When he and his brother decided to meet, they decided neutral ground. Archon had chosen his wife to be his witness and he brought Obi as his companion. They had been traveling all day and it was time to settle in for the night. They made their temporary camp in a fruit-bearing place next to Legion's pack. Archon had made sure they were as far from the pack as the orchard would allow. While Belle did her thing, Archon pulled Obi aside. The monkey looked at him with a very serious face, his true emotions not showing through.

"I know, I'm not too sure about it either," he admitted in hushed tones. "Do you still have it?" Obi nodded and pulled out a piece of fur. Unfurling it showed a small, hammered piece of metal shaped like the sigil Archon and Deathbelle had made together- the symbol on which they had gotten married. Obi worked hard to find metal thin enough in a place where odd tools and such were common. Then he had twisted it into shape and he and Archon hammered it flat. It had since been polished with oils and strung around a thin chain Obi had found when he had been looking for metals for the pendants. Archon intended to give it to Deathbelle when their children reached a season old. Now he wasn't so sure.

"Are you sure I shouldn't do it tonight?"

Obi frowned and shook his head. "To do that would only convince her you have no intentions of returning from that mountain," he said. "Make this your promise. You can give it to her when you return."

"And if I don't?" Archon said, his voice low but urgent. It was a serious possibility. For a split second, Obi's serious mask broke to show a flash of alarmed desperation. "You will return," he said simply, folding the fur back over the pendant. He held Archon's gaze for a long moment before his stony expression began to falter. Grimly, he turned away, "I will go and pray now."

Once Obi had left, Archon went to find Deathbelle, a small smile pulling onto his features. "It would be a little presumptuous to call this our honeymoon, wouldn't it?"

Not having the children at her side made her nervous, but the whole trip had her feeling off kilter. There was a relief that filled her as they stopped for the night. The closer they got to the volcano the more nervous she felt. Now that they weren’t moving she felt a little better. Archon moved away as she began to arrange her bed for the night. Lilac gaze watched them for a brief moment before returning to her work. She hoped Obi was trying to talk him out of the whole scenario. She sighed softly to herself as the gentle pawsteps of Archon reached her.

Deathbelle looked up to see his deep forest gaze and she smiled softly. Too out of ease to grin like she normally would have. A chuckle followed as he mentioned a honeymoon. ”It would be, I’d never choose the mountain for a Honeymoon.” She told him boldly and made to avoid his touch to prove her point. She was not happy about this trip.

Archon hummed at Deathbelle's response. Obi wanted him to put her at ease, but he wasn't sure if it was possible. "My love, it is just my brother," Archon explained. "If he meant to do harm, he would have simply done so already."

Okay, maybe that wasn't the most reassuring. Archon cast a look in Obi's direction for a moment before looking back to Belle. She was not thrilled to have been taken out of the pack for this, but who else would he have brought? "It will be good for you to meet him. He will no doubt be taken by your beauty and capable nature."

"Don't be mad," Archon thought. "Not on this night. What would we do if it was the last and we spent it mad at one another?"

Archon wasn’t particularly reassuring, especially when it was more environmental factors that had Belle feeling wound than anything. She hated that she was forced to leave their children and the looming volcano brought nothing but thoughts of doom and anxiety. He fell into a compliment and the Empress felt herself sigh heavily. What if? What if something did happen tomorrow? What if all this intuition turned out to be right and she came home alone? ”That may be so,” she relented. ”I’m sorry,” she apologized, she loved that she was the one chosen to accompany him. ”The mountain makes me nervous, and being away from the children is getting to me.”

She sighed again and aimed to close the distance that lay between herself and her husband. She pressed her forehead up underneath Archon’s chin and pressed herself into his chest. Even with the heavy atmosphere she could still relax into his form.

"I know, Archon said, trying to calm Deathbelle's nerved even though his own were on edge. "It pains me to be so far from them." Furthermore, he didn't trust the Kleins with them. He would never forgive himself if one of them converted into Klein culture, choosing their mortal half over their godly half.

"They will be growing older and older before we know it. They will need to have some sort of mentorship." Archon looked to his wife. This was at least a good opportunity to talk to her about them without being interrupted. It may come in handy for their future in case he wasn't able to return. "I worry about the two litters coming together as siblings should."

