And They All Fall Down

Writers: Chelle, Eimi
Date Posted: 23rd October 2010

Characters: Ioven, Parale, Venrys, Syren
Description: The couple explore an interesting development of marriage.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 10, day 24 of Turn 5

Ioven sat down next to his eldest daughter, giving her a quick kiss on
the top of her head. "Good morning, girls. Did you have pleasant
dreams?"

Venrys nodded enthusiastically. "I had a dream about a black runner who
could talk and he said he wanted to be my friend..."

Her father was only half listening as he glanced over at Parale sitting
across from him. He wasn't sure how to act towards her now. To be
honest, they had rarely talked, and when they did, it was almost always
about the girls, or about plans for the future. And yes last night they
had been together in the most intimate way a man and woman could be. He
felt slightly awkward as he pasted her a roll, wondering what he should
say - what he _could_ say. As her fingers brushed his, he could feel a
gentle heat linger where their skin had touched. He couldn't talk to
her, but even that slight touch reminded him how soft her skin had felt under
his fingertips. His eyes met hers for a brief moment, but he forced
himself to turn back to his daughter and feign interest in her story.

She was feeling a bit sore, but it didn't dampen her intense curiosity
about this new change in their relationship. Parale found herself
watching Ioven when she could, and when they touched she could feel a
little tingle as well. "Syren, eat your meal before it gets cold."

Ioven's awkward uncertainty continued even as they moved down to the
beach for a family picnic that afternoon. While he helped Venrys
assemble a kite on shore, Parale was continuing Syren's swimming lessons
out on the water. He couldn't help but be a little distracted as he caught
a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye as she stood up out of the
water. The bathing suit clung to, hiding very little. He couldn't help
but feel like a teenage boy as he secretly ogled her. But he had spent
turns ignoring his attraction to women, mostly out of guilt but also
because he had two girls to raise and they were his first priority
always. And yet now that his body remembered, it was hard to push those
feelings down again. He watched the water drip down her face and
remembered the sweat that had dampened her brow. As she bent down to
splash Syren playfully, he got a tantalizing peek at the soft flesh he
had teased with his lips the night before...

"Daddy?"

His eyes snapped back to his eldest daughter. "What?"

"Can we fly it now?" she asked innocently.

"Yes, of course we can," he smiled, taking a deep breath and forcing
himself to keep his eyes focused on the task at hand.

That night, at dinner, Parale was hardpressed to keep her foot from
riding up Ioven's leg. Trying to keep focused on her meal, she forced
herself to take her time cutting up her fingerroots. **It's a little
warm in here** she thought to herself. Stealing a glance over the table at the
smith, she wondered what was going to happen later.

As they tucked the girls into bed that evening, it seemed she was not
the only one curious about their evening plans. Even as the covers were
being tucked in around her, Venrys turned her eyes on her father and
asked, "Daddy? Is Parale going to sleep with us tonight?"

Ioven looked almost guilty. It seemed she was reading the same question
that had been running through his head all evening. He knew that they
had only agreed to spend their wedding night together. They hadn't
expected that it would be anything more than just laying side by side.
Things had progressed unexpectedly quickly, and now he wasn't quite sure
where they stood with one another. "I... think you should ask her
that."

"Well, are you?" the little girl asked, with Syren's alert eyes also
turning to their new step-mother.

"I can move over," the younger offered.

"Well.." She looked at their faces, indecision warring over her own
desires. "I can stay here till you go to sleep if you need me to, but
big girls sleep in their own beds."

Syren didn't know Parale had a bed too! "Where's your bed?"

"When girls get married, they sleep with their husbands. That way,
if he snores too loud, you can wake him up before he wakes up everyone
else." She smiled and reached to tickle Venrys.

Venrys giggled, pushing at Parale's hands and trying to tickle her back,
though her arms weren't long enough to reach.

Syren, however, was still trying to sort out this new piece of
information. "But, Daddy doesn't snore."

"Not so much," Ioven agreed, rubbing his daughter's tummy
affectionately. Very little escaped that little one, he thought with a
smile. "But if I _did_, I would want Parale to be there. Besides, you
get to sleep with Venrys. I want someone to sleep with, too."

Parale's belly was already warming in anticipation. Her soreness had
worked itself out and she was wanting to try something she'd heard the
drudge talking about earlier.

Her husband also was starting to think of the possibilities once the
girls had fallen asleep. He hadn't been sure Parale would want to
neglect the girls to join him in his bed, but the fact that she had
chosen to be with him sent a little thrill through his veins. There was
no way he could sleep next to her without touching her again! "Right,
well girls, we're going to be getting on the boat day after tomorrow,
and we'll need plenty of sleep before then. So, what story do you want
to hear?"

**The boat! That's right, the sharding boat! How am I going to get to
him on a boat as small as all that** Frowning, Parale ran over several
scenarios in her mind, then finally decided she'd try her best to make
the next two nights count.

One story hadn't been enough and Ioven suffered through a second. It
was going to be so nice when they were in their own beds and he could
leave them to fall asleep on their own! Finally Venrys closed her eyes
and her breathing changed. "I think they're asleep," Ioven whispered, a
hint of excitement in his voice.

Parale waited for telltale signs that they were fighting sleep.
Satisfied after some time, she started to edge slowly off the bed,
careful of any huge movements.

"Come on," Ioven whispered softly as he tiptoed towards the door and
held it open for her just enough for them to squeeze through so as not
to let in unnecessary light. He could already feel the anticipation
starting to build in his stomach.

When the door shut, she let out a big breath. And then she found herself
running after Ioven like a little girl.

Ioven's breathing grew a little heavier in anticipation as they made
their way down the corridor. He had been undressing her with his eyes
all sharding day! To say that he had been relieved when she had chosen
to sleep with him rather than his girls would be an understatement. He
had a taste of something he had denied he had been missing, and he just
wanted her more and more with each step.

Once they reached their quarters and closed the door, Parale practically
jumped into his arms, trying to kiss him. She wasn't much for foreplay
at the moment. "Mmmm..."

Knocked a little unbalanced, her husband wrapped his arms around her and
all but fell into the door, lips meeting hers. Her enthusiasm just made
it easier as he wheeled them both around, pressing her up against the
wood as his hands reached to pull up her skirt. She was certainly no
blushing bride now, and he would have wondered if she had not done this before if
his mind hadn't been preoccupied. Hands finally touching the warm skin
of her thighs, he lifted her up. He had to feel her legs around him or
he felt he would just go crazy.

Past that, she didn't really know what to do. Parale let him take over,
along for the ride. **He really has lovely hands. And mouth. His muscles
are nice too.**

Last updated on the November 7th 2010

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And They All Fall Down