Beaches

Late one night, Matthard lay awake in the darkness of the palace. Selah slept near to him, unaware, and he didn't really want to wake her, but the air was so cold.
"Selah?"
She groaned quietly, as she did whenever he spoke her name into the darkness, but she responded and that was something. It had always been something and something had been enough.
"Have you ever been to the sea?" he asked. Now the groan had something of weariness to it.
"No. No, I haven't."
"Could we arrange a trip there?"
"Why, love? Why do we need to go to the sea?"
"Because I went there once. There were seagulls and salt in the air and you could watch ships sailing past without having to worry about unloading them or getting the shipment on time. Habbard has a nice port but even farther north, like the Meridian Straits. They have wonderful beaches."
"Maybe. For now, sleep."
He let her turn over, watching the curve of her shoulder and when he was certain she was almost asleep again, he brushed it with his fingers.
"Can we go in the morning?"