to push Brienne aside. The Weapon held her position and pushed him back, using all her strength to brace herself against the frame, 'You can't see her yet.'

Zachary's amber eyes blazed with fire, 'And I say I can.'

Brienne shook her head stubbornly, slightly shaking as she contradicted her king, 'Not until you are calm, she is still somewhat ill and you might agitate her.'

Marta's eyes flickered between the two of them and listened to their heated exchange, adding her own point of wisdom, 'She's been running a slight fever and you'll not ruin my efforts in keeping it down.'

Zachary expelled a hasty breath, 'What do the two of you imagine I am going to do to her? Throttle her? Please, I just want to see-', he gulped down the words my wife, '-I want to see that she is alright. That she is safe.'

Brienne narrowed her eyes as she gauged the raw emotion in his, noting the drawn and sorrowful cast to his expression. She stood straighter and lowered her arms from the frame, 'For a little bit.'

Zachary's shoulders sagged in slight relief and he moved to open the door latch but Marta's voice cut into his thoughts, 'You can't be going in there with her naked as a jaybird!'

He cast a side glance at Marta, both eyebrows raised in slight ire as he opened the door defiantly, despite her look of scandalized outrage. He shut the door firmly behind him, closing his eyes and listening to Brienne attempt to placate the flustered woman.

A small voice whispered into the stillness of the room, 'It didn't take you long to find me.'

Zachary opened his eyes, his chest constricting painfully as he saw Karigan tucked under a mountain of blankets, her face only a little pale as she regarded him seriously. He approached the bed quietly and sat down on the edge, his eyes never leaving her slightly anxious face, 'I arrived in Sacor City soon after you left.'

Karigan bit her lip and gazed at him with glassy eyes, 'Are you angry?'

He reached out to stroke her cheek, 'I was. I had prepared a very long litany as we rode your way.'

'And now?'

'I suppose I didn't expect to find you so soon,' he admitted, 'Nor did I anticipate you being ill.'

Karigan reached out, her hand coming to rest over his, 'I didn't ride to spite you or my duties at home. I just couldn't sit there when I knew something was happening in L'Petrie.'

He raised her hand for a kiss upon her heated skin, 'I know,' he responded quietly, 'But you can imagine my distress when I found my queen had ridden off in the middle of the night? With only one Weapon as protection?'

She nodded sheepishly, casting her eyes down, 'It was rash of me and I could have gone about it better.'

Zachary shook his head, 'I could have been a bit more understanding, and less thick-headed about your situation. I had conveniently forgotten that your brooch had not released you.'

Karigan smiled gently and he returned the gesture tenderly. They gazed at each other for a few minutes, characteristically taking in the face of their beloved after being separated for so long. She reached out a hand in supplication towards his face, a request that he eagerly granted as he placed his cheek in her small hand. She stroked his smooth skin in amusement, 'This is a new look for you.'

'Lice were making their way through camp,' he said with a twitch in his cheek.

Karigan made a noise of sympathy, 'So your hair and beard had to go.'

'I feel slightly naked without it,' he admitted with a small blush. She grinned, running her fingers along his jaw line in slight revelation, 'You could have let it grow back after reaching Sacor City.'

He shrugged, 'Best if I looked as different as I could in order to travel.'

Karigan reached up higher to run her fingers through his short silky hair, 'It might take me a bit to get used to this,' she said with a small chuckle. His attention however, was now on the covers had fallen from her neck to just below her shoulders, highlighting that she was in fact nude. She tilted her head when she saw his arrested gaze, and followed it down, gasping when she saw how much she was exposed.

Zachary hoarsely croaked as he assisted her in pulling the blankets back up, 'I didn't mean to stare, I just haven't seen you-t-that is without clothes-,' he stammered, turning a brighter red.

Karigan's own face was a bright shade of pink, 'N-no harm done. We are married after all, it isn't improper.'

He raised his eyes to the ceiling as he controlled his racing heart, answering back without thinking, 'My thoughts are.'

A flood of heat raced through her body at his words and she clamped down the urge to ask him exactly what those illicit thoughts entailed. Instead she eyed him uncertainly, an idea forming quickly in her mind in response to the likely reason he was there, 'Will you stay with me?'

Zachary turned his eyes back to her, his expression tender, 'Where else would I go?'

She bit her lip, 'That is, would you keep me warm? In bed next to me?'

Both his eyebrows shot up, 'Now?'

She nodded timidly, keeping her expression wan, 'I still feel chilled. Brienne had sat next to me on top of the covers to lend some heat but I'd rather you held me. Please?'

