Spirits of the Earth

Weddings are a paradoxical thing, Liam told himself for the probably 5th time that morning. He'd attended weddings before- with his mom -and noted here, with a bit of displeasure, the difference in weddings between the upper class and the common class. Commoner weddings were a celebration of two people coming together to form a unit. Even if it were an arranged marriage, locals still gathered to celebrate them.

Looking out from the alter, a see of faces staring back at him, 'Celebrating' wasn't the he would use to describe them. Maybe solemn? Or Formal? Rigid? Or maybe sticks up all of their asses? Mentally, he sighed. Why the ways of nobility were so strict is something that was beyond his understanding.

The Young Lord-Knight allowed his mind to shift to his bride to be, in a few moment's he would be meeting her for the second time, the first being a few years before, not long after he had move into the Manor. In those days- just after his mother had passed away -faces had a way of blending into each other. But he distinctively remembered that she was very pretty, and very quiet.

As the doors to the back of the chapel opened, and the heads of all the attending turned, Liam had to correct his memory. She was staggering.

Julia was no stranger to weddings, certainly not to noble weddings. She had attended her eldest brother's and had participated in her older sister's wedding. Both had been arranged as well, and her two younger brothers would also undoubtedly have their wives chosen for them. That was just the way the world worked when you were the child of a Lord like her father. She didn't resent him for it, even as she suffered silently through hours of preparation.

White silk, lace, and diamonds were the materials, with a fitted bodice that accentuated her fine figure and elegant skirts that weren't unwieldy in their bulk. Her clothes were always extravagant, but her mother had gone to great lengths to make certain her wedding dress was perfect, and to remind her over and over again that her marriage was important to the family and that she needed to be a good wife.

Before she even knew it, Julia found herself holding to her father's arm, her bouquet of white roses in her other hand, as the chapel doors opened. Her nerves were strained as she forced her best smile, trying very hard not to make eye contact with the dozens and dozens gazes that had come to rest on her. One of which would be her husband very, very shortly. Her father began leading her down the aisle.

I can do this. This is perfectly normal. What does it matter that I've only met him once? This is business, family business. What if he doesn't like me?

Too soon she was at the alter, her father passing her to Liam solemnly. She looked up at him, but not his eyes. Julia had never been more nervous and unsettled in her life, and she was honestly afraid of meeting Liam's eyes and finding some flicker of disappointment there.

Julia had to be a good wife.

Liam, in his white Ceremonial white armor this inlaid gold trim, blurite plating, and Lapis emblazoned crest across the chest plate, seemed under dressed compared to her. With her hands in his, he could feel her trembling. With what? Anticipation? Anxiety? Dread? Fear? He couldn't know for certain. The Priest had begun talking, swinging his arms around their conjoined hands, but Liam wasn't listening to a word he said.

The Wedding is just a formality, we can get to know each other afterwards. How many times had he told himself that throughout the morning, throughout the week? It was likely Innumerable. Only when his lungs because to ache did he realized he was holding his breath. With a slow and even exhale, he felt the vain in his neck throb as it very suddenly because real to him. He was getting married.

"Do you, Liam Sinclair, take Julia Vasile, to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and his health, for as long as you both shall life?" His heart stopped in that instant, only continuing onward to next beat because the heavy amulet over his chest, beneath his shirt, compelled it to.

He gave her hands a reassuring- he hoped -squeeze. "I do."

Julia wished that she could will her hands to stillness as the Priest began the ceremony. It was unbecoming of a bride to be trembling like a leaf before her groom! Had her sister shaken so? She was only getting married! A lifetime commitment to a man she didn't know in the slightest. How pale did she seem? Perhaps the powder her mother had insisted upon would hide how very sick she looked in that moment. Thankfully her stomach didn't betray her.

When his hands squeezed hers, she returned the gesture as the words 'I do' rang in her ears, and then the Priest was turning to her. "Do you, Julia Vasile, take Liam Sinclair, to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

For a moment the world seemed to come to a screeching halt, her head swimming as she managed to breathe past quivering lips. "I do."

Oh gods, that was it. She was really marrying Liam Sinclair, no longer would she be Julia Vasile. Now she was Lady Julia Sinclair, and that was a dizzying thought.

"Then I pronounce you man and wife." The Priest said with finality, turning to Liam before adding, "You may kiss the bride." And time stopped for him. All he had to do was kiss her, and this was finalized. Or was it already finalized? He thought back to the past few weeks, how he'd practiced for this. Literally practiced. His uncle has paid some of the younger, more attractive servant staff to teach him how to kiss. How awkward it had been at the time, but how grateful he was for it now.

He cupped her cheek gently in his palm and tilted her head up, looking her in the eyes for the first time. What was it that he saw? Relief? Uncertainty? Anxiety? A mixture of the three? Without stopping to ponder it, he leaned in and kissed her. Finalizing the ceremony and ushering applause from those gathered. Again, Liam couldn't help but notice that it didn't seem like enthused clapping of people happy for the union, but rather the dull clapping done out of expectation.

Stepping out of the kiss, he said quietly, under the clapping but through a widening smile, "It's nice to meet you, Julia."

It was humbling to think how powerful some words could be, because just like that, Julia was married. Her, a married woman, wife to an heir. Should she feel pleased in some way? Liam was set to inherit a lot of money, and that money would, in turn, be used to provide her with a life of comfort and luxury - all she had to do was provide him with heirs. Some women would probably consider that quite a beneficial arrangement. Maybe she should be happy, but she really wasn't.

His hand was gentle as he turned her face up, Julia was surprised at the depth of his eyes, they were unbelievably green. A blink later and he'd leaned in to kiss her, causing those in attendance to clap, but only causing her to tense slightly, feeling so very awkward and not knowing what to do. Thankfully it was brief, a small flicker of relief and then embarrassment crossing her face, especially at what her new husband had to say.

"Oh, yes, I...you too." Julia felt a blush creep across her face at the way she fumbled over her words. The blushing bride averted her eyes down, focusing on his chest rather than his eyes. What was she even supposed to say in a moment like this?

She had to be a good wife. Hardly the best impression.

The priest said one final prayer in a dead dialect of Serenian before unhurriedly ushering the bride and groom out. The Priest was followed in turn by Ben Sinclair and Arther Vasile. During the later evening, there would be a feast where guests could give well wishes to the newly wed couple, but for now. Liam and Julia were walked from the chapel to Manor Sinclair. Liam had purposely asked for this to be done, he wanted to get to know the woman he would be spending the rest of his life with.

Again the thought seemed so strange to him, bound to a person he didn't yet know for the rest of his life. Perhaps the feeling would pass with time. As they came into the Manor, The priest broke off from their procession. Coming to one of many receiving rooms, Liam led her inside. Despite the fact that he was a bit overwhelmed with the prospect of this marriage, he still felt like he needed to aide Julia in any way he could.

When the two of them were inside, Ben Sinclair called from the doorway, "We'll be at the foyer at the end of this hall if you need anything." And with that, he pulled the door closed and left the newly weds alone.

