A tendril of soft hair tickled Felix's nose as he opened his eyes. The room was dark, and it took him a moment to remember where he was. He couldn't hold back a smile as he pulled the warm body next to his closer and nuzzled his nose against the skin of her neck. Shae mumbled something in her sleep, her hand coming up to search for his. Taking it, he threaded her fingers between his own as he considered the luck bestowed upon him tonight.

His wife didn't loathe him. In fact, she seemed almost fond of him. Now he only had to make sure it stayed that way. There might still be a chance for him to conquer her heart. Something he had realised he very much wanted. Simply having her not detest him was no longer enough. For years she had kept away from him, remaining polite and disinterested at all times, but lately, the facade had faltered. Pieces of the real Shae were showing, like rays of sunshine through a tattered curtain no longer able to filter it out. He had found the old Shae interesting. Beautiful and unattainable. The Shae he was coming to know was fascinating, and he wanted to know all of her.

He loved watching her with their son the few chances he got. It was the one time she never hid. Hopefully, she would feel comfortable enough to be herself with him too now because this Shae was infinitely more interesting than the proper High Queen of Erya she liked to project.

Another mumble and a wriggle of her bottom against his loins distracted him from his thoughts. His hand followed the curve of her ribcage and waist to come to rest on her hip as he pressed a kiss below her ear. She was soft and supple in his arms, while he felt anything other than soft. Pulling her a little closer still, he nibbled at the sensitive spot on her neck. The cadence of her breathing changed, and he grabbed her hip a little tighter.

"Shae?" he whispered against her skin. "Are you awake?"

"I am now," she mumbled.

Moving up to massage her breast, he continued his exploration of the sensitive areas of her neck and ear. When she moaned, he pressed his erection against her enticing bottom. She turned around in his arms and their lips met in an ardent kiss. They had deprived themselves of the touch of another for years, and he was all for making up for lost time.

A while later, as they lay exhausted on the bed with their limbs intertwined and Shae drawing invisible patterns on his chest with her fingertip, he was nearly falling back asleep, but her voice woke him.

"Tell me about Sorceress Isobel."

He frowned into the dusky room. "What would you like to know?"

The finger on his chest halted for a moment as she considered this before continuing its path. "I know I never asked you about her," she said slowly. "But I've also never heard you deny the rumours to anyone else."

"True," he admitted, trying not to be too distracted as her hand moved further down, following the contours of his abdomen. "I was willing to let people believe whatever they wanted to believe. Especially since Isobel asked me not to deny them."

Shae's hand froze, something he was rather grateful for as she had reached his belly button and her ministrations were beginning to affect him. Apparently, his desire for this woman knew no bounds.

"She asked you not to deny them? Why?"

Covering her hand with his, he brought it to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. "It gives her the perfect excuse to be away from Messina a lot," he said. "This is not something you can tell anyone else... But everyone assumes she cannot stand to see me with you, and that is why she is rarely here. No one questions her absences."

Sitting up, Shae looked down at him, a line appearing between her brows. The pale moonlight shining through the window painted her skin with silver, and he swallowed as he tried to focus on her questions and not her beauty as she sat naked before him.

"Elaborate," she said.

He groaned. Isobel had sworn him to secrecy about her personal quest. The things she did when her fellow sorcerers at Highglaive weren't looking. He could not breach Isobel's confidence, but he also did not wish to lie to his wife. "It's not really my secret to tell. And in all honesty, I know very little. Probably understand even less."

The line between Shae's brows deepened. "What do you mean?"

Raising himself up on his elbows, he grimaced. "I've already told you too much. The inner dealings of the sorcerers is not my domain. I may have travelled the world with Isobel and Goddess Dhim, but I'm a warrior at heart. Magic and everything that comes with it is beyond my comprehension. So when Isobel asks me to do something, I trust her, and I do as she says."

"You trust her enough to follow blindly." Her eyes were no longer looking at him, instead staring unseeingly out the window.

Orc's ass. He was bungling this up already. Sitting up, he leaned forward and cupped her cheek, forcing her gaze back to his. "Shae," he said gently. "I am here with you, and it's where I want to be. But yes, where some things are concerned—possibly a lot of things—Isobel knows more than I do, and I defer to her judgement."

She nodded, but there was something guarded in her eyes that would not quite disappear. Saddened that he could not quite reach through to her, he leaned forward and kissed her. "I would follow you blindly too," he whispered against her lips.

Pulling back, she inhaled sharply. "Felix..."

