Beginning of the End

Eight

There was no hiding the sudden Intimacy between the–well, not so young couple, considering they'd already seen a Century and two pass, respectively. Course, one could say that they were still pretty young compared to the Moon King and Queen, who were even closer to reaching the Ends of their Lifespans than they'd been when the younger couple'd wed. Still, their ages were of lil concern once they'd made their way from their shower back to the bed of the Sun King.

        Once closeted away within his chambers, Apollo'd used his superior Power to make sure no one'd be able to enter. He'd also used it to barricade the chambers of his young wife, just in case any of the maids came looking for her and tried accessing his chambers through hers. With their chambers all sealed off, he'd certainly kept his word about showing her what he'd meant, rather than simply telling her–and then some. To be completely honest, he was pretty sure he'd sent Serenity's head well outside the heliosphere, so to speak.

        By the Time they woke again a full Day later, everybody within the Moon Palace was more than a lil concerned. Their attemptsta access the younger couple's joint chambers'd proven a failure, and that'd only happened after a search of the rest of the Palace. For all they knew, the Moon Princess and her husband were both dead–or simply not on the Moon at the moment.

        Said Princess was certainly sore, as evidenced by the wince she couldn't bite back as she pushed herself upright. Chuckling as he mimicked her action next to her, the Sun King reminded her that he'd warned her that she was in for some pain, if they'd gone through with her intimate schooling, as it were. But even as he gently teased her, he was quick to press a gentle kissta her forehead before scooping her up to cradle her against his chest. Without giving her a chanceta protest, he carried her into their shared bathing chamber, where he settled her so she could relieve herself while his back was turned.

        "What're you doing, husband?" she queried, desperate to hide her embarrassment at how he didn't leave so she'd total privacy.

        "Something Morganite taught me too long ago to say exactly how long," Apollo answered.

        The Moon Princess simply watched as he drew a warm bath in the tub neither of them ever really used, then turned to head back into his room.

        "Not something you're likely to find here on the Moon–or any other Planet in the Solar System, to be honest," he chuckled, uncorking one of several small vials he Returned with.

        "What are they?" Serenity asked, finally pushing herself up once she'd relieved herself.

        "Various herbs used in Healing down on Earth," the Sun King answered. "I've seen them employed with wonderful results in most cases."

        "Most cases?" Her uncertainty was clear in her voice as he replaced the cork, then grabbed the second vial.

        "Well, not all humans're able to be saved," Apollo explained. "They're simply in too poor of Health or wounded too severely, so no amount of herbal remedies'll help them."

        "Ohhhh," the Moon Princess breathed, nodding as she managed to hobble over to the tub.

        "But since we live such long Lifespans and are in absolute perfect Health by comparison, I highly doubt these herbs'll fail here," he said, replacing the cork of the final vial after dumping part of its contents into the tub.

        Serenity simply watched, not quite sure what he was getting at as he pushed himself up and Returned to his chambers for a few moments.

        "Now, into the bath with both of us," the Sun King chuckled, surprising her with how easily he picked her up. "You, especially since you've far more to Heal from than I do at the moment."