Liam couldn't help but nervously chuckle at how backwards the situation seemed to him, It should be that you get to know someone then decide if you want to spend the rest of your life with them, that how his mother had romanticized love for him. And suddenly, the young knight found himself without a thought of what to say, noticing the pastries and various drinks laid out on a table, he decided to serve his new wife. "Do you want something? Tea, Hot Cocoa, Coffee? Danish, Scone, Sweet Croissant?"

Julia walked silently next to her new husband as they made their way from the chapel to his home. No, her home now. She needed to get used to thinking of Manor Sinclair as her home, she wasn't a Vasile anymore. This walk was rather torturous to her. It took all her effort to maintain a confident posture, to keep that fake smile on her face, but she had to. Her father and Lord Sinclair were right behind them, and she couldn't disappoint or embarrass her family.

Was it possible to really walk through part of a house without ever seeing a thing? It must be, because Julia found herself ushered into a receiving room without having really taken in her surroundings at all. Turning to the door she did her best to smile and murmur a soft thank you to Ben before the door was shut and she was alone with Liam.

Her hands were gripping her skirts tightly, and she hadn't realized it. Embarrassed again she forced her fingers to give up their hold on the silk and smoothed it out awkwardly. Everything was awkward. She had been lectured and lectured in preparation for meeting her husband and still she felt wholly unprepared for this moment.

At least she'd never been encouraged or allowed to have romantic notions about love or marriage. Marrying for love was something poor people could afford. Apparently love was the price of having lots of money. Julia didn't pretend to understand it, but she accepted it, as she always accepted what her parents said.

I want to go home. That was the first thought she had as she turned to Liam shyly when he offered her something. Of course she could never say such a thing. "That's very sweet of you, but I don't think I could eat right now. I'm all nerves."

She'd unconsciously moved her hands over her fluttering stomach and she couldn't help but blush and look away. "Not that that's a reflection on you, of course!"

Liam waved off her second comment with a dismissive gesture of his hands, "I don't think there is a person alive who wouldn't be a nervous wreck at their wedding." Especially given the circumstances of an arranged marriage. "I think I forgot to breathe at one point." He added with his own nervous chuckle, pouring himself a mug of coffee. He then poured a mug of hot cocoa and brought it over to her, "Here, this will help with your nerves." He said, passing the insulated mug over to her.

"We have a few hours before the feast. Feel free to make yourself comfortable, or I could give you a tour of the Manor, or...?" He left the end of his sentence hanging, least there was something else she wanted to do. He wanted to try and keep things comfortable between them, but he wasn't too much of a socialite and so he had no idea how he was doing. I hope I'm not making an utter fool of myself.

"I have been trying not to let it show. How nervous I am, I mean. I had hoped to make a good impression." Julia said with a soft sigh as she took the mug, staring down at the dark drink with a slight frown. If she spilled even a drop on her white dress her mother would have a fit. It really was a beautiful wedding gown, but honestly it was a garment she would never wear again, so she just didn't understand why they had spent so much money on it. Appearance was everything to her parents and she guessed this was just one last opportunity to use her to flaunt their wealth.

Being very careful she took a sip from her cup, dark blue eyes (or were they purple?) regarding Liam curiously. She'd only met him once before today, years ago. He'd been quiet and serious at the time, she had been told that his mother had recently passed at that time. How upset he must have been, Julia would be quite devastated to lose her mother. Although in a way she supposed she was losing her family now. They lived all the way across the country from here.

"Oh, the feast." She'd nearly forgotten that, well not truly, but had hoped not to think of it. All this attention was her parent's thing, not hers. "I suppose it wouldn't be horrible to become at least a little familiar with my new home, although I'm sure I'll be lost for weeks before  I learn where everything is."

Just thinking of it made her homesick. Julia lowered her head to stare into her drink and swallowed thickly to rid herself of the lump that had formed in her throat. She was not going to cry like a little girl in front of her new husband. She was not.

"Don't worry about that too much" Liam assured, leaning his back against the far door, waiting for it to open against the pressure, "I'll probably give you three tours before the week is up anyway. The Sinclair Estate consists of some two hundred acres of land and three manors. Manor Sinclair is the largest and most extravagant as it is were events are hosted and all sorts of other sociable activities take place. Manor Dellow is where the Sinclair Trading Company bases it's operations, there's also a warehouse there for when we buy large quantities of goods in order to drive up prices internationally. It's a stark place, you probably won't see too much of it." The door finally opened behind him and he in turn stood in the path of it's swing to prevent it from closing, allowing Julia to exit.

"Last but not at all the least is Manor Stead, it's the smallest and by far the most comfortable. That's where we will probably be the majority of the time." The ease of which he spoke of the three manors didn't really do his true thoughts justice. Even still, after knowing this for many years, the amount of money and time that must have taken overwhelmed him from time to time.

Julia chided herself for her childish behavior, forcing her homesickness back down so she could pay attention. She needed to know these things, and it wouldn't do for her to let her emotions keep her from listening to her husband. It was a surprise to learn there were three manors. She hadn't really expected that, but now was regretting agreeing to the tour as she set down her drink and swept from the room as gracefully as she could.

Walking the manor would just mean having to put on airs for any eyes that might fall on them. She had to play her part of the happy bride. If her father heard someone come back to say that she'd looked unhappy he'd have been quick to admonish her. So Julia forced herself to smile, trying to keep her attention mostly on Liam, while still getting a small idea of her surroundings.

"So you don't live here?" She had no idea there was a smaller manor that she might be living at. Everything was so different from what she was used to, but Julia tried to assure herself that different didn't necessarily mean bad. So far Liam was rather pleasant, that was something to be thankful for. Of course she shouldn't be surprised. Her father wouldn't have married her off to someone awful.

"Not usually no. There are bedrooms at this manor of course, but they aren't often used. I think the longest I have stayed here consecutively was about 6 months. During the rain season a few years back, Manor Stead was flooded, Uncle Ben and I stayed here while the manor was repaired." He took a right turn at the end of the hallway, nodding toward the spiral staircase. "Upstairs are the bedrooms, of which there are six. There are also two meeting halls, for discussions of all matter between other nobility. There is also a sitting room, a private dining room, and a sauna."

Liam continued down the hall, walking a slow and relaxed pace, "Manor Sinclair is set up like a large square around the inner courtyard, where tonight's feast will be held. The front side of the square is receiving rooms like we were just in, lobbies, sitting areas. Things like that. This left side is composed of of servant housing, the baths, and a Library. The rear side is just a large stable. it can only be accessed through this hall or by walking around the house. The right side is the Grand Hall, where we host Balls once or twice a year, it opens to the court yard. Just behind the grand hall it the Kitchen, great place to get a snack if you ever get hungry."

Now that they were about to the middle of the hallway, he turned to face her fully, "Anything in particular you would like to see first?" He opted on letting Julia decide, hopefully not overwhelming her with information.

There was quite a lot to take in. Manor Sinclair was rather breath-taking in its opulence. Everything was richly designed and decorated. It made sense for this to be the primary social manor of the three, from what she saw and was told. Julia could appreciate the function of Manor Sinclair, the place seemed built and designed to impress others. She could also appreciate the unhurried pace that Liam had set.

