Our slice of heaven

In the little bit of free time he had in the days that followed his commitment to Eska, after they told his children and she started living with him, he started scoping out areas of the castle that he might want to claim for him and his new partner. He was sure that she would insist that the room he currently occupied was more than sufficient, but it was purely just a room. It was empty other than the large bed in the middle of the space with his armor and other belongings strewn about because there was no where to store them. It was utilitarian and the only redeeming feature was the moderately good view he had from a window on one side of the room. It was functional, but he felt like Eska deserved better. She deserved the world, but a nice place to sleep and live with him was the least he could do. His children were old enough now that they needed their own privacy as well without their father sleeping on the same hall as them - and now that Eska was going to be a permanent fixture in his life he figured they would want their privacy as well.

He was careful to keep his preparations secret no matter how difficult it was to keep them hidden. He supposed he probably should have discussed what Eska would want out of their new bedroom, but the thought of surprising her with it and treating her to something special felt like too much fun to pass up. He picked a room in an isolated portion of the castle down a short hallway that branched off of the same landing that would lead to his children's rooms. He wanted privacy, but not to be cut off from them entirely. If they needed anything he would just be around the corner. The room was spacious with a large, king sized bed as the main feature of the room. He spent time picking out a whole selection of soft furs that he piled over the mattress and made a pile of soft pillows from fabric they had scavenged from around the castle and filled them with alpaca wool. The frame of the bed had a canopy above it and he replaced the sheer fabric that hung from the frame above, the panels of fabric swaying and blowing gently in the breeze that came from two opened windows and a set of doors. A pair of doors led out to a small balcony that faced the ocean. A fireplace took over the wall across from their new bed while the one remaining wall held a large wardrobe that could hold their armor and other belongings out of sight.

Once he felt like the preparations were finally done, he had dinner with Eska on the balcony where they had first shared some wine together, the spot becoming a frequent resting spot for them at the end of the day. When they were done with their food he leaned over and nuzzled her ear with a little grin, barely able to hide his excitement. "I have a surprise for you, my love," he rumbled quietly, sneaking a kiss from her lips before he got to his paws, waiting for her to join him before he started leading her down the short corridor to what he hoped would be their real home together. Giving her a curious glance he pushed the door open and stepped back for her to walk in first, waiting anxiously to see her reaction. "What do you think? Be honest. We can change anything you don't like, I promise I won't be offended."

Ulric Adravendi