"Agree? Mericlou echoed in a voice still slurred with sleep. She propped herself up on her elbows. The brilliant light from the rune lantern above set off her glare protectors, turning her eyes an eerie shade of translucent black. "What did I agree to?"
"You don't remember?" Aldrec said.
"I only remember the good things about today," Mericlou purred, turning to her side, and grabbing her husband by the arm. She kissed him on the bicep. "How many times did the last one make, anyway? I lost count at fifteen."
"So did I," Aldrec said. "But are you sure you don't remember agreeing to move in with me?"
"I … think I remember that," Mericlou mused, only half-certain; her mind was still in a haze from being so abruptly aroused from her sleep mode. "But let me just say that if I didn't agree to it earlier, I think it's a good idea now."
"I'm glad you're starting to remember," Aldrec said. "You were a bit reticent about doing it, though. You said that you wanted to tell your family first."
"What changed my mind, then?" Mericlou asked.
"When I showed you that I'd already started bringing your belongings here," Aldrec answered. "As a matter of fact, I started it when you first arrived, while you slept."
"You were that certain that I'd marry you?" Mericlou said, trying to sound incredulous. But in truth, she was on the verge of laughing in spite of herself.
Aldrec shrugged, almost dumbly, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "What can I say? It never hurts to hope."
The memories slowly became clearer as Mericlou's wakefulness returned, until at last, she recalled their conversation. The reason why she had at first forgotten it so thoroughly was simple enough, she realized. It was quite understandable, since they had been absolutely spent after the final three times in a row they had made love. A slight blush came over her as she recalled the times they went after each other, stopping only to eat, and even then, beginning again in the middle of their meals, making the day into their own private honeymoon. It was only after that final coupling that they made their agreement, and decided to inform her family when they at last returned home.
After she got dressed in her normal clothes, which she found whole and folded upon the sofa in their bedroom, Aldrec brought her to the glade. She noticed that Krako was present with him, once she caught up with him in an adjacent clearing.