Everything else had seemed so rushed to her, it was dizzying and overwhelming to be told she was to be married but apparently there had not been time to actually meet her husband to be. Well, husband now. That still felt strange to think. Liam was her husband, stranger or not. She wondered if he was as overwhelmed by it all as she. Had he had more of a say in the arrangement? Her father hadn't really said one way or another.

"I don't even know where to start." Julia couldn't help but offer Liam a shy smile as he turned to her, obviously still full of nerves. "I have so much to learn and see."

And I have so many questions.

"Which is your favorite room? I think I should like to see your favorite places first. It will be a good way to learn a little about my new husband, I think."

"As you wish." He said with a smile offering his hand out to her.

Probably not less than fifty feet down the hall, Liam pushed the doors open to the library, stepping aside to allow his wife in before him. There is was again, his wife. Liam was struck once again to just sudden it all seemed. Two months prior, when he was told he was being married, Liam spent a week in this room. Pacing around the bookshelves, thinking, coming to terms with it, realizing that the ideas of marriage that his mother had left him with were romanticized and perhaps woefully unrealistic for men and women of the higher castes. Marriage was a duty, but not a wholly unpleasant one. It had been memories of his Late Aunt Karen that convinced him of that. Her marriage to Ben had been sudden and between strangers, but she came to love Ben in a way that was evident for all with eyes to see. Before her passing, her entire being was one of love. At least, that's how he'd recalled her. He'd been little more than eight when Aunt Karen passed.

Liam followed behind Julia and into the library, the familiar smell of leather bound books and aging paper surrounded him comfortably. The library was a square room, perhaps thirty feet by thirty feet with a very high ceiling, likely on level with the ceiling of the second floor. The walls were plastered with bookshelves, all of which were brimming with books. In one corner of the room stood an ironwork spiral stair, leading to an ironwork catwalk on level with the high set of bookshelves. Two windows opened on the far wall, one on the ground level and another along the iron catwalk, both had an extended bottom sill with cushions laid out, a great place for sitting and reading. In the center of the room sat four very comfortable looking chairs around a small table. Atop the table sat a small crystal spire, pointing directly up to crystal chandelier, both of which shared a soft blue tinting to their otherwise translucent nature.

Liam walked around Julia and towards the crystal spire. "Welcome to the Library." He added before tapping the spire twice in rapid succession, causing both the spire and the chandelier to light up with a soft blue light. Filling the room with far more light than was coming in the windows since the sun moved well above them into the high noon position. 

As they walked hand-in-hand down the hallway Julia honestly did not know what to really expect. She knew so little about Liam. Her parents had told her very little that seemed particularly useful to her specifically. Sure, her father could gloat endlessly about the business implications of her union to the Sinclair heir, but he seemed wholly unconcerned with Liam himself. She knew he was a knight of the realm, and little else.

For her family the rest didn't matter. Her mother and father had been married young, arranged by their parents. While her parents loved her and her siblings, they didn't really seem very passionate about each other. Oh they got along well enough, mainly by not spending a great deal of time together when it wasn't necessary. Her mother had her interests, her father had his interests, and the two kept those things separate - marriage was approached entirely as a business arrangement with only a handful of mutual benefits.

Julia fervently hoped that her own marriage would be at least a little warmer. Perhaps she'd never fall hopelessly in love with her husband, and maybe he wouldn't think of her as the love of his life, but she hoped at the least that they could become friends. Maybe even fond of each other. That would be nice. Being married to someone she hated spending time with just seemed so lonely. At least she could hope to find a friend in him. After all, she was expected to have his children some day!

She stepped through the opened doors ahead of Liam and really didn't try to hide her shock. It was a rather impressive sight! The young bride had moved to the center of the room, near the table and stopped to slowly turn completely around, taking the entire room in. His favorite room was a library? That was certainly interesting to know about him. Not that she could blame him. This was amazing.

When Liam stepped around her and activated the chandelier Julia's eyes lit up with an almost childish sense of wonder. Not that she was unfamiliar with magic, this was Serendipity, magic was a part of daily life, but the overall effect here was breathtaking.

"It's so beautiful." She whispered, still looking rather star-struck. Tentatively, almost hesitantly she moved towards the window, unable to resist discovering what the view must be like. The one above probably had a better view, but she didn't want to tempt the spiral stair in her wedding gown.

A smile split Liam's face, extraordinarily relieved that she enjoyed his refuge in Manor Sinclair, "You can thank him for that." He gestured to a canvas portrait hanging above the lower window, it showed a man with a full beard, white-blonde hair yielding to grey all across his head. "Lord Brett Sinclair, my Great grandfather, also the man who founded the Sinclair Trading Company. He designed this room himself, as I am told."

Liam went to walk along one of the book shelves, eyes scanning over books that he'd read since coming to live at the Sinclair Estate, "Do you read often, Julia?" He assumed, more hoped really, that she at least read a little. It was one of his favorite time sinks. It could teach you so much, take you places you never knew existed. He pulled a book off the shelf and opened the the cover page, A Study of Realms, Portals, and Blinking, it read. That was the journal of a deceased mage, they found his mangled body turned completely inside out. He'd have to read it again sometime, it had been above his head when he first tried to read it. The book's history and possible secrets were fascinating, if not gruesome.

He replaced the book on the shelf and went to take a seat on one of the chairs, motioning for Julia to do the same. He was intent upon learning some about his wife before tonight's feast. Now seemed as good a time as any to do just that.

"In that case I do thank him. This is a lovely library." Julia wondered if Manor Stead also had a library, although she imagined if it did the one at the smaller manor would be a bit less grand. No matter, if it had a library then if not grand it was bound to be cozy. Liam did say that Manor Stead was the most comfortable of the three manors. Yes, it was bound to have a library. It would be a perfect quiet refuge to retreat to when everything became too much.

Turning away from the window, Julia's smile was still a bit shy, but it was a brilliant, genuine smile as she answered softly, "When I was little The CerenisTales was my absolute favorite book. Of course I loved most of the typical children's books that the nanny would read to us - Harold Hare, The Velvet Bear, and so on. I graduated from those children's stories years ago, of course, but they are the reason that I will always love books and libraries."

Julia still loved those stories, even if they were for children. When Liam took a seat and motioned for her to join him she moved to the chair beside him, sitting primly, adjusting and smoothing her skirts nervously once again. It was good not to have so many people watching her every move, but it was also a bit rattling to be alone with him. She didn't know him well enough to know what he expected of her.

[Those books are based on real books as follows - The Canterbury Tales, Peter Rabbit, and The Velveteen Rabbit.]

"I've read Cerenis Tales probably like six times. It may have been intended for children but it is a great tale. A shame the author was unable to finish it in his lifetime. There is a Print of it at Manor Stead should you desire to read it again." Liam leaned back in his chair, causing the chestplate to shift forwards, making his chest look exaggerated in proportion to his head. The young Lord quickly leaned up in order to amend this with a somewhat nervous chuckle.

