Nelanna could still barely believe it. She was finally married after waiting for so very long. It still felt like a dream since the wedding. But every morning she woke up to find Cecil was still at her side, and they both still wore their rings, the more it slowly sunk in that this was no dream. It was beginning to feel like the reality it was. Nelanna was beaming more than she ever has in her entire life. She’s no longer sleeping alone during the nights. No longer waking with dread knowing that there was no one waiting for her to greet them in the mornings, no one to greet her. She was warm now, safe in Cecil’s arms and loved more than ever. Her parents never bothered to care, and no one else was interested in the true, honest relationships. Love was a rarity in this world, true love is even harder to come by. But, as if by some miracle, she had managed to find it and capture it and make it hers. She truly was the most fortunate woman in the world.

Today Cecil had made more plans. He was always making plans. He took her out to Mamlak where they began their lovely little hike to Jiwe Lake. She was locked around his arm the whole time, turquoise pools scanning over the pleasant area. The wind was a gentle kiss on her fair skin, her coat swaying lightly as the brilliant sun shone from high above. There was no cloud in sight. As the lake came into view, Nelanna observed the small ripples glittering from the light reflecting off its clear surface. The wind started carrying the scent of water as they neared closer to the body of water. Then Cecil made a sudden and drastic turn.

Nelanna lifted a brow at him, lips curved in a soft smile. “Where are we going?” She couldn’t resist asking. Nelanna had assumed the lake was their destination, but now she wasn’t quite as certain.

Plans upon plans had been made, and Cecil could not wait to share each of them with her. He had never bee happier than he was each morning he got to wake up and see her beautiful face next to his. To feel her warmth as they slept, to her hear her voice every day, the fae wondered if he had perished and now resided in heaven. Today was the day to finally give her his wedding present for her. The deals had finally been finalized. Permission had been given to him to break ground, and contractors had been hired for construction. It was time to share the news with his beloved wife, to tell her how he was going to make all of her dreams come true.

With her locked on his arm, Cecil guided her down towards the lake then veered off suddenly, counting the steps. He looked down at her with a knowing smile. "Almost there, cherie. Almost there." This was all he would say for the moment. Cecil chuckled softly at her before returning to counting his steps. Finally, he stopped, the grassy fields around them unremarkable. Yet, it appeared that he was searching for something. With a smile, he extracted himself from her arms, took three steps forward and turned around, arms out wide. "See this here? It'll be the foyer, where we will great the guests. And over here…"

The fae darted to another location before turning back to her. "Will be your library. I'll have a quiet, sunny spot over here for my painting." Cecil darted to yet another location, being very animated. "Do you see it, my love? Several stories high, made of stone. Sprawling gardens with lovely places to rest, I'll grow those myself." He approached Nelanna, gazing at her expectantly. "Poster frame beds, delicate curtains hanging from every window and on all sides of the beds. A cozy fireplace, a grand dining room, huge kitchen. It's all in the works, cherie, all for you, for being my wife." With her hand in his, Cecil turned his gaze at the empty grassland, imagining the house he had spent a lot of time secretly designing with the contractors.

Her face heated at the nickname. Memories of the honeymoon flashed through her thoughts, the very beginning when he started calling her Cherie. This wasn’t the first time he had said it since then, and it still made her blush. They finally stopped, and she lifted her eyes. She was half expecting to find some kind of picnic set up already, or some other kind of lovely little surprise. But there was nothing but empty space. Massive, vast, empty space. Then again, this was Cecil she was dealing with. She could never guess what his surprises were until they were revealed. They were different each time by far, and getting more and more extravagant. Even though she couldn’t see anything as of yet, she knew he had something planned.

Cecil was quiet for the first few heartbeats, his sapphire eyes scanning over the land. Was he looking for something? Nelanna’s head tilted. He removed himself from her grip and her hands clasped together in front of her, blinking at the smile on his face. Cecil moved and his arms opened wide. He proceeded to tell her that very spot is where a foyer will be. But the keyword was we, as in him and her. She raised a brow, attempting to imagine such a thing in that spot before he appeared somewhere else. A library was next, along with a place that would be exposed to sunlight where Cecil would do his art. She pictured towering bookcases cased with so, so many books, and Cecil where he said he would be, painting with many colors plastered on his clothing while she read a book to him. A small smile formed at the imaginary picture. She was starting to realize what he was describing.

