Married to the Northerner

22

I heard the door opening and a platter of feet, as I slowly woke up from my slumber. The sun has now set and it was a full moon out.

"Avani, wake up. You haven't eaten in so long."

I let out a yawn and rubbed my eyes, waking up to a familiar voice. I open my eyes to see my husband smiling tenderly at me, placing a kiss on my forehead. He turned his back for a moment and reached for the plate of food.

My mouth watered at the sight of the fresh fruits, a soft loaf of bread covered in melted butter, and stuffed with some chicken. Using the knife and fork, Nathan cut a piece of bread and mixed some stuffing with it, as he pointed it towards my mouth. I opened my mouth without hesitation and accepted the savoury flavours.

"This tastes amazing. Nathan, have you eaten yet?"

"No, but you need more food than me. You were finally putting on more weight and looking healthy, but now, you resemble the frail thin Avani I first met. I'm glad you are at least accepting the food now."

I nod my head and give a smile of gratitude. He stretched his arm to feed me again, when I grabbed the fork and pointed it at his direction. He opened his mouth and ate the food and hummed in approval.

We finished our dinner in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence and the food. Sleep was the last thing in my mind, as I felt the night breeze.

"Nathan, can we go on a night walk. It's just I've been cooped up in this castle, and I wish to go outside. If you are tired I understand and we can wait until tomorrow."

"I woke up a few minutes before you, so sleep is far from my thoughts. I do want to show you the garden and a night like tonight is perfect for a walk."

I wore a long robe to cover my nightgown and protect myself from the occasional chilly winds and Nathan wore a long sleeve shirt.

We walked out the castle doors into a garden, as my bare feet felt the moist grass beneath it. The stars were littered across the night sky and the rushing sound of a nearby stream was calming.

I held a hand behind my waist, as Nathan smiled down at me. I felt both of us being a bit restricted, from the events that transpired a few days ago. After we woke up, neither of us addressed the matter of my imprisonment.

I let go of those horrid memories and let my heart follow the beat of our slow footsteps. Nathaniel led me somewhere as I followed him blindly. He held a torch in his hand, in case of any dangers lurking near us.

"Nordfjord is gorgeous. The nature scene is different from Alasia yet some bits of it are the same."

"I'm glad you like it. When winter comes around in a few months again, I'm sure you will enjoy it."

I felt myself walk a bit to the side as something poked my arm. I shrieked in the sudden pain, although the prickly object did not pierce my skin. Nathaniel pulled out his sword and pushed me behind him, assessing for any danger. The light from the torch showed a tree with needles. I remember seeing it on our arrival here by the cliffs.

"Avani are you okay? Why did you scream?"

I assume Nathan hadn't figured out that I got spooked from the needle tree yet, so I felt too embarrassed to tell him. He looked at my face and back at the tree before connecting the dots.

A smile broke out on his face, as I heard a chuckle emit from him. He took my arm assessing it for a wound and saw nothing. He seems to hold in his chuckle and it wasn't helping with my embarrassment.

"I can't believe my dear wife got spooked by a tree."

"It is not just any tree, but one with needles. How am I supposed to know that the trees that grow in Nordfjord have an armour."

I sighed and cocked my head to the side. His laughter didn't seem to cease before I crossed my arms on my chest annoyed. At that his laughter was soft and his eyes focus on my chest.

I looked down to see that the robe had come undone a little and the loose neck of the nightgown enhanced my cleavage as I crossed my arm. I readjusted the robe to cover myself, but a hand stopped me.

The torch fell on the ground as my husband walked up to me like prey with a predator. I felt myself gulp and the mood change in the atmosphere. My back crashed into the beach of a tree, as my husband stopped walking.

There was barely a space between us, our chests touching through the barrier of our clothing. His lips crashed into my own as he hoisted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist.

Our kiss escalated and our sounds of pleasure echoed through the forest, his kisses went down to my jaw, collar bone, and neck littering love bites everywhere.

I froze when I felt something hard poking my thigh and looked to see his hooded eyes filled with lust. His forehead touched my own, as he gave a sweet kiss on my lips once more before letting me down.

We were both out of breath and adjusted our clothing. He gave me a sweet smile and kissed my forehead before grabbing my hand and walking somewhere.

"Where are we going?"

"I have something to show you. I know you would love it."

The sound of birds and the ocean reached my ears and I looked up at him. He sat down on the edge of the cliff, as I followed. I was too afraid to let go of his hands and fall into the cold ocean.

The dark blue sky turned purple and pink as the sun began to rise. I was in awe as the big globe of fire rose and the sky portrayed various colours. Pink, blue, purple, red, orange, yellow. I was speechless at the beauty of nature.

The sun finally came up and I looked at my husband. He smiled at me and I noticed that he stared at me while I stared at the sun. I smiled gratefully at him and gave a kiss of gratitude. He rolled us over in the sandy terrain, the kiss escalating yet gentle. We parted as my fingers traced the outlines of his face.

"Thank you. It was my first time seeing a sunset and it was truly beautiful."

"I knew you would like it. But I must say the sunrise wasn't the only beauty here."

I felt heat rise my neck and face at his words. I wanted to tell him now, those three words. They can change everything in our relationship, but I wanted, no needed him to know his value to me.

"Nathaniel."

He closed his eyes and hummed in response. We both laid side by side and I watched the birds that flew over our heads. Before I can back out, I said those words without any regrets.

"I love you, Nathaniel."

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Another cliffhanger...
How do you think Nathaniel would react?