“Look, I think the first tulips are starting to sprout,” Lady Ilene pointed out to me as we walked through the garden.

  She was right. Spring was coming. This winter had felt infinite, but the days were getting longer and the weather was getting warmer. We were walking together through the cultivated garden, getting some sun and fresh air.

  “You’re right, Lady Ilene, oh I can’t wait for the spring,” I said.

  “Your Highness,” Alvar appeared from behind a garden wall, speaking in Haverish.

  “Sir Alvar, hi…”

  For two days I had just sort of… avoided Alvar. I had slept every night in Virtus’s room, so he was never my guard alone. I had tried to spend as much time as possible with my dies-in-waiting, especially the new Medoran ones. Everything was settling down into a routine, I was happy with Virtus, and with the old king gone, I didn’t really want to leave any more.

  “I’m sorry to surprise you like this. I haven’t been able to find you alone.”

  “It’s fine, Sir Alvar, but now is not so ideal. I’m here with Lady Ilene.”

  “It’s fine, she won’t understand us, and I’ll be quick.”

  “Yes, what is it?”

  “Adora’s pn, it will happen in a week. I need you to come with me to her pce, six days from now. There is something we need to do.”

  “About the pn…” I hesitated. “I was thinking perhaps it wouldn’t be the best idea after all. Maybe we should just stay here, no-one knows what we did, no-one is chasing us. Going away sounds so risky, do you really think we should do it?”

  “Your Highness, have you fallen in love with your husband?”

  His voice was soft, resigned.

  “Yes,” I told him quietly. “I still love you, but perhaps it would be easier for both of us if it ended now. I don’t know.”

  Lady Ilene looked at us awkwardly from a few feet away, I tried to sound less emotional so that she wouldn't suspect anything, but it was very hard.

  “Your Highness, I won’t force you to do anything. Maybe you’re right that they’ll never find out what we did, but if your husband really knew what you had done do you think he could love you back?”

  The silence was painful. Then he added the second blow:

  “And do you think he would forgive you for letting him search for his brother so long even though you know he is dead?”

  “When are you next assigned to guard me?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow night.”

  “Then let’s talk about it tomorrow night.”

  He nodded and went away.

  ***

  Virtus was very busy these days, I only had the nights with him. He was taking on all of his father’s duties, in addition to his previous ones. On top of that we had to pn the coronation. It was to take pce two months after the king’s death.

  I waited for him in the bedroom, wearing my silk night-gown. I needed to speak to him, I could not allow myself to fall asleep. I y on top of the covers so that I would not be too comfortable.

  “My love, why are you sleeping on top of the covers?”

  “Hmmmm,” I grumbled, blinking my eyes open.

  I had fallen asleep.

  “I was waiting for you,” I smiled drowsily.

  Virtus’s face was illuminated by the warm light of the firepce. His dark eyes sparkling.

  “Oh, darling you shouldn’t have done that. We were going over the budget for the coronation, it took us well into the night and we’re not even done yet.”

  “Is it going to be that expensive?”

  “I’m afraid so, and our costs are already high from the wedding and the funeral,” he rubbed his temples. “Then I spoke to Sir Topelio about the search for Plinius. It’s not going well, no-one has seen him for almost two weeks now.”

  “Oh, that’s not good, I hope he’s fine.”

  “I hope so too,” his voice cracked.

  A pang of guilt struck me.

  I sat up and hugged him to my body. He hugged me back. He looked so tired. I kissed his cheek, his neatly trimmed beard brushing against my lips. I ran my hand through his beautiful curls and helped him lie down on the bed.

  I kissed his lips softly, then more passionately. His hand moved up and down my back.

  “This feels wonderful darling, but maybe I’m too tired,” he whispered.

  “What if I take care of everything?”

  He smiled.

  “That could work.”

  I took off his shoes and socks first, just to get it out of the way, then I sat over him straddling his hips. My long loose hair fell over us, as I bent down to kiss him passionately. My mouth went over his and our tongues pyed together as I slowly started to grind on his p. I could feel him start to get hard as I moved.

