"Yes! In my social circles they'd mostly be a nice vacation, some expensive household thing. I don't know what sort of gifts there are for royalty but I bet there will be more of them."

"I am going to think about that later," Leareth decides. "We have enough to deal with right now."

And the week continues. 

Leareth is, as time passes, starting to be more relaxed and uninhibited with Carissa in private. He almost can't help it, when he's spending nearly all his waking hours doing his best to be in control of dozens of other interactions - and when he's seeing her being competent and reliable organized and on top of things. He still can't summon any interest in sex, but that's as much because he struggles to clear everything else from his head as because the intrinsic desire isn't there. He does enjoy kissing her, when he has any energy for it at bedtime, and giving and receiving massages, and having her fall asleep in his arms. Once the first week is past and Carissa's Ring of Sustenance is in effect, they can fall asleep together. 

Osirion communicates arrangements to send a delegation to the wedding, including the pharaoh and one of his wives. (The pharaoh's wives are not allowed to speak to men they're unrelated to, even in public, which would add complications but there's a language barrier anyway.) 

He consults Urtho for present ideas.

"Well, something very magic would make either of them happy, I think. Leareth likes books," Urtho is finally used to calling him by his present name instead of Ma'ar, "but I doubt they have any shortage now. He would appreciate something practical, that would save them time or effort, or help keep her safe maybe, but I am sure he has made all sorts of arrangements for that already. Hmm - she is a wizard, if you have rare spells that she would not have heard of, you could let her copy them maybe..." 

"I would be pretty surprised if I have anything Aroden doesn't except maybe magic items that require divine spells. I am sure Leareth will be throwing everything he can think of at keeping them safe, but you'd thought of some things he was never able to recreate, I think - is there any way for him to shield her remotely, he was annoyed that the Golarion ring of Shield Other doesn't actually allow him to use his mage abilities through it -"

"Oh! Yes, I do have ideas for how one might do that, it would need paired artifacts and an energy-conduit routed through the Void so that the 'distance' between them is always zero according to the artifacts, and then some specialized scaffolding so he can cast through it - I think it could allow more than one kind of shield, but it would be specific to shielding and not offensive magic or weather-barriers or what have you..." 

And Urtho is immediately lost in thought, and starts scrambling for paper. 

He knows and loves many people of the type. 

He gets a book of known magic items that use divine spells, reads through it. A greater strand of prayer beads would be a great present though he isn't sure there are any for sale anywhere in the world - he could probably cast Gate and Wind Walk for it, with someone else doing the rest of the artifact creation work...it'd take too long even if he has all the beads made in parallel, though he hears there is time dilation on offer specifically for wedding arrangements that require it...he sends an inquiry about access to that for himself and a magic item creator and Urtho, to Parmida who he trusts more than Aroden to know that presents are supposed to be a surprise.

"Are we letting people use your rod of security to make wedding presents that'll take more than two weeks to finish, dear?"

"Hmm? Yes, that is fine, as long as they are vetted to be reasonable people who will not start fights or something, they are all going to be in there at once." 

So she writes back to this effect and with instructions about where to show up when to get the time dilation. 

Carissa goes in to get her dress fitted and altered. It's lovely. Probably if they'd gone through conventional channels she'd be getting a much fancier one but this is nice and elegant and definitely Chelish. 

Leareth isn't sure he would even prefer a fancier dress, to the extent he has opinions about what she wears, which is a limited one. 

Two nights before the wedding day, he gets back to their rooms (well, his, but it feels like theirs at this point) and flops onto the sofa.

"...Carissa, I am sorry, but I think I very badly need a break, and - an evening to go see Khemet. I do not wish to make you feel more jealous, I promise you will have my undivided attention when we go to Aktun after the wedding." 

"You don't need to apologize." Hug.

He hugs her back. "I will be back late, or perhaps in the morning." 

Rather than bother with asking someone to do a Sending, Leareth Gates to outside the Dome and heads in. If the pharaoh is busy until later he can always go to the library or something. 

The pharaoh is not busy until very much later; he comes and finds him in the library and instead of saying 'sit comfortably' says 'stand and come here', and then hugs him. "How are you holding up?"

"I think everything is going reasonably well but I am so tired of making decisions and - manifesting opinions on flower arrangements... It will be all right, but I suppose I am a little stressed, and seeing you helps." 

Patpat. "I always think of it as a game the purpose of which is impressing the vendor not really picking flowers I like. It's much easier to have opinions on people than on flowers."

"For you, perhaps." He lets his cheek rest on Khemet's shoulder. "I keep having to go places in public with Carissa, or she has to go alone, sometimes, and it is nervewracking, now that half of Cheliax knows we are getting married. I never thought I would be this tired of - orienting to possible threats and tracking contingency-plans and being in control of situations, I do that so natively..." 

"It's harder when you're scared for other people, I think. At least for me it is. Because you're not fully in control of them and you'll annoy them if you demand to be and yet you still have to do just as much to keep them safe..."

"Yes, that is it exactly." Sigh. "I care about her. We had a conversation about whether we were in love with one another, and - I am moreso than before, it turns out that executing a major, complicated project with someone under time pressure makes me feel closer to them... But it is not as - restful - with her as with you, yet, I - think maybe it matters that you hardly need my protection." 

Hug. "I don't. Maybe someday you'll have a setup that feels as safe in Cheliax, without being too constraining."

"Maybe someday." 

Leareth leans on him. He was desperately craving Khemet's arms around him all day, and now that he has that, he still finds himself wanting - something - the thing this is except more, somehow. He could suggest they do some more of the magic-fighting, that was fun and good stress relief, but it doesn't feel like quite the thing he's hungry for, it's close but it sounds tiring right now... 

"I think," Leareth says slowly, "that - I want to be yours tonight - I want to watch you be powerful and scary, and win..." 

He raises an eyebrow, and nods. Stops hugging him. "Come with me."

Leareth goes with him. 

He takes the hallway that leads out of the Dome, waves the guards there away, takes Leareth's arm, Plane Shifts them to his demiplane. 

"Technically," he says, "I guess you still have a little bit of magic here, but knowing you I bet it is all ways to recharge your other magic. Right?"