In Which Kaldar Doesn't Tear the Dress

October 15, 1193

"So, my Lady Ravenhold," Kaldar teased as he carried his wife--God, it was odd even thinking that!--into their bedroom, "shall we indulge in a premature christening of our marital bed?"

"There'd better not be anything 'premature' about it." From her position in his arms, Alina tickled his neck. Kaldar choked, struggling not to drop her.

"You're sure you don't want to just break up the party and get our respective groups up here to undress us?"

"Nah. This way, we get to have twice the fun." That, and sneaking off during parties had become a bit of a tradition for them by this point. Why should their own wedding have been an exception?

"I don't know. You tend to tear my clothes, and this was my grandmother's dress."

"Ah, fair enough." For all she'd been dead before Kaldar had been a quickening in his mother's womb, Lady Alina was one of those dead figures whose presence still lurked about the kingdom. A tear in her old dress wouldn't have been good form for the fledgeling Lord Ravenhold. "We can just fool around a bit."

"Sounds good," Alina agreed as Kaldar lowered her to the bed.

Mindful of her skirts, he eased himself upon her and engulfed, his tongue running laps around her mouth as she counted his teeth with his. His father would have said that it was the way a man kissed his lover--not his wife.

Good thing Alina was both.

"Mmm... Kaldar?" she muttered as they broke apart, his mouth trailing to her jawline en route to her neck.

"Mmm?"

"I... I've been off my herbs for about a month."

"Oh?" Kaldar forced himself off of her and met her eyes. They hadn't been intimate in that time--she'd been living with her parents since his graduation--and of course they'd talked about children. He hadn't been quite sure, however, that she wanted to start trying right away.

"Yes. I think we're ready." She smiled. There wasn't any hesitation in her lips. "Do you?"

Kaldar nodded. "I do. I guess we've been practically husband and wife for years now anyway; we've had plenty of time, just the two of us."

"We have. But maybe we should enjoy whatever span of privacy we have left." She wrapped one hand around the edge of the mattress and pulled herself to the edge of the bed. "I'm going to put my grandmother's dress away."

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