"Then there is nothing for either of us to regret. You want to be with me and I want to be with you, regardless of my fathers feelings on the matter. I left for you and to accompany my mother. You have to remember this isn't just you. My father has treated my mother badly for years. It just took us to help my mother stand up against him." Clovis explained running his hand down her back, trying to sooth those painful muscles. Kyera sighed standing and shifting in the water.
"Then we will take care of her. He may not realize what he has had or what he has lost but you are my family now. All four of you." Kyera assured him with a smile. The warmth in Clovis' chest grew as he realized what Kyera meant by that. He smiled softly, this is what it meant for family to be treated as family.
"Well, it looks like we have made our own rules, huh?" Clovis asked chuckling as Kyera sat next to him letting the water calm her.
"Yes, did you not expect it?" Kyera asked tilting her head slowly to the side. He frowned laying back in the water.
"No, honestly it.. it's different in the palace. The Emperor sets all the rules, regardless of the marriages everything family oriented is decided by the Emperor till he dies, then the next Emperor rules the family. Nothing is left to individual families." Clovis tried to explain and Kyera shook her head. This didn't really make sense to her.
"Why would that be? I mean there are rules in the Forest and even in Shadow Veil but how a family is run and who they hold dear is left to the family themselves, mother, father and children. Grandfather's and Grandmothers words are taken seriously but they do not make the decisions unilaterally. Like what just happened with our wedding. Unless you dismiss the wedding before you bed me, we are considered married in the eyes of the Forest and Shadow Vale." Kyera explained as she stretched in the water. Her cat like grace amplified by the gentle swirls and swooshes in the water. Such delicate movements, and yet they released so much pain. The pair walked together in the water as they talked.
Kyera led Clovis a good ways away from from the camp, so they could continue to speak alone. The little pond that river fed was just deep enough for Kyera's jaw to become wet. Clovis followed her to the river bank, where the water was shallowest.
Weeping willows draped down beside the water, a large tree's branches danced mere inches from the water's surface, giving them a beautiful view of the world from within their own little cocoon. Shadows danced beneath the leaves, welcoming to them both. Kyera couldn't help but smile as she laid under that tree in the water. Clovis decided to continue speaking here, in the seclusion of their little haven.
"You were raised much differently than I was. I hope for Raina to learn your ways. I want our children to be happy. I have learned the Harem way of life ruins any chance of that." Clovis dropped that surprise on her lap and she turned to face him.
"Are you suggesting I be your only wife?" Kyera asked, keeping her tone carefully neutral. She didn't want her feelings to influence his decision. He smiled and turned on his side. Her breath caught.
The moonlight played off the thin layer of water over his skin. His abs, chest, and shoulders enhanced by the shine on his muscles. There was a certain majestic beauty to the way his features seemed to glow. Soft and strong like the ocean's current. Then again there was the stark contrast of fire in his eyes. The way his lips parted, just enough to tease her with the temptation to taste them.