"So.." suddenly unsure of how to continue, "I've asked a question of you, only fair that you should get to ask one of you own. I don't want for us to be strangers to each other. So feel free to ask anything, nothing is off limits."

((OOC: Sorry for the short post, kinda wrote myself into a corner!))

"Maybe I will." Julia murmured, watching Liam subversively so as not to be staring at him. She wanted to observe everything about him, his habits, his behaviors, nervous ticks, anything at all that might help her be the very best wife possible. His small breastplate dilemma made her grin, but she tried to hide it behind her hand as she cleared her throat lightly. It wouldn't do to laugh at her brand new husband and offend him on the first day!

It was a little awkward sitting there with him, and his offer of letting her pose a question, any question, didn't help. Oh dear, where to even start? Julia could think of a million questions to ask. Not all of them directly about him. "I don't want to be strangers either. We...well I didn't ask for this marriage, but I want very much to make it work for us both. I guess that could be my first question? Did you help your uncle pick me for a bride? My father just announced it to me. I hadn't the faintest inkling before that."

"Ah, no. About two months earlier, Uncle Ben had come to me and asked if I have considered marriage, I told him that I hadn't. We didn't speak of it again until last month, when he told me that I was getting married to 'a young, eligible noble woman'. I didn't know your name until three nights ago when I demanded it." Liam was the kind of person that spoke with his hands, like gestures and motions helped him to better weave a history together, better solidified his arguments. "Now Ben, for as long as I have known him, has believed that marriage should be done of duty, not of love, which I consider to be very ironic considering the very loving relationship he had with my aunt. He wouldn't tell me the name because he really didn't think it mattered. Because the marriage was going to happen regardless. The only thing that I really had a say in, was that the wedding was the morning, and the feast was in the evening."

Liam watched Julia as he spoke, trying to gauge her reaction to his answer. Then followed with a question question of his own. "If you don't mind my asking, what was your initial response when you were told you were getting married?"

Liam hadn't even been told her name? Julia's eyes widened at that. Like Ben, her father hadn't thought details about her future husband important - only his name. She had been told quite excitedly that a marriage had been secured for her to the heir to the Sinclair family. Truthfully she had only made half-hearted inquiries about Liam upon learning of her impending marriage to him. Her father only waved off her questions as being unimportant.

"Resignation." Julia answered honestly and without thought. Which she immediately regretted, bringing up a hand to her mouth and eyes widened once more. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense. It's just that I've always known that my husband would be chosen for me. I was surprised to hear it would be you. I had thought it would be someone, well, closer to Ravensway, but my sister was married to a lord in Northwatch, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised."

How embarrassing! Yes, it was an arranged marriage, but she should still show some enthusiasm towards the union. This man was going to be her husband for the rest of her life. Resignation! Honestly, what had she been thinking? "I had another question. I, um, I hope this isn't out of line, but when you were told you were to be married..."

Oh dear she was having trouble bringing up the words she wanted to even use! Actually she wasn't sure she wanted to know. "Ah, well it isn't uncommon for young lords to..."

Sucking in a breath she forced the last words out, "Was there a girl?"

Liam laughed and shook his head, "No, no. There wasn't a girl. After growing accustomed to like within the Sinclair Estate, I started training for knighthood. I accomplished that last year- as you can see by my armor -and have since been learning about the family business. I haven't honestly had much time to consider a relationship. And in truth, the other real female influence I have had since moving here is the Head Servant in Manor Stead, Allison Crawthorne. She's.." he paused, trying to find the right words, "an interesting person, you'll see what I mean when you get to meet her."

Leaning forward and fixing Julia with a quizzical look, he asked, "Where you sweet on anyone?"

"No, I have never been sweet on someone. My parents made it quite clear to me from a young age that I was to have nothing to do with boys until I was properly married, and that my husband would be picked out for me. For my own good, of course. They said that attempting to find my own husband would be disastrous and that they would know better who should take care of me." Julia looked down at her lap where her hands were tightly clasped. She lowered her voice to an embarrassed whisper. "Truthfully I think this is the first time I've actually been alone with a man that wasn't related to me."

What would he think of that? He'd probably think her a mindless dolt that only knew how to do what she was told. Which, she thought glumly, wasn't so far off. Julia didn't have much of a backbone, certainly not when it came to her parents. She followed their rules to a letter and never caused trouble. Her mother told her that obedience was a good trait for a wife, though.

"It seems many Lords share that sentiment." Liam had been about to ask her more about her life at home, when a large bell sounded. Liam held his hand out to her, "Come on, time to go take our place at the feast."

---------

The Courtyard has been set up with several large tables, all laden heavy with food and brew. There was also a dais erected with another table, this one with place settings, enough for Liam and Julia, Ben, and the brides father Arther, as well. People were encouraged to eat and mingle, become gluttonous and and drunk. They were also encouraged to address the couple, though no one had yet done so. The honor table was offered the first of any platter set out. When they'd had their pick of it, it became fair game for all. While Ben was spinning the first of what was sure to be many tales that night, Liam had helped himself to a bottle of Pinot Noir from the Torva Winery and a cut of lambchops seasoned, breaded, and fried so it had a nice crispiness.

"...And that's how I got the Torva Trading Company to finally make a deal with us, opening up trade in Connloath. Now The Late Lady Torva, gods rest her, may have been a bitter old crone but damn if she didn't know how to make a deal! The rising lady of that family has got some shoes to fill."

Liam quietly displayed the bottle to Julia and nodded to her glass, a silent offering. He didn't dare try to talk over Ben, but he'd heard the story too many times to care. Ben spoke of the Torvas like that were a respected rival long beaten- which was greatly stretching the truth of it, they were still the trade giant of Connloath. But that was neither here nor there.

"Now I want you two be aware, there is a likelihood that a drunken mob might carry you two off so the both of you can consumate your marriage, happened to me at my wedding." Lord Sinclair cocked his head over to Lord Vasile, "You were there, weren't ye Arther? Yeah, I remember you shoving Karen into the room after me then slamming the door!"

In a way Julia was quite relieved to take his hand and hold it all the way to the feast. Perhaps she didn't know Liam Sinclair, but for the moment he was the only one that she felt was truly sympathetic to her anxiety and fears. After all, he'd admitted himself that he hadn't any say in this union either. That he seemed very genuinely interested in getting to know her, and seemed to be trying to help put her at ease certainly didn't hurt either. Yes, so far she thought that she could learn to get along with Liam.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting on the dais, once again at the center of attention, had Julia on edge. She did her best to hide it, smiling and politely laughing where appropriate. For the most part she didn't touch much of the food. Still not sure she trusted her stomach not to turn on her from anxiety. When offered wine, she nodded, waiting for it to pour before doing her best to sip it slowly and to not let her hands tremble and give away how badly she wished to be somewhere else.

Ben's last story had her pale, smile faltering and eyes widening. Julia had been trying very hard not to think about the wedding night. She'd been convincing herself for weeks that she was prepared to fulfill her wifely duties, but honestly the idea of being so intimate with a man she didn't actually know, regardless of a ceremony that said they were man and wife, frightened her quite a bit.

