I'm so sorry for the long wait, friends. But I'm back and ready to begin uploading again 😊 I hope you all enjoy! Who else is ready for Christmas!?

"Alton and Estral's wedding!"

Zachary shot up out of a dead sleep, his head spinning at the rude awakening. "Wha-?" He wiped his face, groaning. "Kari, what in seven hells-?"

His new bride herself jumped out of the bed and fumbled around the room, searching for clothing. "In the madness, I completely forgot about Alton and Estral's wedding in a week. We must pack," she said distractedly.

Zachary couldn't help but glance over and smiled at the sight of his wife, namely, her rear, which was bare for his viewing pleasure. And soon, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He thought that she looked breathtaking yesterday in her gown. Oh, how glad to find that he was wrong!

Karigan turned and looked up, a dressing robe clenched in her hands. "Zachary!"

Still grinning like a boy in a candy store, Zachary threw his hands up. "Love, we just got married yesterday. I have had the best night of my life. Can I not enjoy staring at my beautiful wife?" He took the opportunity for his eyes to rove over her front from her radiant brunette locks, her womanly curves, to her cute toes.

"No! We don't have time!" she snapped, sending a pair of trousers at his head.

Zachary huffed, whipping the trousers off his head. "You know, I was having a VERY pleasant dream . . . until I was violently woken up," he muttered. He flipped the blanket off of him and swung his legs around to stand. He was just starting to pull them on when he glanced back up at Karigan. She too was staring at him, appreciation in her dilated eyes. Zachary grinned back at her, pausing. "See something you like?"

Karigan licked her lips, her eyes flashing back to his face, "Yes, but-"

Zachary plucked at the bed covers, "We can take this back to the bed you know."

Karigan shook herself, "Stop distracting me!" Zachary chuckled and finished pulling on his trousers. While he was shrugging on his linen shirt, he looked back over to see Karigan looking down at the bed. He followed her eyes to see blood staining the sheets.

He looked back at her and rounded the bed to take her in his arms. "You're on your courses, dearest. It's normal. I'm sure the maids won't mind."

Her brows furrowed, not looking away from the stain. "The bleeding had stopped by the wedding yesterday. The herbs the mender prescribed made sure of that."

His heart sank. He reached down to tip her chin up, so she looked up at him. "Did I hurt you, then?"

Karigan looked up at him, gently caressing his cheek, "Not at all."

"Kari-"

"It's normal, dearest. Do not fret about it." She smiled at him before gently leaning in and pressing her lips to his. "I love you, Zachary."

He smiled back at her, "And I you, dearest." Zachary looked down at her, "Are you alright? Really?"

Stepping back, Karigan stepped to her wardrobe and pulled out some clothing for herself. "Yes, just a bit sore." They both chuckled and began the arduous task of packing. Karigan asked as Zachary was stuffing his last pair of trousers into a small crevasse in his pack, "Is there anything for the house you need to do before we leave?"

Zachary hummed and smiled when he finally shoved the trousers into his pack, "Yes, I need to stop by Lord L'Petrie's estate to finalize the purchase of the land." He glanced up at the ceiling for a moment, "Actually, I recall that Amberhill will also be headed to D'Yer province to speak with Alton. Perhaps he can join us, and we will travel together. It will be safer for all of us."

Karigan shrugged a shoulder, "The more the merrier. You are right, will be safer the more that are in a group. Even if we are living in peacetime." Concern swam in her eyes briefly, "Is there something the matter at the castle?"

Zachary sighed and he gently led Karigan to sit on the bed with him. "Amberhill has spoken with Queen Estora. There have been threats made to the Queen. He told me that they are minor in nature, but a threat is a threat and they must be taken seriously."

Karigan's brows furrowed, "Who is making the threats? What about Zachary and Esmere?"

"Mirwell. Amberhill is also concerned about even Lord Coutre. Coutre does not come to the defense of his own daughter. And there has been no word on the safety of the prince and princess. But I am confident that should something happen, they will have a legion of Weapons to protect them," Zachary responded, wrapping his arm around Karigan's shoulders. "The same applies for Queen Estora, however, if anything happens, she will be in the direct line of fire."

"Zachary, this all sounds serious. If you need to go back to Sacor City, I wouldn't mind," Karigan answered. She looked down at her hands and she fell silent. "Mirwell. He is a cruel man. Power-hungry. I wouldn't put it past him to follow in the footsteps of his father." Zachary stayed his tongue, sensing that she had more to say. And when she finally looked up again, tears were in her eyes, "Should you have stayed, Zachary?"

Zachary acted immediately, reaching up to gently grasp her face in his hands. He kissed her soundly on the mouth and held her there for quite some time. He pulled back slightly, his forehead leaning against hers and whispered, "If I had stayed, the same thing would have happened. You said it yourself, Kari, Timas Mirwell is a cruel man and insanely greedy for all the power he can get his hands on. He would not have hesitated to kill me, or rather, try to kill me, if given the chance."

Her eyes gazed up at him, "But that's just it, Zachary, he would have tried. But you can best him. Estora is not trained like us. If she did not have the Weapons, she would be completely defenseless."

"But she's intelligent, and that cannot be overlooked. From what Amberhill has told me, she still has the backing of most of the other Lords. And lastly, she has not reached out directly to me about the situation. I am hearing of this through Amberhill. That tells me that, while it is a cause for concern, we do not need to jump into action now," Zachary answered her.

Karigan reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, "You're sure?"

Zachary kissed the tip of her nose, "I'm sure." Karigan closed her eyes and sighed. Zachary grinned slightly at her and leaned down to capture her lips again in a kiss. "I love you, Karigan. So much," he whispered.

A smile brightened up her face as her eyes reopened and she looked back up at him. "I love you too, Zachary. I-" she wet her lips, "I know it's selfish, but I don't ever want to be without you again. Leaving you after the war was one of the worst things I could have ever felt." She laughed mirthlessly, "And you and I both know that I have seen and survived nearly impossible things."

Zachary groaned and wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him again, "Don't remind me." He buried his nose in the crook of her neck and shoulder, "And watching you leave never got any easier. It only got harder as I fell deeper and deeper in love with you."

Karigan separated from him and looked up, "We just have to get through one more time. After da and Laren's wedding. When the Eletians come for me. After that, we will have the rest of our lives."

Zachary nodded and reached up to tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear, "I am confident that they will return you to me. Safe and sound. I just feel it."

She smiled again, "From your mouth to Aeric's ears." They shared one more brief kiss before Karigan added, "Let's finish packing, then we can meet with Amberhill and you can finalize your land purchase."

Zachary jumped up, and he still held both of her hands so he pulled her up as well with a bright smile, "Lets."

I know it's not much, but it's a start and I'm tired lol. Have a wonderful night! And if I don't update again before Christmas, I hope that everyone has a happy Christmas! Love you all.