She blinked, and he was elsewhere. A tall frame made of stone with gardens adorning its grounds, lovely spots scattered along for one to rest their weary legs and admire the beauty of the home. She imagined it all very clearly. A hand was wrapped around her waist in a self embrace, her other elbow resting upon it as her hand was gingerly placed over her warm and beating heart. She bit her lips as he came back to her, turquoise clashing with sapphire. The beds and curtains he described were wonderful to picture, along with an image of her and Cecil cuddling together by the fireplace on cold nights. A kitchen where she would prepare their meals, possibly fail at most, for her skill was nothing like Kohaku’s. And since he does most of the cooking, she hadn’t much practice. And a dining room where she would share those meals with Cecil, the two chatting away about what’s on their minds and utter nonsense.

It was all for her, for being his wife. Tears prickled in her eyes, and she shook her head lightly. Not from disapproval; it was an attempt to get ahold of herself before she starts balling. Her eyes locked with his again, full of so much love and joy. “It all sounds absolutely wonderful,” she replied, lifting a hand and placing it on his cheek. “A home to call our very own.” It would be the beginning of a beautiful life. Just her and Cecil, living happily together, and perhaps having a child at some point. It truly felt as if she were living a dream, or all of this was a miracle. And Cecil was the cause. He was her first dream, and now he was helping her build ones for them to share, and making them a reality.

She stepped forward and embraced him, laying her ear against his chest and listening to his beating heart. Her hands lovingly stroked his back, unable to stay in one place for too long for some reason. “I love you so, so very much,” she almost sobbed. Her happiness was far too strong even for those words to do them justice. She genuinely did not know what to say to express how she strongly she felt about it all. There was nothing in the English language, nor Fae, not even the language of her ancestors, the Ancient Elves, that could describe what she wanted to say. Nelanna was, quite literally, at a loss for words. So, instead, she lifted her face to his and kissed him. She would try to show him, but even still, it never felt good enough.

When the kiss was broken, she felt she was finally ready to give voice to her questions. The land was completely free of anything manmade, which meant the house is going to be built, completely customized. That sort of planning takes a lot of time and work. But pulling it off also requires a lot of money. Money Nelanna does not have. “How long have you been planning this?” She asked her first question with s bright smile. “If it has to be built, how are we supposed to pay for the equipment and materials? I don’t have nearly enough coin in my wallet, and I hardly make the amount required.”

He could see it slowly sink in what he was imagining, the soon to be reality he had worked hard to bring to fruition. As he stood, feeling quite proud of himself for this personal achievement, Nelanna reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. Cecil smiled at her lovingly. "The only thing to make our home more perfect when it is finished is to wake up next to you every morning in it." Her arms wrapped around him, and his arms returned the embrace as he pressed his lips into her hair. A smile beamed at the emotion in her voice to the surprise. When she kissed him, he pulled her tight against his body, wanting to drink her in completely.

The fae could hardly wait to get the house started so they could finish it. Shortly after the kiss broke, questions he knew would eventually crop up were answered with another smile. "I''ve been planning it since before I proposed to you. But don't you worry your pretty little head, Cherie. For you will not need to spend a single coin on our house. Even the furnishings are to be included." Cecil never hid the actions of his past, selling his body out for pleasure, often living in luxury even on the run from his father. What he never mentioned was how much he had squirreled away from his many, many years of experience. Once spent on lavish clothing that never saw more than a couple of uses now had a proper use. He would make her every dream come true with it.

"I want to make every wish of yours come true. A home… family…" One of Cecil's hands rested softly at the edge of her belly as he stared intently into her eyes. "I mean it, Nelanna. I want to have children with you. I want a long, happy life… No running. Just you and me. I love you Nelanna. My love, queen of my heart, light of my day." He pulled her in for another deep kiss, not waiting for her answer on this one.