"Yes, I remember! What a wedding that was, but I think this one has been quite befitting my precious girl. I am thrilled we could come to this arrangement Ben, only the best for ours, right?" Her father's words did little to reassure her, she'd basically been sold to Liam like cattle, but she already knew that.

Rupert Vasile, youngest of the five Vasile children and notoriously spoiled brat, heard the story too, which gave him ideas. Used to being the center of attention, this whole wedding nonsense had been driving him mad. What was so special about Julia today? She was still boring old Julia! He couldn't understand why she had to get all the attention today, or the past couple weeks as wedding preparations had been intense at home with dress fittings and being told what to do and expect.

So, armed with this new fascinating information, especially after seeing his sister's reaction to it, Rupert started making the rounds to the various tables, looking for the most drunk and obnoxious guests and sowing the idea of ushering the newly weds out of the party. Once Liam and Julia were gone he could get all the attention like he should have been getting to begin with!

Liam politely refused an offer for a dance from one of the Ladies who's been invited, he didn't recognize her, nor did he care. He had two left feet regardless. The noble went on to find someone else to dance with as another platter was brought up, ham steak and yeast rolls. Liam grabbed some for himself, and some for Julia. "You should try and eat something. Nerves or not. You've not eaten a thing all day and you will probably find sleep hard fought on an empty stomach. And who knows, maybe part of the reason you are on edge is because you are hungry." His words were quiet, for her only. But the sharp eyes of Lord Sinclair didn't miss the action.

"Look at that, eh?! You see Arther?! I told you he would be a great match for her! Look at him! Taking care of his wife like a proper husband!" Ben's tone was aflutter with amusement and admiration.

Now it was Liam's turn to talk, to partake in the banter that so often dictated noble politics, "It's called being a decent human being, Uncle! Caring for the welfare of all besides oneself! As a businessman, you should give it a try! I'm sure it could do wonders on your public image." Liam smiled while he spoke, so the joke of it was know. And he was rewarded with the intended response, Ben broke down in laughing.

"Right! And a wit as sharp as 'is sword! I tell you! Right philantrapist this'un is!" Ben went on to recount a tale when Liam had paid for some Connloathian refugees to stay in the nicer of the taverns within the Sinclair Fief. The knight couldn't help but note the slurring becoming all the more prevalent in his speech.

"Mind the wine" Liam offered the advice to Julia while both the Lords laughed over the ever changing story of the moment, "It's deceptively strong."

Julia lowered her head slightly, focusing on the table as Liam gently encouraged her to eat. He was probably right, of course. Although she wasn't sure yet if sleep would come easy or hard tonight. On the one hand she was in a strange place, married, and overall overwhelmed by everything. On the other she felt exhausted. It had been a very long, stressful day. Drinking wine on an empty stomach was not a good idea, though, so she forced herself to pick at the food put before her. She was sure it was delicious, but she honestly couldn't taste it very well, it all might as well have been ash in her mouth as she tried to ignore her father and Lord Sinclair as politely as she could muster.

Lord Vasile regarded the newlyweds with a smirk as Ben and Liam bantered. "A son-in-law of mine would need a wit sharper than a sword, but it does a father good to see that his little girl is going to be well taken care of and I'm sure such care will be given to all aspects of their new life. Like my grandchildren - I expect many." Arthur did not slur his speech at all, seeming to only be sipping small quantities of wine rather than indulge. That he would be leaving, along with his wife, three sons, and daughter-in-law, in the morning might have something to do with his restraint.

Julia blushed at her father's talk of children, but didn't look up from the roll she was slowly tearing apart with her fingers. Some of it even went in her mouth, but a fair amount of it just ended up in little crumbles on her plate. She wasn't trying to be disrespectful or to ignore Liam's plea for her to eat, she just had no appetite.

Rupert was still mustering a small mob, putting ideas in tipsy and drunken heads. A ceremony and feast was all well and good, but Liam and Julia's real party was for after they left the guests to be alone for their wedding night.

Liam was ignoring the two lords with some great effort. In truth, he wasn't ready for the wedding night himself. Something about sharing a bed with someone he hardly knew was unsettling. He'd much prefer to get to know Julia in a meaningful and personal way before coming to know her. While focusing on ignoring the banter between the Lords and trying just a little of each platter brough before him (as well as encouraging Julia to try a little bit of each platter) he didn't notice the group of people gathering behind the dais, quickly forming into a mob. He was made very suddenly aware, when they grabbed the legs of his chair and pulled it and him off the dais.

Pulling, pushing, grabbing, dragging. They even dropped him at one point. Drunks were, after all, terrible at coordinated movements. After about three minutes of hustle and bustle, Liam found himself tossed- literally tossed -into one of the bedrooms. The sound of stifled shrieks told him that Julia was right behind him. The knight quickly collected himself, if she was getting the same rough treatment he got, the he was intent on catching her as she would likely be tossed into the room after him.

One moment Julia was very intently ignoring everyone and everything except Liam's gentle coaxing to try things as the platters were presented, and the next found herself lifted from the dais by rough and clumsy hands. Her first response was terror and panic, not sure what was happening. When she realized Liam was also being dragged and herded it did little to stop her cries. Although she realized as they passed through the house what the drunk fools were doing. Not that it helped to know.

It was difficult to really see anything through the crowd, but she saw Liam disappear into a room ahead of her, and a few moments later she was put down and shoved through the door at her new husband to a chorus of drunken laughter as the door was slammed shut behind her. Julia had been pushed hard enough to collide against Liam's chest.

She had stopped screaming, but now she was trembling violently. Her gown, which she had been painstakingly careful not to damage or stain through the day, had been torn in a few places, smudged by greasy drunken hands, and was more than a little wrinkled by her careless carriers. The beautiful style that had been set to her hair, keeping it up was disheveled, with parts of her dark hair having fallen loose.

Julia had convinced herself that she could approached her wedding night maturely, and with a bit of grace, but this was too much. It was one thing to walk calmly to the room she'd be sharing with her husband and quite another to literally be thrown at him.

Liam wrapped his arms around Julia as the two of them collided. He had be bracing to catch her if she were thrown, so naturally, his stance didn't yield to the impact. He hugged her against his chestplate, and while that may not have been the most comfortable feeling in the moment, it was all he could think to do to stop her tremors. "It's okay, you're fine." He spoke calmly, instinct telling him to do everything he could to de-elevate the situation. "Are you hurt?"

Julia's hands instinctively clutched at his arms as Liam wrapped her in a hug. There was no one else for her to cling to, it was a crushingly lonely feeling, knowing that her family would not have sympathized at all with her cowardly and unbecoming trembles. To her shame she actually sniffled with barely held back tears! "N-no. I'm o-okay."