He looked at her with a mixture of discomfort, desire, and concern; the latter winning as he sighed in resignation. Standing up he began to shuck off clothing until he stood in his shirt and trousers. He averted his eyes as she scooted over, lifting the covers to admit him.

Karigan watched him as he held himself tightly with his eyes closed. She crept closer, pressing herself to his side and slipping an arm around his waist. He tensed but relaxed as she burrowed closer to his warmth, drawing his own arm around her shoulders.

While he fell into nap, utterly exhausted from his journey, she lay awake and watched his peaceful visage as he slept on. When she was sure he was deep within his dreams, she eased herself back a bit and propped herself up on an elbow.

In truth, she was mostly recovered, having been brought inside in the nick of time before her health had deteriorated any further. As it was, her body had bounced back quickly with Marta and Brienne's steadfast care, and before Zachary had even arrived, she had been arguing with Brienne that she was more than capable of continuing on.

Marta had sided with the Weapon vehemently, withholding even Karigan's clothing in protest of the young woman getting out of bed. She rolled her eyes in exasperation; it was not as if she had not been in worse situations before.

Now, with Zachary here, it would be a different kettle of fish that she would have to deal with, and with a certain amount of manipulation. She had no intention of returning to Sacor City, not before she got the truth out of her father and his peers. It was unfortunate that her husband had happened along on her exact location, for she was rather sure that despite his assurances, he was less than happy and had come specifically to fetch her home. There were only so many available inns in this direction and no reliable waystations.

Karigan wrinkled her nose in irritation of the situation. She may be queen but she was not cut of the same mold as her predecessors; she was made to hold a saber, not a sewing needle.

Her free hand reached out to once again stroke the smooth skin of his cheek, marveling at the sharpness of his cheekbones and jaw. Her fingers trailed down to the expanse of chest that his open shirt revealed. Fascinated, she spread her hand out across the warm skin, feeling the muscle bunch in response.

Karigan's eyes flitted up to his face, carefully watching for signs of consciousness as she lifted the covers and gazed down the length of his body. She felt the heat rush to her face when she stared at the waistband of his trousers, recalling the hardness that she had felt so many times prior. Her curiosity and determination overcame her embarrassment as she carefully climbed over his inert body, placing her hips over his and laying down flush against him. Zachary frowned in his sleep and shifted, his arms coming up automatically to loosely rest around her waist.

Karigan gave a small smile as she wriggled her hips against his, feeling his arousal grow and watching him slip into a state of semi-consciousness. He murmured under his breath, running his fingertips up the length of her spine and down again, questing down her soft hips and thighs. She sighed breathily in response, bracing herself against his chest and arching her back slightly with the sensations he drew forth. The movement caused even more friction below their waists, and with a groan, he rolled her to her back, burying his face at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. His lips trailed a hot line of kisses across her skin, finding her wildly racing pulse and latching his mouth onto that point.

It was when Karigan reached up to push his shirt up and over his head that his eyes flew open. Holding himself absolutely still, he looked into her eyes with slight panic, 'Dear gods, I've gone and done it again.'

She twined her legs with his, holding him firmly against her, 'You aren't going anywhere this time.'

Zachary's eyes pleaded with her, 'Kari-'

'No,' she said fiercely, holding his face between her hands, 'This is ridiculous. You are being ridiculous.'

'We said we'd wait,' he enunciated carefully.

'You said we'd wait,' Karigan replied darkly.

Zachary tried to move again but her hands flew around his shoulders and she held tight. 'Kari, you've been ill and we are in someone else's home. This isn't the time or the place.'

'I feel better,' she said between gritted teeth.

He looked down at her with darkened eyes that glinted dangerously, 'As your husband and your king, you had better release me.'

Karigan hissed back, 'As your wife, you had better listen to what I have to say,' she punctuated her last words with a roll of her hips, making him choke down his retort with an audible gasp. He leaned his forehead to hers with his eyes tightly clenched shut, 'Speak then.'

She gave a smug smile, 'I will stop what I am doing, and I will come home with you willingly if-,' she paused for effect, waiting until he lifted his head expectantly, '-we go to Corsa first.'

Zachary frowned and opened his mouth with his rejoinder but she placed her palm over his mouth as she continued, 'I imagine, since you are here with me now, that you have handed the reins off accordingly to temporary leadership?'

He nodded, glowering from behind her hand. Karigan smiled, 'Well since we have the time to spare, the both of us can do more good in L'Petrie than one. You have the political clout and I have the connections.'

She removed her hand and regarded him keenly, waiting for his likely negative response but he just stared at her with an inscrutable expression. Growing slightly flushed, she crossed her arms over her exposed chest and glared back. The action, of course, brought his attention below her neck and a light blush crept up his neck to his face as he was presented with a mostly open view of her body.

