Mist on the Moon

"You are so beautiful"

He pulled her even closer, so close she felt she was one with him. Then, she had to cough. Pulling her face from his she did, a deep cough she could feel reverberate through her whole body. Trent looked at her with concern. Cara slid off him, realizing she was going to sneeze.

To her complete embarrassment she sneezed, and then again and again. Now, Trent was really concerned. She looked up at him with watery eyes. He had already given her two handkerchiefs. Between sneezes she said to him. "I don't know what's come over me, Trent. I was fine minutes ago."

"I hope you're not allergic to me."

"No, no, it couldn't be that," she assured him. "It's not like we haven't kissed. She sneezed some more then said. "Trent, I wonder if it could be the flower petals on the bed. Do you know what kind they are?"

Trent leaned down to look at them, also smelling them. Rose petals, I'm sure, and these little purple petals must be lavender. There's something else, these white ones."

"White! I hope not daisies."

"No, I don't think so. Trent picked up a couple of the white petals to smell them. I think its chamomile.

"That's just as bad," she answered, sneezing again. Trent, I'm allergic to them. In my kingdom they have actually banned their planting because it causes sneezing and worse for my mother before me and for me.

Trent looked at her. "I'll get them off the bed. Who cares about flowers on a bed anyway? Sure wasn't my idea."

Cara watched as he left her a moment to get a large tankard. Then, on his hands and knees he went crawling around the bed, collecting the flower petals and putting them into the mug. While he was doing it, Cara couldn't help sneezing some more into the handkerchiefs, but when she looked up she was much amused at how he was going around, head down, to collect every petal he could find. Wanting to help, she joined him on her hands and knees as well, handkerchief in one hand, looking for and picking up petals in the other and putting them into Trent's tankard.

Trent looked at her and laughed. "Who would have ever thought we would be doing this on our wedding night."

Cara laughed too at the humor of his words, smiling at him. They were fairly close together on the huge bed, and Trent rose up on his knees as did Cara. He embraced her, and he too had a smile on his face. Then, he looked down, for her robe had come completely open down to her waist. Unable to take his eyes off her he said, "Cara, you are so beautiful."

Cara looked down at herself, not realizing till now how much of herself was exposed to him. Automatically, she pulled the robe around her to cover up. Why? She guessed her feeling for modesty was ingrained in her. But it was not something she needed to do in the presence of her husband. Then, she began sneezing again. She shook her head, as she did not want that to spoil what could have been a tender moment, and put the handkerchief to her nose.

Trent dropped down again on his hands and knees to collect more of the petals. Cara was sneezing so much she was unable to help. She felt that as much as Trent was trying to remove all the petals, so far it didn't seem to be doing any good. She remembered her father had told her that it was the pollen that causes the reaction, not so much the flowers. If he was right, Cara knew that the pollen itself could be almost invisible. Suddenly, in addition to her watery eyes she felt a constriction in her throat. She began to cough, trying to get past it, but the feeling of tightness continued, and she sat up in the bed, breathing hard, a blanket pulled around her.

Trent glanced at her, seeming to notice that something was wrong. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I don't know, Trent. I am having some trouble breathing."

Trent immediately went to her, taking a place at her side. "Cara, would that also be something from your allergy?"

Cara was breathing with difficulty and answered, "I think so, Trent."

"We need to get some help for you. Surely this is something a doctor can help you with."

Though having difficulty breathing, she said to him. "Trent, I'm so sorry."Taking another breath she added, "I know this was to be a special night for you, for us."

"Cara," he said. "Don't worry about that. We have our whole life ahead of us. What we need to do right now is get you some help. Do you think you would be OK to stay here while I go to find a doctor for you?"

"Don't go, Trent. Stay by me. Maybe it will pass in time."

"Are you sure?"

"I think so," she answered, patting the place beside her for him to sit.

Cara was glad when he gently put his arms around her. She saw the concern in his eyes. Her breathing wasn't coming any easier but at least it didn't seem to be getting any worse. She took comfort in having Trent near, and her only wish was that she could give to him her entire self. This was their wedding night. It was what she wanted to do for him.

As they stayed there together, Trent asked her more than once if she thought she was going to be OK. She knew he wanted to find a doctor to help, but she didn't want him to leave. He assured her that in the morning he would have the maids look for every last trace of any flowers in the light of day and that he would also have them air out the apartment and completely change the bedding.

Gradually, very gradually, it seemed to Cara that she was having less trouble breathing. At the same time she was getting more and more sleepy. She looked up to see Trent's head next to hers. He looked like he was ready to fall asleep as well.

"Trent, I'm better now. Do you want to go to bed?

"Yes. Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

"I think so. Maybe it's because of all the time you spent trying to get everything we could see removed. I love you so much, my husband."

"And I love you my darling."

Cara lifted the blankets to get under them without even removing her robe while Trent left the room to put on sleepwear. He came back and smiled on seeing her beneath the covers in his big bed. He extinguished the candles and lay down beside her.

Cara loved the feel of having him next to her but she felt that the way they were now was not how a wedding night was supposed to be. "Trent," she said, a bit of hesitation in her voice. "Trent, do you want to do it?"

Trent rose up on his elbow to look at what he could see of her face in the darkness. Cara held her breath, waiting for his answer which seemed slow in coming.

"You know I do, Cara, very much. But tonight let's be like brother and sister. Then tomorrow when everything has been changed in the bedroom, let's do it together."

Cara sighed, "Yes, Trent. Together." She snuggled closer to the man she loved.