he knew the words to be a lie no matter how well intending the other was. "my lord, you lie too sweetly, i am not ignorant. i will never pull from your honey'd lips such a face if i cannot do it now. you are a reluctant sinner"

"If I were unable to lie, how would I have gotten here in the first place? Never would you have seen my face had I not taken the place of my sister. The fact you have pulled such thus far is more than I would have ever known to happen." Allowing for his hand to continue down the arm, he found the messy hand and took it into his own

"any deft hand can do that wife, i wish for such a face when you are filled with me not simply from my touch. you are best left coupling with some heathen woman and having her bear you dirty heathen children not here under my will and by my side." he averted his eyes ashamed. "i will however not allow it of course. you are mine"

"I am yours. By the Church we have been wed and I belong to you, I would never expect for you to ever give me to another. Besides, the kingdom does not need more heathen children, and I am sure my heathen wife will find another heathen man and have many more heathen children than I would ever have her bear." Beginning to lift his hand to turn the face back towards his own, the boy caught himself and instead let the hand fall back, doing nothing more than accidentally grazing across his husband's chest.

the touch was soft and sent a shiver through him reminding him of his wants. still not meeting the lad's gaze he kissed the pale damp neck

Even he did not wish to indulge the Prince, knowing full well that he could not truly give him what he desired, but the feeling of cool lips pressed against the heat of his neck kept him in the lap, leaning into the touches the red haired man offered him

after the lad left for the night he found his release in the embrace of a scullery maid though the lass did nothing to assuage want for his reluctant wife instead. the next morning he left early to take his prayers alone with one of the monks to not only wash away the sinful feelings but prevent more when he would be expected to spend the dawning hours beside the origin of his distress

Long he waited at the base of the stairs, expecting his husband to retrieve him. Rather he was left unattended. By the time he'd reached the realization that the Prince was not coming for him the bells of the chapel were merrily ringing, letting all know to join the monks and patrons soon, lest they miss the sermon. Feeling both peeved and disappointed, the but went to church in search of the Lord's comforting words

he was allowed to leave not too long after the rest of the household but luckily not too soon as to be caught by his wife. taking the long way to court he went to manage the day's affairs with his brother

He'd fallen extremely close to backhanding the woman who openly dared to call his sewing a sham. She had gall for being the first to say it, and he knew by the silence of the other women they agreed. Instead, he said nothing and took his fabric and needles elsewhere to work on his own without the criticism of others or the presence of the illusive Prince

he did not see the lad again until evening meal but when he did he was dressed once more in the plum colored dress and it brought back the uncomfortable want that had been plaguing him. it did not occure to him until soft eyes found him across the table that tonight was the night his wife was expected to offer him his wedding flower

He could feel the gaze falling on him throughout the dinner, and it reminded him of his first evening he'd arrived. However, the only gaze he seemed to be able to capture the attention of a single soul, the effects of his darkly colored gown still only affecting one. Fortunately, it was the gaze of the one he went fishing for that evening. In his search to catch the slate eyes once more, he hardly noticed the rest of the women rising to leave. Looking once more to find his eyes not met by the Prince's gaze, the marquess calmly stood from the table to leave with the others

he felt reluctant and eager when the lad knocked that evening and when the other came in with a soft swish he was only ably to offer a soft 'my lord' in greeting

A shudder passed down his spine as his Prince spoke, even if the words barely reached his ears. Softly pressing the tip of a slippered foot against the ground his eyes remained averted, dinner having killed his appetite to meet the gray eyes. Nervously tugging at the velvety material of his skirt the boy returned the greeting

he felt his passion stir at the site of his fae little wife looking meek and embarrassed while dressed so alluringly. the pallor of his skin sat so wonderfully juxtaposed against the cloth that he forgot his disappointment and standing came over to press the other against the door. "dear wife.."