Instead of withdrawing as he had before, a mischievous light crept into his eyes as he trailed a finger across her collarbone, 'And what if instead, I allowed my restraint to go and I thoroughly bed my wife here, and take her home anyways?'

Karigan sniffed, 'Perhaps I would not feel inclined then.'

He reached down to hitch her leg over his hip, smoothing his hand over her thigh slowly, 'I could change your mind.'

She shivered and squirmed, reaching for the covers with one hand while keeping the other arm across her breasts. 'We are in someone else's house,' she reminded him.

Zachary reached out to grasp her arms and pin them above her head, 'True, but perhaps some practice before the act?'

Karigan's chest heaved as her breathing became erratic. She looked up at him with wide blue eyes as she groped for a liable excuse, 'I feel faint?'

He chuckled deviously, 'If not now, you will soon.'

He leaned down to nuzzle her ear, listening to the breathy moans she released as he placed light kisses from her lobe to the edge of her jaw. She instinctively raised her hips and strained to press herself closer, a reaction that thrilled him as he continued down her throat and slid his hand up her side.

A loud knock startled them both from the haze of desire that fogged both of their minds, sending Zachary scrambling from the bed and Karigan deeper into the covers. She hastily straightened her long hair, running her fingers frantically through the snarls, 'Just a minute,' she called. Looking over Zachary revealed he had only managed to get his boots back on and was struggling with his middle layers. She hissed, 'Forget the vest and coat. Just sit down!'

Obediently, he plopped down on the simple chair and folded his coat in his lap, staring at the floor in misery. She winced in slight sympathy but turned her gaze towards the door, 'Enter,' she called.

Marta came through the doorway with the usual tray of tea and edibles, with Brienne in tow. The old woman clucked at Zachary's miserable countenance, 'I'm told this be your man,' she said crisply, giving him a new examination as she prepared a cup of tea for Karigan. Zachary's eyes looked up to Brienne's, who gave an encouraging look as she sat in the other vacant chair in the room. Marta continued chattering away, 'Brienne mentioned you also be married?'

Karigan accepted the cup of tea, sitting up carefully with the blankets under her arms, 'Yes madam, a few months now.'

'That is odd, for two Riders in the king's service, aye?'

Zachary spoke hesitantly, 'A consequence of the times, the king has allowed personal relationships within the rider ranks and beyond.'

Marta turned her eye to him shrewdly, 'And does the king usually send his messengers scampering about in the wintertime?'

'If there is a need,' he replied quietly. Feeling Marta's eyes bore into him calculatingly, he quickly looked over to Brienne, 'Where is Fastion?'

'Taking care of the mounts. Condor in particular is restless with his mistress laid up,' Brienne replied, her eyes darting over to Karigan.

Karigan sipped her tea, glancing at Marta, 'Is there any chance I can get my clothes back?'

Marta sniffed disdainfully, 'You need another day in bed.'

The queen looked beseechingly over to her husband, who sighed, 'I promise you Marta, I will ensure she gets home. I won't be letting her out of my sight,' he finished with a meaningful look at his wife. Karigan narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her torso, but did not argue with his pronouncement.

The old woman considered them both, 'Well if your man says he'll take you in hand, that'll be good enough for me,' she finished, nodding as she vacated the room.

Zachary deliberately avoided Karigan's angry gaze as he addressed Brienne once more, 'Have our accounts been paid in full for our stay?'

'They have,' she replied.

'Then now, I would have you speak to Fastion about departing tomorrow morning,' here his gaze flickered back to Karigan, 'We will continue on to Corsa.'

Karigan's expression changed abruptly when his words sunk in and allowed her arms to drop, as she watched him warily. Brienne inclined her head in acknowledgement of the two monarchs and departed the room, promising to return soon with Karigan's clean clothing.

Zachary stood slowly, dropping his coat behind him on his vacated seat and resuming a perch on the side of the bed. He took in Karigan's still suspicious countenance and smiled wryly, 'What, no gleeful demonstrations that you got your way?'

'Are you serious or is this a trick?'

He took her hands and looked into her eyes sincerely, 'Despite my misgivings and my possessive inclinations, there is some truth to what you have said. Both of us would be more successful than one,' he reached up to brush an errant lock of hair from her eyes, 'And besides, if we returned to the castle now, I'd have a few bruises to show and you'd never let me hear the end of it if Corsa turned out to be a staging point for an invasion.'

Her eyes gleamed with excitement, 'You knew about Corsa!'

Zachary looked at her with mock effrontery, 'Of course I knew what was developing. I considered coming here myself. The army is re-positioning now to handle both Blackveil and the potential threat from L'Petrie.'

