I'm less hungry than Alexander, so I get up and reach the terrace while he's still eating.

I've missed this view. Last time, I couldn't just get out here and take a look. We were visiting the place in secret, so we couldn't let anyone see that there was someone in the late Queen's room!

Yet, now, it's fine. Even if they see me, they'll just remember the good old times and continue on.

The harbour is lively as I remember it was during my childhood. The war forced us to decrease the number of exchanges, and the surrender meant it wasn't our harbour anymore.

Yet, somehow, we got it back.

The breeze is warm as usual, and the mountains tower over the Palace. I can see everything from here.

The streets are crowded, people do get out of their houses. It's as if war has never happened.

The light of the sun, setting behind the mountains, makes everything look calmer and hotter. We're lucky it's just the beginning of summer, or we would be panting in heat right now.

I've forgotten how cosy the sun rays are. The cold north has got into my bones, and I've stopped feeling cold like in the first years.

A pair of strong arms surround my waist, and a dark head lowers on my shoulder. Alexander is hugging me from the back.

«You startled me,» I say.

He said something about this terrace, and I'm not sure he understood that I refused.

In fact, his lips are pressed on my neck.

«Alexander, go shave first. You're scratching me like this.»

«You're so delicate, wife,» he murmurs. «I will shave. As soon as I fulfil my promise to you.»

«You didn't promise anything!» I complain. «And we're out in the open. What if someone sees?»

«Who can see you here, wife?» he points out.

In fact, it is difficult. It's the highest terrace of the building. For security reasons, there aren't even windows higher than this. The only chance is spotting us while strolling in the gardens, but it's enough distance to hide what we're doing... Even though it would be too embarrassing.

«Let's get in the room,» I sigh.

«No,» Alexander murmurs. He pulls me back by a few steps until I can't see the city anymore. «Is this hidden enough for you?»

«You're so insistent,» I pout, but I turn to him and surround his neck. I stand on tiptoe and kiss him.

His hands move down on my back, reaching my butt and squeezing. He caresses my thighs, taking another step back, and then he lifts me up.

When Alexander turns and presses me on the wall next to the window, I open my eyes and try to protest. Yet, I lock my legs around his hips and clench his shoulder in search of balance.

«Not me,» he sighs. «Don't look at me!»

Where else should I look? And, also, I was trying to say something!

«Look at the scenery,» he breathes in my ear. His fingers pin my chin and make me raise my head and stare over his shoulder. «I want you to see every detail. I will ask you later, so you better not pretend or close your eyes.»

He lifts my skirt, revealing my legs to the wind. It takes him forever to fold the long cloth, and it's even more difficult in this position.

In the end, though, Alexander manages. His instinct never fails him in this kind of circumstances.

I bend down and kiss his neck while he works with his belt. I caress the back of his nape with my nails, and then I sink my fingers in his hair. I delicately pull when he's ready to go, and Alexander sighs against my lips.

«The room is right here,» he says.

«Too far now,» I murmur.

No one can see us here. We're alone, in front of huge mountains and the endless sea. The wind makes us shiver, and a few clouds on the horizon promise rain.

«You asked for it, wife,» he mumbles. «I'm just fulfilling your request, aren't I?»

«You're taking advantage of me,» I point out. «Like you always do, you shameless husband.»

«No, I'm not shameless,» he chuckles. «Just too lazy to carry you in.»

That said, he returns to his husbandly duties. He caresses my face with a finger and kisses me lightly before joining our bodies and pressing me on the wall with his weight.

Oh, we haven't done it like this in a while, now that I think about it. Lately, my hubby has been too tired to carry me, so I had to do most of the work.

«Thea,» he whispers, calling me back to the real world. «I said not to look here. But the scenery.»

I bite his shoulder as a complaint. His hand on my thighs, keeping me from falling, finds enough space to pinch me.

«I'll know if you close your eyes,» he adds before thrusting inside with his usual roughness.

I suppress a scream, but a loud moan escapes my mouth.

We're in the open. People might hear even if they don't see us.

Maybe, a distraction isn't as bad as an idea. I open my eyes and gaze at whatever is behind Alexander's shoulder.

And I find the sea.

Nothing weird, right? It's always been there. But, all of a sudden, I remember a painting in our room in Stoneyard. I remember the small details I spent so much time searching, and I find them all here, in the real deal.

The way the waves reflect the sun rays and their shadowed part. The white foam adds colour, and the blue changes according to the depth. The more distant areas are like sapphires, while those closest to the land are either dark greenish or light blue.

The sky mirrors the water, even though the western part is already starting to become red. The sun is setting, and soon it will be evening.

All of this makes me distract from Alexander enough to overlook my own body. My fingers are clenching his shoulders, my legs are quivering around his waist. My throat has forgotten my orders and is letting out wild screams and naughty moans.

I'm so close to the peak, yet I can't stop looking at the sea.

«The scenery...» I stutter, trying to find enough air to talk in all this panting. «It's... be-beautiful!»

«I know, Thea,» Alexander murmurs.

Of course, he knows, he painted it! He remembers every detail of what can be seen from this room.

As pleasure takes over, my eyes close, and my back arches. I can't follow Alexander's order as I contort in his arms and think only of this ecstatic emotion.

Alexander's breath hits my ear as he pants faster and faster until reaching his own satisfaction.

«Thea,» he murmurs, kissing my neck and slowing down.

He eventually stops thrusting, but his lips don't skip a spot on my skin. One of his arms surrounds my waist, and we lean against the wall once again.

«I love you,» he whispers, cuddling me in his embrace and brushing his prickly beard on my shoulder.

It takes me forever to open my eyes, but I manage to. I observe Alexander's face while he's still recovering, and a smile curls my lips.

His hair is as dark as it has always been, but his beard has a few lighter spots. He shaves regularly, so it's difficult to see, but the white hairs are there.

He is ageing, after all. It's just that it makes him even more handsome and charming. It's unfair to us human beings, but I find him more enticing now than when I first met him.

There are a few wrinkles around his eyes, and I'm glad for them. It's proof of his smiling throughout the years. It's a sign that I brought him more pleasure and happy moments than pain and trouble.

«I love you too, Xander,» I reply. A bit too late, but I was distracted.

Then, I chuckle and hug him tightly. No matter that our bodies are still joined, I don't want to part.

«Can you believe we survived ten years of marriage?» I exclaim.

«Not yet,» he replies.

«Yes, in fact. If you count the first year too...»

«I don't want to count it.»

«Then, I'll say the same thing next year,» I sigh.

«Will we celebrate like this?» he murmurs. «Our real anniversary.»

«This isn't enough for an anniversary,» I comment.

«We're not done.»

That's true as well.

«If this would make you happy,» I say.

«And you?» he murmurs. He pecks my cheek. «Does it make you happy?»

«Does it?» I say. I tilt my head and look at him questioningly. «Happy isn't the right word.»

Instead of crooking his mouth and looking at me like an abandoned puppy, Alexander pushes his hip up. We haven't parted yet, and it might take more time than planned to do so.

«Not happy?» he says to my ear before thrusting again. I arch my back, already at the limit.

«Happy isn't enough to describe it,» I explain as we return to our marriage duties with no less effort than before.