She bit her bottom lip to stop its unseemly quivering. This was not the kind of impression she wanted to give her husband. It wouldn't do for him to regard her as a simpering mess. Julia wanted to be viewed as a good, reliable wife that he could count on. She raised one of her hands to carefully wipe away a few tears as she collected her wits. "I'm sorry, after hearing that story I should have been better prepared for this. I've never been manhandled like that before and I got quite a shock. I just need a moment, that's all."

To her credit, her voice barely wavered, and she was only shaking a little now.

"Liam unwrapped himself from her, holding her at arms length, "If it is any consolation, they caught me off-guard as well. And I am the one who was knighted. Deep breaths." With that, he let go of Julia and walked into the adjoining wardrobe to change out of the armor and give her a few minutes to collect herself. He soon exited wearing a loose fitting silken shirt and dark grey silk pants.

"If you want to get changed out of that dress, I think your mother may have gotten with the Head Servant, the wardrobe has several gowns that looks like they will fit you."

Julia managed a smile for his efforts, it was a small smile, but it was real as she finished lightly brushing the tears from her eyes. When he walked away she simply stood nervously, not sure what to do and not realizing what he was doing until he reappeared in more casual and comfortable clothing. A look of confusion immediately crossed her features, and that look only deepened when he told her she could change into another gown if she wanted.

"I don't understand." She truly didn't! This was it, wasn't it? Liam was supposed to help her out of her wedding gown, but not so she could simply put on another one. Her mother had gone to great lengths to explain to her what to expect once she entered this room with Liam. This definitely wasn't what she'd been anticipating with no small amount of trepidation. "Aren't we supposed to - to -to ..."

Her face reddened as she looked at the floor, not quite able to choke out the word 'consumate'. She was quite sure it was her duty to allow him to do it. A new fear settled in her stomach, that fear and panic came through heavily in her voice. "Oh, am I not desirable? I haven't displeased you in some way, have I? If I have I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I will fix whatever it is, I promise. Please don't tell my father you're not happy with me."

"That couldn't be further from the truth of it." He spoke calmly, trying to grab her eyes with his, "Julia, you are extraordinarily attractive. And I have enjoying spending my day with you immensely. But... that" He couldn't bring himself to say it either, "is a deeply personal act of great intimacy. So I want to get to know you, personally. And furthermore" he took a deep breath, "I'm nervous. I've.. never considered being with someone in that way."

And there is was, the truth that he had not yet admitted to himself. "My late mother had a habit of romanticizing everything about the world. Since her death, I have come to realize alot of what she spoke of just isn't the way it works. But this will be different, this should be something more than a duty. I'm sorry I caused you so much grief, can you forgive me?"

Julia could barely get her eyes off the floor, let alone actually look him in the eye. Hearing him call her extraordinarily attractive only deepened her blush and she felt a small surge of happiness along with relief to know that he had enjoyed her company. She hadn't chosen him, but he was still her husband and she wanted to be able to be both married to him and happy about it if at all possible. Although his little confession did bring her head up enough to look at him in obvious surprise. She hadn't expected him to be as nervous and inexperienced as her.

"Forgive you?" She breathed softly, face once again looking confused for a moment before she shook her head. "Liam, I am the one that's..." Julia sighed and moved over to sit, feeling rather worn out from all the stress of the day. "I envy you. Do you know what my mother says about love and romance? That they are stupid things that only silly little girls think about. My father sold me to you and your uncle as easily as he would a dog."

She felt fresh tears in her eyes, but for a different reason. "I should be thanking you. For treating me so sweetly all day. As far as my father is concerned you own me, and you are...not at all what I was told to expect."

"I don't own you." Liam said as-a-matter-of-factly as he walked over to to a nightstand, he pulled out a handkerchief and passed it over to her, "We are equal parts in this, you and I. And as far as I am concerned, your father has absolutely no say in your life anymore. That ended when you said 'I do'. Now, you look dreadfully uncomfortable in that torn dress, why don't you change into something more relaxing? Also, I believe it was your turn to ask a question." He added with a smile, referencing their time in the library.

Julia took the handkerchief gratefully and dabbed her tears up. There was no use crying over feeling abandoned and betrayed by her family. It wasn't as if she hadn't known this day would come her whole life. Liam was right, of course. Even by Julia's raising her father was no longer the man she need concern herself with. Her husband's opinions and wishes for her were paramount.

Except that didn't seem to really be the case either. The relief was only matched by the confusion, because she really had never thought that Liam wouldn't be more like her father. Somehow her father had managed to marry her to a man that was so totally different from what she'd feared he would be.

Julia felt a little guilty for being so ready to accept the worst regarding Liam. Yes, she'd hoped that maybe she could have a good relationship with her husband, even if it wasn't a loving one. This was more than she had even dared hope. He wasn't even making her consummate the union. "Yes, of course, let me change into something a little less disheveled while I think of a good question."

She disappeared into the wardrobe, taking the time to remove the hairpieces and letting her hair fall loosely since it was so messed up anyway, though she did use her fingers to comb it lightly before changing from the damaged gown into a dark blue silk evening dress that was much simpler and lacked a stiff, confining bodice.

Re-emerging, she looked more relaxed than she had all day and smiling a little. "Aside from reading, what other hobbies do you have?"

While Liam waited, he laid out atop the bed, lounging with his legs crossed at the ankles and he fingers interlocked over his chest. As Julia exited, he smiled, glad that she seemed to be relaxing more. "Hmm, I like to explore the estate when time and weather permits. 200 acres is quite alot of land to cover, I haven't even made a dent, though I have discovered some pretty interesting locations. I enjoy continuing physical training, nothing like a nice ache to justify a trip the the bathhouse in Manor Stead. Beyond that, I have been teaching myself to play the piano. There is one in the study, I'm not great, but I know a few songs."

Stretching his legs while they reminded crossed, Liam was able to pop the joints in his legs, "And you? What do you like to do?"

Julia moved to take a seat at the foot of the bed, sitting so that she could look at Liam as he spoke. She found herself curious about these interesting locations he had discovered and wondered if he would take her with him sometime to see them. Every new thing she learned about him was unexpected, but so far only pleasantly so. He played the piano? Books and music, he seemed almost as much scholar as knight.

"I'd like to hear you play sometime, even if you don't think you're great." Her parents had never allowed her music lessons. They paid people to play music, a lady like herself had no need to know how. Julia pulled her legs up to tuck underneath her. "You already know I like to read, and I like to listen to music. Exploring, getting dirty, or exerting myself were all seen as not only pointless but unladylike, so I fear I spent a lot of time simply shut away enduring lessons or reading alone."

"That can change. You married into a family of traders. And historically, traders were jacks of all trades. I don't know about you, but exploring, getting dirty, and exerting yourself sound right up your alley. Though, Brett Sinclair was the last Sinclair to travel by trade caravan. So it would more be a pursued interest, if you wanted." Liam sat up on the bed, drawing his legs in to sit cross-legged and open more room for Julia.

Julia blinked at Liam owlishly, her face heating up before she looked away. Part of what he'd said had sounded so...well perhaps not inappropriate anymore. He was her husband, but still, that had sounded so naughty! At least she was fairly certain he hadn't meant for it to sound that way. Oh how she wished he could just will the blush away.

