Lia and Rafe's Forever

Chapter 2

(Rafe's POV)

I wake up to a hand on my chest and soft breathing on my neck. I open my eyes and see Lia laying next to me. The light is framing her cheekbones and shining on her dark disheveled hair. She mumbles something and squirms as if in a nightmare. I tug her closer and murmur soothing things while stroking her hair. She stops squirming after a sigh and falls back asleep. I don't loosen my grip though, and stare at her sleeping profile. She's beautiful. The stress and worry lines that plague her eyes during the day are gone, and she looks like her actual age.  When she's awake she must be a wise queen for Venda and Dalbreck, despite being only 19. She's been brave and selfless after the Great War, tirelessly working, many times falling asleep in her office over mounds of paperwork like last night. She stirs and opens her beautiful hazel eyes and sees me staring. I tenderly brush my lips against her forehead and softly hum, "Good morning, my darling." She looks at me lazy eyed and smiles. She stretches her fingers out against my chest and drags her palm down to my stomach, tipping her head up to kiss me on the jaw. "Good morning," she said sleepily. My hand goes to caress her cheek and hers go behind my head to get tangled in my hair. I close my eyes and nuzzle her soft cheek with my nose. Finally I kiss her on her perfect soft lips. When I pull away she opens her eyes and looks at me. "I love you," she says. "I love you more," I respond. She smiles and playfully rolls her eyes, and tries to roll away from me. I tug her back by her waist and press my face into the crook of her neck. I murmur how much I love her and I feel her play with my hair. I sigh contently and pull back enough to look outside the windows. The sun is streaming in, casting shadows on the few furniture pieces. I glance back at Lia when I feel her slowly tracing intricate designs on my chest. I lace our fingers together and hold her hand over my heart. I say, "I hate to say it but it's time to start the day, my Queen." Her face dimmed a fraction. She loves her people, Vendan and Dalbreck alike, but it's a constant weight on her shoulders to be queen. She gets out of bed and I follow, and we start getting ready for the day. As I pull on my white shirt, Lia walks out of the bathroom in a floor length dress looking stunning. "You're beautiful, Lia," I say to her. She smiles and comes over to me to help button up my shirt. When she's done I kiss her softly on her lips. We walk out of our room, hand in hand, to our day awaiting us as king and queen of Venda and Dalbreck.