Compromise

Katherine sucked her breath between her teeth, but Nathaniel already continued as if it were nothing. "As far as I was told, Alexander Ymir Icefall was the worst kind of husband one could imagine. After he succeeded the throne, he was also the worst kind of King, though his reign was so short hardly anyone ever mentions it. The only thing he is remembered for up till now, is his genius in magic theory and his magic inventions. He invented an apparatus that measures the possibility of awakening magic power, the magicmeter. It is so costly that it's only used in the Icelands though, so maybe you never heard of it... or have you?"

Katherine shook her head. You are diverting from the topic, she wanted to say, but there was hardly a time when Nathaniel spoke so much, let alone out of his free will. So, she let it be. Besides, she was curious of the reason. It seemed almost like her ever-steadfast, unmoving husband was nervous.

"Never mind then." Nathaniel's hand had long since let go of Katherine's, and he was now clutching them together, his focus on them instead of Katherine's face. In a way, it looked like he was talking to himself. "Just before he became King, his wife got pregnant, and he... do you remember what I told you about the organization? About what they are searching for?"

Confused from the abrupt switch of topic, Katherine searched her mind for whatever info she had about them. "You told me they did human experiments to find the source of magic power. They also research other topics to do with magic, as far as I remember. But what does that have to do with this guy?"

"Everything." Nathaniel's smile was wry and bitter at the same time. When the King had told him this story, he had felt nothing but disbelieve and anger. After cooling his head for a while, he realized there was no point in fretting over things that were already done, especially when it was so long ago. "It got everything to do with it, since he left the footsteps the organization wants to follow. He may not be their founder in the true sense, but he is their progenitor. They copied everything from him, including his ruthlessness when handling human lives."

He paused, blinking up at Katherine as if he wanted to check how she was doing. If she showed even a bit of sleepiness or hunger, he would schedule this talk to later. However, she looked all fine. Maybe even healthier than she ought to be, considering the circumstances.

Running a hand through his white hair so that it stood on the edges, he sighed. "I don't know if it was the craving for power or curiosity driving this man, but his aim was to widen the 'gate' in the human's body, this passage where our magic power flows through. His scriptures say he wanted to make a being so powerful that it rivaled a god."

While uttering it, Nathaniel already shook his head. "Anyone with a clear mind would call this madness."

Katherine's brows were furrowed. She didn't know where this was leading, but she couldn't completely agree with Nathaniel's statement. "Wouldn't it be positive if the the mages would become more powerful? Maybe not like gods, but mightier than they are now? They could help the civilization to progress faster."

"They could also help to pulverize it if their power is not controllable", Nathaniel rejected the idea sharply. "Sometimes it is better to let nature be than provoke forces one doesn't understand! He didn't know what he was toying with. The organization doesn't know. They risk the lives of thousands just for the shake of a power that can't be controlled. It's maddening!"

Maybe it was because he himself had been instrumentalized that Nathaniel's just couldn't stand it. He hated the idea of people using human lives - children - to create weapons that could slay thousands of men. Weapons like himself. He didn't dare think about what those young mages could do if they lost control.

Unknowingly, his voice had gotten louder, his body tense. Through his teeth he growled: "I will not let them do this to anyone else."

Though the anger wasn't directed at her, goosebumps raised on Katherine's arms. She pitied anyone that stood in Nathaniel's way. Luckily, she wasn't one of them. Suppressing her fear, she wanted to take his hand again, but couldn't reach it lying down.

However, when Nathaniel noticed her attempt, his tension washed away and before she could try to sit up, he enveloped her hand in his.

"Don't move", he cautioned her.

Katherine pouted. "I'm not an invalid. I can still sit, you know?"

Despite her words, she remained where she was. Nathaniel's lips twitched slightly, but he was too vexed to smile. Katherine, who suddenly noticed the exhaustion drawing lines on his handsome face, deliberated if she should stop this round of questioning, even though her first question wasn't even answered yet. Why was he acknowledged as the King's son when he was actually his nephew?

"You look like you lack sleep", she said, when Nathaniel didn't continue for a while. He shook his head unwillingly, but Katherine had noticed his lids drooping in the silence before and he was now opening them wide to fight against it. Her own eyes narrowed.

"Sleep!", she ordered. "Now!"

He chuckled, and lazily met her gaze. "Right here, my dear? In your bedroom?"

Heat flushed her cheeks, but she stubbornly raised her chin. She knew that he was just teasing her. He didn't even sleep in her room when she begged him last time. However, she would not be his excuse to flee again. If he didn't want to stay, he had to say it himself. Gathering her courage, she forced a light-hearted smile on her face. Her hand slipped out of his to rise the blanket invitingly. "We are husband and wife now, aren't we? We ought to sleep together. So why don't you... come to bed?"

As time stood still, Nathaniel's pupils widened. The red in his eyes deepened and he clenched his jaw, goggling at the vixen before him. She was like a forbidden fruit, the wet dream he wanted so bad that his throat was torched.

'Now', the reckless part of him begged. 'Take her for yourself. She invited you in. You just have to grasp what you need. She knows about the monster and still wants you. The kiss didn't kill her before, so why now? Take her. Love her.'

Katherine could hear his breath hastening, and a prickling feeling raised on her skin. She thought he would just reject her and go, but it seemed he would not. Or could not. Her surprise soon mixed with anxiousness.

She didn't know what she was doing. Was she even prepared to do that with him? She thought that the most that could happen was that he would sleep next to her. If he took her now, would she be able to satisfy him? She had no experience in love-matters whatsoever. Surely, she would disappoint him. But if she took back her proposal, he might never come to her again. As anxiousness rose in her, the hand on the blanket began to tremble.

When Nathaniel noticed it, he was suddenly reminded that his love was still weak. She just awoke from a coma after all. It might be a short one and she might look all healthy again thanks to her power, but he couldn't risk it. The taxing activities he imagined could endanger her life, even without his magic power.

This thought cleared his mind enough to suppress the raging need in him. However, when he did, he noticed another problem: Katherine was a proud woman. How could he explain it to her without hurting her feelings? The thought of seeing her disappointed already squeezed his heart painfully. It looked like he needed to compromise.

"First we will eat something", he said, cautiously watching her reaction. "Then we will sleep."

Wonder and nervousness glittered in her eyes, making her look even more lovely. She licked her lips, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. "Sleep like sleep with each other?"

Nathaniel slowly shook his head. He knew he would regret this decision in all the sleepless hours to come. "Next to each other. Only next to each other."

"Oh", Katherine made, and her cheeks flushed even more. She didn't look unhappy at all. "That's also good then."