"My father was very strict in what activities we were or weren't allowed to participate in. With the boys having much more freedom in picking and choosing what they wanted to do. I hadn't thought about being given the option to pursue interests of my own. There are so many things I've never been allowed to do." Julia couldn't help but wonder what kind of activities she would be allowed to try now that she was out from her father's suffocating rules.

While Liam had certainly not meant his words in such a manner, her blushing made him realize just what he had said, and he in turn blushed himself. Listening to her talk made him realize just how much more freedom he'd had in the past few years, how much her wanted to share that freedom. "Well, if you ever think of anything you wanna do, let me know. No matter what is going on at the time, I will do what I can to make time for us to go do it."

Liam definitely enjoyed spending time with Julia, that went without a doubt, but he'd had some of his own misgivings about the union before meeting her. Liam wondered what it was like on her end, "If you don't mind my asking, what are some misgivings you've had coming into this marriage?"

Us. Julia was surprised that he would take time from his own interests to try something with her. Even when he'd hinted that she would be free to try new things that she might find interesting she hadn't expected that he would make a point to spend even more time with her. It would be strange to have company, but she smiled at the thought. Hadn't one of her fears been that she would be even more lonely without her family?

"I honestly was worried that you would be more like my father. I was told to expect as much, but I guess my parents knew as little about you as I did. That or my father really does believe most people are like him, more interested in money and power than anything else." Julia looked down at the comforter, smiling softly. "Would you really take time out of your day to do things just because I wanted to do them? I wouldn't expect you to, you know. I could always do them alone, but I would appreciate the company."

Liam gave her a slightly quizzical look, "Of course I would. I was serious when I said I wanted to get to know you. I mean, sure, given the circumstances of the time and what may be going on, it may not be immediately, maybe not even that day, but I will find the time to do it with you." Unlike Ben and his mother, Liam had spent the early years of his life outside of the Sinclair Estate. He had learned to be content without much, for that, he was grateful for him mom surrendering her rights to the inheritance. After returning to the Sinclair home, he found it all so exuberant and more than a little wasteful. It had come as a shock to him just how wealthy his name was.

Next question already forming in his head, he paused, realizing he was parched. "Watch this." Liam stood from the bed and walked over to the wall. With his hand pressed against the wall, Liam slid back a panel revealing a rope and and a hallowed brass cone. Liam pulled lightly on the small rope twice. Soon a voice rang through the cone.

"Yes, Master Liam?"

"Can I get two mugs of hot chocolate brought up?" remembering that while Julia had eaten, it hadn't been much, "Also some of your amazing cookies, Chef Marris?"

"You honor me, M'lord. They will be brought up right away. I will make it all myself."

Liam turned back to Julia, "This is Ben's addition to the manor. Every room in Manor Sinclair and Manor Dellow have one, Manor Stead is small enough that a service bell is all you really need. If you want to get something from the kitchens, just locate one of these panels and pull the rope thrice, Chef Marris would be happy to help however he can. Now," He walked back over to sit back on the bed, "Was there anything that you were looking forward to with this union?"

"I would really like that." What might have seemed obvious to Liam was quite surprising to Julia. He was raised much differently than she was. Where his mother had apparently been very loving and taught him to care about romance and love -her parents had not only discouraged such notions, but had actively given a disapproving approach to such frivolity. Arthur Vasile certainly did not concern himself with involving his wife in any of his business or pleasurable pursuits, and Rosella Vasile would have scoffed at her husband had he tried to involve himself in hers.

For Julia, she had practically entered an entirely different world from the one she'd known her entire life. No matter what she wanted, she had been told what to expect, and this was not it. Her parents had made it clear to her that it didn't much matter if she liked her husband or hated him as long as she was faithful and obedient - and for her husband's part he wasn't even expected to hold true to the faithful and obedient part. So when Liam wanted to actually involve himself in her life, what she did, and what she liked, it truly did surprise her!

She watched curiously as he got up and slid back a panel in the wall she hadn't even noticed before. Her family's manor didn't have one of those. It was really quite amazing, and she watched Liam order for hot chocolate and cookies to be brought up for them. That was quite handy, wasn't it? "Won't they know we're not doing what we're supposed to when they bring that up?"

Julia didn't know if anyone would get upset or not, but she knew that simply talking wasn't what they were supposed to be doing on their wedding night. Plus the question he asked was a hard one. She certainly didn't want to tell them that she hadn't looked forward to this marriage at all - had simply accepted that it was going to happen one way or another. "Was there anything you were looking forward to? Did you have misgivings too?"

"Chef Marris is a pretty private man, for as long as I have known him, he hasn't dealt in rumors or possible goings on. Likely, he will bring the things up himself. He's a great man to get to know should you get the chance. He's also the Chef for all three manors, he will travel between them with us." When Julia asked of his own thoughts towards the approaching wedding, Liam lowered his head.

"In truth, it was far more nervous anxiety than anything. Nervous about who I was going to be marrying, what you were going to be like, if you and I would get along, what your feelings were on the whole affair, and at the risk of sounding vain, what you would look like. After all, I didn't even know the name of who I was to marry until three days before the wedding. While it was very nerve-wracking at the time, alot- if not all -of my anxiety has been laid to rest."

"I look forward to making his acquaintance." Julia would have to make it a point to get to know any employees that would be serving her frequently. At Manor Vasile the servants were looked down upon by her parents and siblings, but she never did like that. Just like she disliked when her mother or father disregarded or spoke down to anyone beneath their social station.

Julia smiled shyly as Liam spoke about everything that had concerned him leading up to their wedding, and her smile grew larger and brighter when spoke of no longer worrying about those things. Her reservations and anxieties regarding the marriage were also quickly melting away. Life was about to become very different for her, but in ways she hadn't dared imagine. All for the better, it would seem.

"I'm glad you seem to be feeling better about our marriage. At first I was so afraid, but I'm glad now." She couldn't help but look away from him with a blush and smile. He'd been worried about what she looked like, but by his earlier compliment she knew that he now had no worries about her appearance. "You know, when the doors first opened at the chapel and I first saw you standing at the alter, I thought you looked handsome. Then you made me really look at you just before the kiss and you looked very handsome."

Liam was not a stranger to compliments, while he had been training for knighthood, his form and stances were often complimented. He'd taken to swordplay faster than most, even going so far as to best his first three instructors within months of training with them. But compliments of this nature were a far different beast. His cheeks turned a bright shade of red his smile widened. "You honor me, Julia Sincla-"

A knock at the door cut him off. Liam quickly got off the bed and walked over to the door, opening it to see Chef Marris with a tray, "Two mugs of hot chocolate and some white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, as requested, M'lord." He walked past Liam and placed the tray on a small table in the corner of the room. "Anything else?"

"No, that will be all, thank you Chef." The chef left with little more than a nod, pulling the door closed behind him. Liam picked the tray up and brought it over to the bed, not at all fearing a possible spill. A feathered mattress deterred alot of energy transfer, and the mugs both had wide bases. Liam lifted his hot chocolate and took a long drink from it. returning the mug to the tray, he looked over Julia's face. "Y'know, I think you look really nice with your hair down, like a waterfall of chestnut."

