I saw his eyes tear up for the first time in happiness as he kissed me passionately. The nightgown slid off my shoulder and my hair was pushed back as his lips peppered kisses from my lips to my jaw, to my shoulder, and to my neck. It was so soft, yet so passionate.

I untied the laces of his shorts on instinct as he helped me. This was it, I was about to give my virtue to my husband and couldn't be happier.

Just as my dress exposed my breast and his shorts exposed his manhood the tent door opened. Instinctively, Nathaniel covered my modesty with his own body as he growled in frustration. He ordered the flustered guard to leave immediately and I couldn't hold the chuckle that escaped my lips.

"What is so funny, dear wife?"

"You growled like a dog? Are you hiding something from me, dear husband? Are you half man half beast-like in those ancient tales?"

I laughed towards the end of the question. He silenced me when I felt his hard manhood on my thigh, just below my core. His eyes remained hooded as we breathed erratically.

"I assure you any living thing would growl if what is desired the most was snatched from it, just as it was able to capture it."

"Am I what you desire the most?"

"I've never desired anything more than you."

I snapped out of our haze, realizing a second longer in this bed will lead us to make love. I know that I wouldn't be pleased if we made love while his guards awakened and waited for him outside.

I pushed him to the side and got up from the bed, fixing my dress. I dressed more appropriately, as he stared at me the entire time.

"Get dressed, Nathaniel."

"Just moments ago you couldn't wait to undress me."

He said smugly as I blushed. I gave him a look of seriousness and he finally decided to clothe more decently. We headed out of the tent to see why we were called.

The guard that interrupted us, waited outside with our head down. He was a young lad, a few years younger than me. His pale face was crimson as he cleared his throat.

"I apologize to you, your highness for barging in like that."

"What was so important that you interrupted me and my wife, just as we were to-"

I lightly punched him at his stomach to stop his next words, as I could sense what they would be. He let out a groan and the tent in his trousers grew larger if possible and I looked at him in disbelief.

"It was dawn, my Lord. The men are ready, as you mentioned that we will depart at this time."

"Very well. Let's depart then."

I felt bad for my husband, as his protruding manhood was still slightly visible through his cloak. I grabbed his arm and reached up for a peck on his lips, which he gladly welcomed.

"Maybe this was for the best. I wouldn't want our first time to be heard by all these men."

"Hmm. I guess you are right. Those sinful moans you make should only be for my ears."

"Is my husband possessive now?"

"Why wouldn't I be. My wife has the beauty of a goddess, the brains of many scholars, and the bravery of a soldier. If you were to leave me, I need to show these men that they will face their King's wrath if they were to attempt to woo you with their charms."

"Do you think I'll ever leave you?"

"I don't want to think of it, but after hurting you so much, I fear if I hurt you again you will leave me."

I cup his cheek and look into his eyes. This was new for him, being so exposed and vulnerable. It wasn't a lack of trust he had in me, rather the lack of trust he has in him after hurting me.

"Never will I leave you. As our marriage vows say until death do us apart. I love you and always will."

He kissed me tenderly as my toes curled in my shoes. I heard a few hoots and turned to see some of the brave soldiers. I expected my husband to be angered by their action, but instead, he laughed at the blushed expression on my face.

We began walking towards our horses and saddled upon them. He held my hand and looked into my eyes, as he said those three words that have strengthened our marriage.

"I love you too, my dear wife."

We rode continuously until the sun reached its peak for the day. The horses needed to rest for a while and so did we. Everyone ate other than Nathan and me, so I decided to pick some edible wild berries to satisfy our hunger.

Carefully tasting and picking the sweet berries, I put them in a sack and headed towards a stream to wash them. I washed them until they were clear of dirt and placed them in a pouch. The ripples of the clear stream stilled as I looked at my reflection.

Red and purple bruises were littered from my jaw to my collarbone. To be more specific, love bites were littered on my neck from my husband. I felt my blood boil at the thought of Nathaniel letting me walk around like this among everyone.

I felt his presence behind me and angrily stalked towards him as the smile on his face faded when he saw the angered expression on my own. He ordered the men near him to leave, just as I arrived. I dragged his arm wordlessly until we were far from them.

"Avani, what is wrong?"

"What is wrong! You let me parade around with these marks around. You should protect my modesty, how could you let me showcase these love bites around like that in front of your men?"

"I never knew it was a big concern. I'm not sure of the customs in Alasia, but here it is an honour when the wife bears the love bites of her husband. It shows their happy and healthy marriage."

I felt daft at just angrily questioning him, knowing he would never let my honour fall. He looked genuinely taken aback and I chided myself for reacting improperly.

"I'm sorry, I know you would never put a mark on my honour. I forgot about our different customs and beliefs. I was just angered when I saw it, as only whores adored visible love bites in Alasia. They used it to attract men there to show off their skills in the bed. Our modest clothes hid these marks, but here the dresses have such deep necklines."

"If you wish to hide it then very well. I respect your beliefs and there is no need to apologize. It was a misunderstanding which is now sorted now."

I knew if I hid it now, there would have to be an explanation of my odd behaviour. Then the men would talk about it, which I wanted to avoid. I knew the reasonable choice would be to ignore it now and not make a big issue out of it. Also, the reconciliation of their King and his wife will bring faith and happiness to his people.

"If these marks bear the well-being of our marriage, then I shall proudly show it. We should head towards our journey now if we want to reach the village before sundown."

He nodded his head and kissed my forehead before we walked back to our horses. With that, I gave him the berries I picked and shared them with the fellow men, as we ate and trotted along the forest in unison.

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