'So we truly can go?'

He nodded slowly, 'Yes, but with some conditions.'

Karigan scowled expressively but he kissed her on the nose and continued, 'You will follow orders if they are given.'

She rolled her eyes but indicated for him to continue. He squeezed her hands, 'If something should happen to me, you will return to Sacor City to lead the army and not leave it to the direction of the nobles.'

Here she looked at him questioningly but he shook his head, 'Based on what I have gleaned from my current correspondence, they are turning their interests inward and would use the army to protect their own provinces, and not fight the enemy head on in order to save the nation.'

Karigan scoffed, 'Hardly sensible logic.'

Zachary smiled gently, 'Be that as it may, I have already made provisions for such an event. You will have plenty of assistance with the military commanders in addition to the knowledge you have already accumulated.'

Karigan raised a brow, 'Anything else?'

He looked about thoughtfully, 'Keep yourself clothed in my presence?'

She blinked a few times, 'Back to this are we? I don't think I can hold myself to that one.'

Zachary frowned, 'I do not want a repeat of what happened in this bed.'

'Fair enough, it can happen in my bed in Corsa.'

'Kari. . .' he growled, 'You had promised me earlier that you would cease trying my patience.'

Karigan shrugged nonchalantly, 'No, I said I would stop what I was doing at that particular moment if you agreed to accompany me to Corsa. Obviously the plan backfired on me.' She tilted her head to the side, 'Is that what you call it? Trying your patience?'

Zachary pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes as he fought the urge to take up what he started before Marta had bustled in. 'You are playing with fire, my love.'

She allowed the covers to slip an inch, 'Your wife cannot keep herself attired in your presence, your life must be truly terrible,' she deadpanned.

He challenged her, 'Do you wish to be with child and have to answer the rider's call?'

Karigan stretched her arms over her head provocatively and bared herself to her waist, 'Do you want an heir or do you want the nation to descend into chaos?'

Zachary wrenched himself away from her side and cursed audibly as he stood, averting his eyes to the ceiling. 'Woman, I'd like nothing better than to start a tribe with you but now is not the time!'

'Now is the perfect time,' she responded, rising to her knees and looking at him determinedly. 'You can push me away but one of these days you will realize we have wasted time worrying about what could happen instead of taking joy in the time we have now.'

He muttered darkly, placing his hands on his hips as he resolutely stared at the ceiling. Karigan decided on another tack, 'You've had this odd sense of over-protectiveness since the moment we've met, and to what end has that come?'

He jerked his head down to glare at her, 'We found you in a sealed coffin, if one of the caretakers had not walked by-,'

Karigan waved her hand dismissively, 'But I was found, Westrion made sure of it.'

Zachary made a noise of frustration, 'Too many factors that could go wrong.'

Karigan jerked at his arm, sending him tumbling into bed on top of her. He braced himself before his full weight crushed her into the mattress and looked at her incredulously, 'What do you think you are doing?'

'This seems to be one of the only positions, oddly enough, where I can get you to listen to me,' she retorted, taking his face in her hands again. 'We, my husband, have yet to conceive a child. We have yet to consummate the marriage. The root of your fear lies in the fact that there are too many factors that are out of your control. Well deal with it.'

His amber eyes looked into hers, his posture a bit deflated, 'I have lost you before Kari, do you think I could take it again? I could never survive losing you both.'

'And you won't,' she promised, 'If that day comes where I am expecting the heir to the throne, hoof beats or not, I promise here and now to hibernate in that castle until they are born.'

'Just like that?'

'Just like that,' she repeated solemnly. 'So please, quit avoiding my natural state as if I carried the plague?'

He groaned and dropped his head to rest on her shoulder, 'I am done arguing. Agreed, but not here?'

'Not here,' she agreed as she held him close, stroking the nape of his neck. Her eyes lighting up, she lifted him up to peer hopefully into his face, 'In Corsa?'

He grimaced and leaned foward blew a raspberry into her neck, throwing her into a fit of laughter while he placed himself behind her and wrapped his arms about her waist. 'Please go to sleep. This can wait for another day.'

Karigan smiled happily to herself and cuddled back into his embrace.

I will explain the line of thinking for their reunion because I anticipate some mixed reactions: initial reaction is relief and happiness because they had a scare. Karigan realizes that if she doesn't act, she gets hauled back to Sacor City, so she puts him in an awkward spot and he tried to call her bluff. She is still a novice in these sorts of things. They get interrupted and they have the talk to get it all out. It is possible for him to change his mind, given the fact that sometimes even the real Zachary has tunnel vision concerning Karigan. Thus feminine wiles are utilized. Cheers everyone, I need to head to bed!