When they parted, Taliesin’s face burned hotter than an inferno. “Rhiannon?”
“I’m tired of waiting,” she whispered.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times. The embarrassment finally caught up to her, and Rhiannon hid her face in his chest. He hurriedly wrapped his arms around her to keep her close. “Pardon my rudeness,” he said quickly to their hostess, “but I ought to take Rhiannon home. Now.”
“That won’t do,” tutted the Seelie Queen. “The Moon Maiden must bathe with her consort beneath the moonlight for the whole night. ’Tis fairy tradition.”
Taliesin assured her, “We can do so away from the party.”
The Seelie Queen giggled like the child she currently resembled. “Do not worry, dear Taliesin. We have made appropriate sleeping arrangements for our Moon Maiden and her consort. Shall we have you shown to your bed?”
He looked down at Rhiannon. “Would you like to remain here for a while longer? Or...?”
Rhiannon considered the question. Still blushing, she murmured into his chest, “I think I would like to go to bed. If that’s all right with you.”
“Very well.” The queen turned to Bellflower. “Would you show our maiden and her consort to their suite?”
Somehow, Bellflower being in on this prank didn’t surprise him. Taliesin helped Rhiannon along through the revelers still joyfully toasting to their health and happiness. Soon they left the party behind and passed through an archway made up of ivory branches.
The sound of songs and chatter fell away in favor of the nighttime music of crickets and the breeze through the leaves. Moonlight filtered through a gap in the canopy above, lighting their way better than the lantern Bellflower held aloft. When Rhiannon stopped to look back over her shoulder toward the vanished festivities, Taliesin gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Do you want to go back?”
Her head had cleared enough to be concerned. “No. But how far are we going?”
Taliesin glanced at Bellflower, who motioned to them just before a bend in the path. “Not much farther.”
Beyond the bend, they broke from the trees into a glade filled with sparkling white flowers. At its heart, a wall of roses grew in a tight circle to create something like a room with no roof. Within, a canopy bed stood with wispy netting to deter the insects that called the fairy realm home. Bellflower curtsied to them at the doorway and set about hanging Rhiannon’s lantern from the wall of roses to light their suite. She accepted Taliesin’s and did much the same, adding a soft blue glow to the ethereal moonlight.
She curtsied once more to the pair from outside their suite, then touched the edge of the makeshift doorway. The vines shifted, closing the opening and leaving the pair alone within the ring.
Alone in the moonlight with Taliesin, Rhiannon took a breath to steady her pounding heart. Nerves fluttered in her belly as she asked him, “If... If we...” She cleared her throat, feeling awkward again. “I want you to...” Her cheeks burned, and she averted her eyes. She took another deep breath and forced out in a rush, “I want you to touch me.” Her voice petered out. She swallowed back her nerves and admitted in a shy whisper, “And...I want to touch you too.”
Taliesin’s pulse quickened to match. “Rhiannon, are you sure?”
“Yes.” Her answer came readily. She lifted her eyes and met his gaze. “I want you, Taliesin. Do you want me too?”
“Yes. But we don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. It is enough to stargaze until we fall asleep.”
“I don’t want to stargaze.” Rhiannon took a nervous step toward him. “But...if we...and I want to stop...would you be able to control it? Would you be able to stop?”
“Of course. I would do anything for you. Anything you want.”
“I’ve wanted to since...well... I asked you before. So...is it okay? If we try?”
He approached as if she were a frightened fawn that would bolt any minute should he make the wrong move. His heart raced as Rhiannon’s sweet floral perfume tickled his nose. Taliesin tucked a lock of her hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me,” he promised in the fairy tongue, “for the rest of the night.” The night air hummed with his promise.
Their lips met and parted, tentative at first but quickly growing bolder. Taliesin restrained himself until he felt Rhiannon begin to relax. When he briefly retreated for air, she followed with half-lidded eyes. The kisses grew deeper. He risked pulling her closer to him, and though she stiffened at first, she melted into his arms before he could release her.
Breathlessly, they separated, but only long enough for Taliesin to suggest they relocate. Rhiannon, blushing and unable to speak, simply nodded. They moved to the bed, and after peppering her with a few more kisses, Taliesin slid the fabric of her dress from her shoulders.
Time lost meaning in each other’s arms. Not an inch went unexplored, and for each gentle touch to his person, Taliesin returned it threefold. Not once did she have to use her power over him, and yet somehow, he listened to each unspoken request.
In his arms, she knew herself safe and loved. In his bed, she felt alive. Rhiannon tugged him closer, and Taliesin pressed kiss after kiss to her burning skin, showering her in love. She might have drowned in his golden eyes if not for his breath in her lungs and his hands keeping her afloat in these unfamiliar waters. She would be happy to remain lost forever so long as she had him.