He offered Belle a warm smile, although it didn't truly reach his eyes even as she pressed into him. "I have no doubt they will become better than the both of us could dream. I can't wait to see what each of them chooses to become." There, a seed of hope Archon tried to plant in both of their heads. They both needed the peace of mind.

He tried to calm her, but she could feel the tension in his form as much as her own. Already she could feel that things were wrong, but there was nothing she could do. Archon took the opportunity to speak about their young litter, and she knew they would grow faster than she wanted. They were no longer her perfect little beans. ”Yes, it's strange how a different den makes all the difference.” She remembered the strife and anguish she’d faced against her siblings of ‘pure’ birth. Their father hadn’t treated his young any different, but more than one of Belle’s siblings felt themselves superior because of Iber.

Her heart beat quickly in her chest and her fur stood on end even with her husband’s close proximity. The Empress shifted herself so she might hold tighter to him. She felt uncomfortably similar to the night before Ana’s death, so much so she felt nausea build in her stomach.

Thinking of the future helped as she imagined their children and the amazing feats they would boast. ”With you to guide them I’m sure they will come together.” She assured him softly, reminded unconsciously of the sense of doom that lingered above them. ”A perfect marriage of god and mortal.” She rumbled almost pleasantly as she nuzzled her nose into his chest.

Archon relaxed into Deathbelle's grasp, offering her a few fleeting kisses on her cheek and neck. "I pray that they do," Archon said at the mention of his guidance helping the litters come together. He wanted it more than anything at this point. His desire for the shrine paled in comparison for what he wanted for his kids.

Deathbelle called it the perfect marriage between a god and a mortal and Archon returned her rumble with his own, "My love, my wife," he said, pressing his forehead against hers. "You are so much more than mortal." He smiled, giving her a soft kiss as if to melt the thick dread around them.

His affection came easily, but it was accented by the tones of anxiety that settled over their camp. They may have relaxed against one another but Deathbelle still had a tenseness to her muscles. That didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy the sweet touches and gentle kisses Archon offered while they whispered quietly. She pressed her forehead back to his as Archon made his point, gathering her attention with pet names as he told her bluntly that she was more than mere mortal.

She blinked softly as his words, her lips pulled back into a shy smile. Belle had never been an expert on the spiritual realm, but the way Archon said those words she believed him. He was divine, and no matter what happened he would go on. He was more than his mortal form. ”Are you calling me a goddess, Lord Abraxas?” She teased softly as she kissed him back, slowly allowing herself to loosen up after the long and draining day. The mountain still loomed in the background, and her fur wished to stand on end. Archon’s attention put her enough at ease to ignore her anxiety and enjoy his presence.

”Are you calling me a goddess, Lord Abraxas?” his wife asked and Archon felt a wave of affection come over him. He pulled her to himself tightly and rumbled as he brushed his cheek against her almost roughly in a desperation for contact. He lifted his voice for her ears only, "Are you not, Lady Death? Did you not ascend that day you brought our children into the world?"

He pulled away seeking eye contact. "Do you not have a crest? Are your children not gods?" He smiled and sought to kiss Deathbelle for a soft moment. "My love, you have become more of a god than many."

She closed her eyes and leaned into him as he put his lips to her ear and spoke only for her. She could almost imagine they weren't here. The pair of them were returned to the rocks where their shared sigil lay, carved deeply into the stone. He reminded her of the day their children were born, and the moment she had taken up her eternal place beside Archon.

Deathbelle opened her lilac gaze and felt herself returned to the camp under the fruit trees. Archon’s gaze held hers, his dark eyes akin to the apple colors above them. ”I am. I did. I do. They are.” She returned to him with whispered words as he assured her godhood over many others. The smile remained on her features as she reached up to kiss him affectionately. ”You’ve shared your divinity.” She purred as she closed the distance between them again. She clung to him tightly, deeply afraid to let him go.

Archon was glad to hear her reaffirm his statements. He held her tightly, as if she might turn to smoke the moment he let go. "Don't ever forget that," he said quietly, "Don't ever even doubt it." He hugged her so tight, he was scared he might harm her. He gave her a long and drawn out kiss, somehow knowing bitterly that this sweetness wouldn't last.

"I am yours forever- in this lifetime and the next. For as many years as there are stars and beyond even that. For every sunrise and sunset." Archon kissed each of her cheeks. "So don't worry so much, my love. Enjoy the evening in this orchard with me."