The weight of the body pushing him against the wall was distinctive from the times in the past. He was unsure of the origins behind the perception of the Prince's touches, and he decided it did not matter. Lifting his gaze to try and meet the other's, he was met with nothing as the man was already dipping forward towards the pale skin of his neck he seemed to love so much. Brushing a gentle hand against a long side, words at the volume of a mere whisper escaped him. "...what is it you wish, my Prince?"

he intended to speak of sin and deflowering and debts but got no farther than another 'my lord' before wrangling his wife into his arms. they were nearly the same height and the other towered over him but with his arms around the narrow hips and the soft cloth swishing against his legs he did not mind the novel view and carried his companion to the white-dressed bed

As the sweet lips came to rest upon uncovered skin, he expected more of the same. Even so, while an unfamiliar and unprepared for hand found him through velvety fabric, he was unable to mask the soft gasp of surprise before inadvertently pressing against it. With the Prince slowly climbing and pressing closer he could not help but slide back against the soft sheets, accommodating for his companion as the hand continued as diligently as the smooth lips

when the lad spilled out he did not pull away and remained close taking in the soft womanly smell of oil and the harsher though equally masculine smell of perspiration left on the neck he lavished so much of his affections on. "my lord would you take my sin with yours?"

Words nearly failed to escape as attention was stolen away by the warmth and soft scent of horses penetrated his thoughts. He melted into the soft linen sheets as easily as breath rolled across his neck before he finally managed to speak, his voice rising no louder than a whisper. "Gratefully, my Prince."

his cold little wife was slow to warm up but when the face melted to one of pleasure he was able to push the boy past his reluctance and pull from the soft lips light sounds of pleasure. afterwards ainsley asked to stay and lay with him in the ruins of their wedding sheets, he was too pleased to deny him

Unexpected feelings blew away with the ease of a feather on a breezy day, all except his uncertainty. He felt oddly naked against the pale and ruined sheets without his dress or padding, while in the same moment he felt content, not yet needing to leave as he was expected to nights prior. When his Prince spoke and mentioned that it was getting late the boy simply watched with an innocent look and questioned whether or not he had to leave

his answer was met with silence and a refusal on the boy's part to leave. he did not mind so much however despite the impropriety since it awarded him an opportunity to see the duke when all he saw before was a woman

He woke with a start, the sharp sound of a servant knocking against the door with calls and instruction to hurry pulling him back from his dreams. Looking around the room, Ainsley took a long moment to realize he was not in his own chambers, and instead was back beside his husband in the hours before church. Paying no mind to the other body he worked to gather his clothes and wig and try to appear decent enough for the Lord's sermon

he did not dress until the other was gone and instead spent his time watching his wife transform from a poor duke to a fine duchess. the trick was interesting to watch and left him little time to find his own clothing and ready himself for the morning

He'd held half a mind to wait for his husband to dress and ready, but when signs showed no preparation was being taken to ready, the Marquess left to the chapel without him. He had been under the impression that his prince was not heading to church at all that morning. Silently he folded his hands in front of him to pray for the poor soul who dare skipped the Lord's sermon when he could hear the doors open, and after mere moments the body came to sit beside him. He let prayerful hands fall, and dropped his head as the monk began to address the congregation

the morning prayer was always the longest part of the day for him but oddly this time it moved so quickly he was certain the monk's words were cut short, it did not matter though for he had no mind for god this morning and spent his time trying to see through the trick of his wife and pick out the man from around the woman, in the end he could not. he went to court that day no more assured than the first time he had seen the other

He dawdled longer than he meant to in his rooms. The opportunity for a fresh change of clothes, and even just the barest of washes was too much to waste, though, the maid did not agree. Already she’d heard rumors circulating about the previous evening, both he staying in the Prince’s chambers as well as the blood covered sheets offered evidence to anyone who wished to know. Badly the boy wished that he could halt the rumors where they stood, but he knew it would be best to ignore them. React too harshly and one would merely receive responses claiming it was all a lie. This seemed to be under discussion among the women as well. While he brought his latest fabric and patchwork to the lady’s gathering, he could hear them whispering amongst themselves of the gossip, unknown of his nearby presence. Some spoke of him being needy due to ‘peculiarities’, which was why he insisted on staying the evening, and some spoke of the appearance of blood on the sheets. Many were disproved in their assumptions he was not pure when wed to the Prince, but others still held their beliefs and adapted to say the Prince was too rough that day. Still, the most common topic amongst them all was the possibility of the him being pregnant. It was unanimous in this that it would be terrible if it were true, all knowing that the birth of the child would put yet another soul between theirs and the throne if anything were to happen to the eldest brother, heaven forbid. When the topic progressively fell into the joke that he did not arrive because he was so frazzled and worried of his future he could not take it anymore. Walking out from behind the tree to take his seat, the laughter instantly dulled to complete silence. Nothing more was said the entire afternoon