He didn't want her withdrawing fully. Couldn't stand the idea of her resurrecting the walls that had separated them in their marriage. So he shook his head. He had said too much too soon, and she wasn't ready. "I'm sorry. Let's... Let's go back to sleep, and we can talk more about this another time?"

When she lay back down, he breathed a sigh of relief. Lying next to her, he pulled her into his embrace, and she nestled close to him, her nose against his shoulder. Things might be tenuous, but they were on the right path. He had to believe so.

Their lives settled into a new normal over the next few days where Felix spent the nights in Shae's bed, and she joined him in some of the High Council meetings. If anyone had any complaints about her presence, they knew better than to voice them in his presence. As if by an unspoken agreement, they didn't mention Sorceress Isobel or discuss their changing relationship, instead focusing on enjoying the present. This suited Shae perfectly since she wasn't sure how she felt about Felix and the sorceress. She didn't think he had lied to her, but she couldn't shake the unease about how close the two were.

In his own way, Felix was obviously trying to reassure her that he truly wanted their marriage to be better. He made an effort to stay in their chambers long enough to share breakfast with her and Mio in the sitting room before beginning the duties of the day, and tried to have dinner with them most evenings. And any time they crossed paths in the hallways, he would kiss her—to the embarrassment of their King's Guards, who were still following them everywhere.

Her ladies-in-waiting loved the recent change, tittering about the change in the High King and giggling about how they claimed his eyes softened when he looked at Shae, comparing him to a lovesick puppy. Shae wouldn't go that far, but she had to admit that her husband definitely seemed to appreciate her company. And she appreciated his. Especially the nights they shared in bed. 'More' had turned out to be absolutely amazing.

"Mummy! Mummy! Look!" Mio's excited chattering brought her back to the present. They were sitting in the castle garden having a small picnic dinner while two King's Guards stood sentinel a short distance away.

The late afternoon sun painted the garden in a reddish tint, enhancing the multitude of colours. Dark green foliage, glittering blue water in two pools, flowers in every imaginable colour. The royal garden was the only area of Messina with anything growing. Someone must have brought in soil from outside to create the garden, as the ground they built the city upon was barren and blackened since the start of the First Age. The culmination of the Battle of the Gods had resulted in an eruption of magic and power strong enough to sunder the continent and damage the soil of the location where it originated.

"What is it, darling?" she asked, looking over to discover him proudly holding three snails in his hands.

"Family," he said happily. "A mummy. A daddy. A baby. Like us."

Warmth spread inside her at his words, and she smiled. "That's right. Just like us." She directed his hands away from her, not wanting the child to drop his new friends in her lap. "Why don't you put them down over there by the roses? I'm sure they will love eating them."

Mio scampered off, gently putting the slimy creatures down by the blossoming red roses that were the pride of the royal gardeners. Oh, they would hate her. She smiled as her fingers absentmindedly traced along the curved wood of the longbow Felix had given her. There had been no more attempts on her life, but she had taken to carrying the weapon with her everywhere, earning her strange looks from everyone at court. She trusted the King's Guards to keep them safe, but holding the bow was like an anchor in a world where things were changing too fast.

Opening herself back up to care for others was terrifying, but she was determined to do it. Her life was already better than it had been for years since she had dared to admit her feelings for Felix to herself. She no longer felt alone in a world that moved on without her. She still grieved the family she had lost but refused to let it shackle her in the past. No more.

Turning her head to the waning sun, she closed her eyes to bask in the warmth. She was spending the day with Mio rather than joining Felix in his duties since the Championship Games were about to start. Tomorrow night, they were hosting a grand ball to kick off the two weeks of festivities and competitions. Tents in all shapes and colours filled the fields on the mainland on the other side of the sound as contestants and attendees from all over the kingdoms gathered to take part. Every inn in Messina was fully booked, and every guest chamber in the castle occupied.

An ominous prickle at the back of her neck made her open her eyes. As she did, the glint of something reflecting in the sun caught her attention. It came from the battlements above that stretched between the castle towers. An arrow flew past her, narrowly missing her left ear. Instinctively, she rushed over and grabbed Mio as a King's Guard ran after her, shouting at his companion to sound the alarm. Once Mio was safely behind the guard's shield, Shae grabbed an arrow from her quiver and nocked it. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment, forcing herself to get her breathing under control.

Remembering where she had seen the gleam above them, she stood, and another arrow clinked against the guard's shield.

"Your Majesty!" the guard shouted, but she ignored him.