  I opened his shirt revealing, and stroked my fingers over it his chest. I kissed down his neck, letting my lips drag along his skin as I moved my lips down to the chest. I kissed it too, moving my fingers over his ribcage.

  I moved my mouth down his stomach. He moaned a deep, hot moan. It egged me on. I started to undo the front of his pants, he put his hands in my hair, stroking my head.

  I opened his pants, letting his erection out. I stroked his penis, it was rock hard but the skin on it felt warm and soft. As good as it felt inside of me, I always felt a bit silly when I had his penis in front of me, it was such a strange organ.

  Tonight was not about me. I wanted to make Virtus feel good, to take off some of the pressure of his long days of work. I stroked it a few times before I tentatively put it in my mouth. He had taught me how to do this on our honeymoon, it always felt strange to me but he really liked it.

  It felt weird, but soft. I let my tongue py over the tip, and felt emboldened when he moaned again. I moved my hand around the base as I sucked on the top. Virtus’s hands stroked through my hair. I felt his muscles tense as I continued my movement. It felt good to be in control.

  “Just like that,” he moaned.

  I kept going for a while, pleasuring him with my mouth and hands, then I took it out of my mouth, and helped him shimmy his pants off completely. I moved back to straddling him, pulling my night-gown up above my butt.

  He pulled me down to kiss him, moving his hand over my butt and on to my back. The other one pying with my hair. As we kissed I positioned myself over him so I would be able to push him inside me.

  I moved onto him, feeling the wetness my mouth had left behind on him as he pushed inside. We both moaned as he entered me.

  I moved my hips slowly at first, but quickly finding my rhythm. He filled me, and instinctively started moving his hips in synchronization with mine. I kissed him slowly, as his hands wandered up my body inside my dress. He stroked up the sides of my body and grabbed my breast. He motioned me to take the dress off and I did.

  “I love to look at you,” he said softly.

  I moved more quickly, increasing the friction between us. He put his hand on my hip.

  “Slow down,” he mumbled. “I don’t want to come yet.”

  I chuckled and did as he told me. Moving more slowly again.

  “You’re so wonderful, Talia,” he whispered in my ear.

  “You too,” I whispered back. “I love you.”

  He kissed my cheek as I moved slowly on top of him, now holding me so closely that our bodies were flush with each other, our cheeks side by side. Our skin touching all over, making a warm connection in the cool night.

  I started moving more quickly again, almost unintentionally. He felt so good, I wanted more.

  “You’re so impatient,” he chuckled.

  “Please,” I moaned. “Please let me do this.”

  He nodded, and I moved faster and faster, feeling him rub inside me, filling me up. I sat up so I could move faster. I adjusted my position to let my breasts bounce. Even in the low light of the firepce Virtus would be able to see the outline of it, and I knew he liked how it looked.

  I felt how he was starting to tense up, and he grew even harder inside me. I moved as quickly as I could until I felt the hot burst of his come filling me up and heard him letting out a loud moan.

  Then I moved more slowly for a little bit, and finally slowed to a halt. I let myself fall down on him, resting my head in the crook of his neck.

  His hands moved over my back, petting me softly.

  “You didn’t come,” he murmured.

  “That’s fine once in a while,” I whispered back. “It still felt very good.”

  He hugged me more tightly to his body.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too.”

  I moved off him and put my gown back on.

  “I hope that things will start to be easier for you soon,” I continued.

  “I just wish my father had stayed a bit longer. I thought I had learned everything he had to teach me, but there is so much I don’t know.”

  “But Virtus he was terrible, he killed your step mother, my friend. Is it not better that he is gone?”

  “Don’t say such a thing! He was my father, I loved him!” he snapped at me.

  “You loved him even after all that?”

  “Yes, even after everything,” he sighed.

  ***

  The night after, Virtus was unhappy that I wanted to sleep in my own room, but he acquiesced. Sir Alvar was already waiting outside my door when I arrived at the room, but I waited until everyone had gone to bed to crack the door open and talk to him.

  “Alvar?”

  “Yes, Your Highness?” his voice was trepidatious.

  “You were right, I can’t stay here.”