he found the other sitting forlornly among the night queens and both they and he looked like they were soon for tears. he frowned. "wife i have told you many times not to come here."

His eyes did not leave the piece of patches that rested in his lap as the other approached. Taking it into pale hands, he dragged his thumb along the crooked stitches, feeling each askew piece of string pass underneath soft skin. Picking it up, he held it up for the Prince to see, his finger gesturing to one piece in particular. "You see this piece here, my Lord?"

he did. it was poorly sewn even more so than the rest of the pathetic fabric. he nodded, "yes i do, what of it wife?"

"This piece does not belong with the rest. It is dissimilar in more way than one. It feels odd, takes on a different shade, and when it is put near the others it looks even worse than it is." He pulled it back into his lap, and moved his fingers to begin removing the stitches, which proved even easier than he thought. Leaving the others he held the single patch up, looking more pitiful with loose threads and strings hanging from it. "I am this patch, and the others are the women here at the castle. It does not matter how I try to change, or blend in, I am never quite right. I do not belong."

he reached out with a frown across his face and snatched the peice from the lad's hand. "what does it matter? they are not even real people anyway, you do not have to match them. you cannot match them for you are better than they. you are no woman"

"We both know that I am not, but they do not know this. I am just a heathen woman married to you who is only accepted because of who my husband is. I already grow weary of being the odd patch of the quilt, and I have barely been here more than half a moon's rotation. I cannot live among those cows."

the frown deepened and he looked the boy over. it was true he was not happy and though it was no fault of his he felt as if he should be held at least part of the way responsible. ".....then leave"

The words struck him aback, and he needed to repeat them over in his mind many times until they stuck. Even then he could not help but question the man to see if he'd heard him right. "do i not speak clearly? i will send you back to your hovel and you may live in the dirt and muck of your ancestral home." For a long moment he stared at the Prince, the anger behind the words rooted him in his seat, while the thought of returning home ate away at him. Wrapping thin arms around himself as if to ward off the chill of the night, he spoke a single word

the 'no' was spoken with more authority than those boney shoulders had ability to support and they both knew it. "listen wife, you wanted to go home and i am offering you what you desire! if you leave you will once more be 'lord ainsley future duke of swanson' not 'the prince's heathen wife' i am giving to you and no cost exactly what you want, you have no reason to refuse!"

"I may not have much of a reason to accuse, but I still have the right. Badly, more than I am sure you have ever sought anything, I wish to return home, but what would it prove?" Pushing himself away from the stone bench, he gave the Prince no time to answer. "It would show I am just as much of a cowardice as my sister, and that I cannot handle what is thrown in my way. So far I have done a good job preparing for you, and to leave now would leave everything I have done for you would be forgotten at the sight of some whore"

the lad was not far enough away to be unreachable and grabbing him by the arm he jerked the other close. "i am damned for all eternity because of you. i will never have sons because of you. i have bent to your whims too many times to count and now as i twist my back once more to bear your cruelty you deny me? wife, i could never forget this even if i were never to lay eyes on you again i would not. you have ruined me and that is all there is, do not act as if i am so easily swayed"

It took everything in him not to snap back at the Prince, and in an effort to keep his feelings at bay he worked to pry bruising fingers off of his arm. "If I have ruined you then how could you send me away so easily? There is more to gain if you keep me, even if that would not include the bearing of sons"