Curious eyes blinked up at Cecil after his reply, and then a single brow raised. It was a surprise he had been planning their home for so long, and it warmed her heart. Even then, before she told him yes when he asked for her hand in marriage, he had been thinking about their life together and making plans for it. But she still considered payment an issue. His answer was very vague, and she wasn’t sure whether she should be concerned or not. She trusted him fully and knew he wouldn’t do anything she did not approve of, and he always asked her opinion about it anyway. So, despite his history, she knew he hadn’t been resorting to his old ways of making money. Which meant he had some other way and had been saving up without telling her, or he already had more than she realized. Either way, he didn’t tell her. She knew she should be upset about the secrecy, especially if he was hiding large sums of coin, enough to build a house. But she wasn’t. She trusted his judgement, and trusted that everything he did was with good reason. Instead, she chose to be happy about it.

She listened when he spoke once more. Her eyes were large, searching his as he told her what he truly wanted. To make her dreams come true, give her a home…and a family. His hand gently touched her stomach and was left to rest there, the place where a child would grow for nine months, the first months when their love for their child begins and only grows from then on. Her heart skipped a beat as he continued, and she imagined him caressing and kissing her large belly, whispering his love to the unborn. It brought tears to her eyes, and this time she did nothing to stop them from flowing. It meant everything to her to know that Cecil wanted to spend the entirety of his life with her, and to have children to raise with her. He truly was going to make her every wish come true.

Her breathing was shaky with emotion, but he destroyed any chance of speaking when he kissed her again. She closed her eyes and coiled her arms around his neck, pulling herself as close to him as she could. Nelanna’s happiness was overflowing her heart and spilling into the deep kiss. She didn’t want to let go. She couldn’t let go. She wanted to try right then and there for a child, but her better judgement reminded her it wasn’t time yet. They first needed a house to raise it in, one larger than the cottage and not crowded with neighbors. She needed to be more patient. She’s waited this long, she could wait a little longer. Instead she let herself be overcome by him, by the heat growing in her stomach and her desire to have him. No, it was a bit more of a need at this point. Her hands moved up and into his hair, nails raking across his scalp. The knowledge that someone could walk by and see them in the act came across her mind and made her heart thump anxiously, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to stop. Cecil was just too tempting to let go.

Her heart was pounding viciously in her chest, so much so she wondered if Cecil could hear it. One hand removed itself from his head and slid down his spine. It reached the bottom of his shirt and snuck its way underneath just to feel the flesh on his lower back. Her fingers drew little circles with the lightness of a feather. She wanted to remove his shirt entirely, to give his whole torso such passionate attention. But Nelanna held herself back. They were still in a public place after all.

Had Angela made this exquisite woman in his arms just for him? Nelanna was just pure intoxication for him. From the softness of her lips to the fiery passion that flared at every touch. Cecil found one hand in her silky locks as her fingers raked along his scalp. But this was not the place for such activity. Not yet. He could not scold himself for getting so lost in his wife’s embrace, to fall for the temptations of her touch. With great reluctance, the fae broke their kiss, pressing his forehead against hers, staring into those beautiful turquoise eyes. His breathing was ragged as he smiled lustfully at her.

”Patience, my heart.” A soft chuckle escaped his lips. ”Let’s sit, take in the view, and eat.” His voice was husky. As he spoke, Cecil summoned a blanket now spread across the grass with a basket on one corner. Inside, they would find crystal strawberries (which was a fancy way of saying sugar-coated), wine, a soft cheese wedge, and sweet bread. He led her to the blanket and pulled her down with him. For a long moment, neither did anything but gaze lovingly into each other's eyes. Every thought and plan stilled in his mind as he grew lost in those pools of hers.

Cecil was not sure how it happened, nor did he care. Without any verbal communication, fae and elf entwined themselves as she was carefully laid on the blanket. Their lips locked, their hands roamed, each eager to find a patch of warm skin to expose. The risk of being caught seemed forgotten, yet served to heighten arousal as they lost themselves in one another, abandoning their senses to lustful desires.