They were lucky that their attacker was not a great bowman. Shae, on the other hand, was. Following the shadowy figure on the battlement with her eyes, she pulled back the bowstring and a moment later let loose. The arrow sailed across the garden and the assailant yelped. Quickly, Shae nocked another arrow, but before she could shoot, the figure above dived behind the battlements. Cursing, she crouched down behind the shield and put the bow down.

"Mummy?" Mio's lower lip quivered as he looked up at her.

"Shh, it's all right." She stroked his hair, hoping to reassure him. "Just stay here with mummy for a moment."

Several King's Guards came running into the garden. The knight who had sounded the alarm pointed to the battlements. "It came from up there. I think Queen Shae wounded them with an arrow. Make haste!"

Crouching behind the shield, it felt like an eternity as the guards ran off to look for the attacker. Shae continued stroking her son's hair as she thought back on the afternoon. Had there been any hint of an imminent attack? Nothing came to mind as appearing out of the ordinary. The sound of boots and metal scraping on the battlements above made her raise her head.

"They're gone," a guard called down, his voice grim.

"Queen Shae definitely injured them," another said as he held up a bloodied arrow. "There are spots of blood. We will follow to see if it leads us to them."

A few guards disappeared to follow the trail of blood while the others returned to escort Shae and Mio to the royal chambers. No one wanted to leave, and she found herself with half a dozen knights filling the sitting room and hallway outside as she tried to distract Mio from the events.

Felix arrived nearly two hours later. By then, Mio was asleep in her bed and she sat in an upholstered chair with a book she had picked up, hoping to distract herself.

"I'm sorry," he said as he walked up to the bed and placed a kiss on the sleeping boy's head. "I was out on the fields making the rounds among the participants. It took them a while to find me, but I returned as soon as I heard."

She closed the book and put it away. Too distracted to focus, she had only managed about two pages as she reread the same passage over and over again. "Did they find anything?" she asked.

He shook his head, and as he came over to her, she slipped into his arms. As always, she felt safe there. Felix was warm and solid, smelling lightly of parchment and ink from his many meetings and missives, but a lingering hint of his sandalwood soap mixed with the others, creating a combination that felt so very him.

"They followed the trail, but it stopped a few yards into the castle. We were already increasing the number of guards for the Games, but after this, I think we will add even more." His arms around her tightened. "You will be safe. Mio will be safe."

She wasn't entirely sure if he was trying to convince her or himself. Tilting her head back, she looked up at him. His green eyes looked tired, with dark shadows dusting his cheeks, and his lips were nothing but a thin line. She rested a hand against his cheek, and he visibly relaxed.

"We will be safe," she said. "There are plenty of King's Guards with us at all times."

"There were guards with you today," he said, his voice tight. "And you still nearly got pierced by an arrow."

"But I didn't."

His lips found hers as his arms pulled her closer, his movements fuelled by an urgency that matched her own. He kissed her deeply with more passion than finesse, instantly igniting the fire within. His hands roamed over her, moulding her contours to the shape of his body. After a quick look at the sleeping child in the bed, he lifted her into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Still kissing her, he opened the door to the sitting room and walked them across to his bedchamber. If the display embarrassed the King's Guards, she'd never know, as her mind was otherwise preoccupied.

Kicking the door shut behind them, Felix dropped her on his bed to pull his clothes off. She had already got ready for bed, so only needed to untie the sash at her waist and slip out of her dressing gown. As soon as his last garment hit the floor, Felix was back with her, his body covering hers on the bed, his hands roaming over her body as he possessed her mouth with fervent kisses. The need to be close to him was overwhelming after the day's events. They could not get close enough. There was no time to wait. She wanted him now.

Wrapping her arms and legs around him, she moved against him. Spurred on by her need, he slid into her heat, making her gasp. His movements were quick and passionate, hurried as if he expected her to vanish at any moment. Sharing his sense of urgency, she met his every thrust, returned his every kiss and touch, until her world exploded in a white, hot fire. Felix followed a moment later, burying himself deep inside her with a guttural moan.

As their breathing returned to normal, he lay down next to her and gathered her up in his arms. Pressing his mouth against the top of her head, he sighed.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he vowed. "Not to you. Not to Mio."

"I know you won't," she mumbled drowsily. The events of the day had left her on high alert, and finally relaxing sapped her of whatever remaining energy she had left.

Felix kissed her forehead. "Sleep, love. You're safe here."

Burying her nose against his chest, she inhaled his scent. There was something comforting about being surrounded by his embrace. As if he truly would let nothing happen to her. As if he truly cared.

~~~~~~