Julia couldn't stop smiling, taking especial delight in seeing him blush. She'd been doing it all day, having someone else take a turn was refreshing. Plus she saw it as a good sign that Liam cared what she thought about his attractiveness, and why not? Some of her greatest fears had been that her stranger husband would not find her appearance to his liking. Finding your spouse attractive was a good start.

When the knock came she turned her head, before rising politely as the chef entered the room with his tray. There were no introductions, but those could wait for another day as she watched him leave in very short order. Julia settled back onto the mattress as Liam brought the tray, and she happily lifted the second mug to her lips, sipping the hot drink while watching her husband with a smile.

"I'll wear it down for you. It's easier than putting it up anyway." She said with a little blush as she set her mug back down.

Liam nodded, still smiling, "I'd like that." And with that, he said no more. For the moment, he had no more questions. So he sat there, contentedly enjoying the moment. The dull light of the room, the warm drink in his mug, the beautiful woman across from him that he was quickly warming up the idea of her always being there. In that quiet moment, it was romantic. Romantic in the sense that his mom had always talked about.

And suddenly, Liam felt a twang of melancholy. His mother would never get to meet Julia. For all that he'd learned of her today, the knight was certain that she would have loved his bride. Wistful though the idea was, Liam pushed it aside, he'd long since come to terms with his mother's passing, thinking on it now would serve him nothing good. So instead, he brought himself back to the moment, sitting quietly in the near dark of the bedroom with his wife.

Liam brought the mug back up to his lips, finding the mug empty. Looking back to the tray, he sighted that the cookies were gone, eaten. Finding two actions defunct, his body sought a third fulfilling task, He yawn. As is to echo him, the small clockwork timekeeper chimed the hour, it was 1am. Smiling, he whispered, "Good morning Julia." before yawning again for good measure.

The room fell into a comfortable silence, and Julia was content to let it stay that way. It had been a long, stressful day on both their parts, and she was happy enough to be left with her own thoughts for a while. Especially since the hot chocolate she sipped and cookies she nibbled on were both quite delicious. She'd been too anxious to eat much earlier and she found herself quite grateful for the sugary midnight treat.

By the time the little clockwork device chimed the hour to be 1am, Julia's eyes had begun to grow heavy, her empty mug sat on the tray next to the empty plate. A sleepy smile crossed her lips before she found herself echoing Liam's yawn quietly. "Good morning, Liam." She mumbled softly, realizing that this was technically the day after their wedding. Their first full day as man and wife.

"We should probably get some sleep. I'm sure there is still plenty we will have to do today. Like see my parents off. They'll be going home this afternoon." Julia sounded just a tiny bit sad to say it. After all, she was all the way on the other side of the kingdom from where she'd grown up. Never in her life had see been so far from Ravensway, and certainly not without her family before.

Liam nodded his agreement, picking up the tray and empty mugs and taking them over to the small table. Reaching for the crystal spire on the table, he wanted to console her-- bring about an end to the sadness in her tone, but he didn't know how. From what he'd heard, they sounded like mostly unlikeable people, thought they were still the parents of his wife. Plunging the room in darkness, he slowly walked over to the bed and pulled Julia into a hug, "You'll see them again, sooner than you think. Ben hosts a ball on the winter solstice. That's only two and a half months away."

"I know." Julia sighed as Liam pulled her against him and tried to reassure her. She was used to not seeing much of her parents, but that was at home, where everything was familiar and felt safe and comforting. This manor was beautiful, and she knew that the one where they would primarily live would be nice as well, but they were strange places to her. Everything was unfamiliar, her life had been completely uprooted without her consent. It was both frightening and disheartening to feel as if nothing was in her control.

Her arms wrapped around him, face pressed lightly against his chest as she reminded herself that she wasn't alone. Things weren't ideal, but they could be so much worse. Liam was obviously a kind and gentle man, he was doing his best to put her at ease and make her feel welcomed and at home. Julia hugged him tighter for a moment before letting go. "Thank you, Liam. I really do appreciate everything you've done to try to make me feel better - and you have. I'm sure I'll feel even better after I've had a few days to settle."

Turning to look at the bed, Julia already knew it to be very comfortable, having been seated on it for some while. It was also plenty big enough for the two of them to both sleep there without having to be overtly close to one another. She was glad the room was so dark to hide her red face as she said quiet, "So...which side will you sleep on?"

She was correct, time would end up being the deciding factor in their relationship. While there were still little more than strangers, married strangers at that, they got along. But who could truly say what the future had to offer? Surely not he. By tomorrow's end, they could be madly in love and lost in the passions of one another, or they could be at each others throats in a personal war so violent it threatened to tear the Sinclair fiefdom apart. While both extremes were equally unlikely, life had a way of being so blithely unpredictable. Gods and kings could be made fools and beggars by trying to forecall the temper of tomorrow. Liam chose to wait and see.

"I'll take the left." Liam spoke, releasing her and walking to the bed, pulling back the covers and sliding into the bed. His eyes were already heavy and closed and he laid his head down. "Goodnight, Julia. Safe dreams."

With all the excitement, Julia was exhausted and just glad the day was really over. She happily moved from Liam's arms to her side of the bed, drawing back the covers and slipping beneath them eagerly. A soft smile crossed her lips as her eyes fell closed and she snuggled into the comfortable pillow. All-in-all it had not been at all the day she had expected. It had been so much better. "Goodnight, Liam. Sleep sweet."

Sleep came surprisingly easy. Julia did not toss or turn or struggle with being in an unfamiliar bed next to an unfamiliar man. If anything, the sound of his breathing had a lulling effect.

And it was a very sweet sleep.

Liam rose early, little more than five hours after they had gone to sleep. The sun wasn't quite up yet, but the still dark sky was beginning to yield to the early twinges of violets and purples. Sitting up from the mattress, Liam shivered, the chill in the air was a bit much for mid autumn, hopefully that wasn't a sign of the winter to come. He got out of bed, glad that the large feather mattress absorbed most of the movement, allowing Julia to keep sleeping.

The young knight quickly walked into the wardrobe and grabbed a long and heavy house coat. He had something planned. Walking out into the room, he grabbed the empty tray and mugs, walking them back to the kitchen. He soon returned with coffee that the kitchen staff has just finished brewing. It always amazed him, how no matter what time of day you went to the kitchens, there was always someone attentive and happy to help. He set the two mugs of coffee on the table and returned to the wardrobe to grab another house cloak.

He walked back into the main room and activated the crystal spire, as the room started to fill with the soft light, he spoke softly, "Julia, wake up. There is something I want to show you." He peers at the window to see the sky was still dark, good. He laid the house cloak across her legs beneath the covers and went to retrieved the mugs of coffee.

Julia slept very peacefully, even had the feather mattress not muffled Liam's movements she probably would not have awoken from such a restful slumber so easily. Indeed, it wasn't until the smell of coffee reached her that she even began to stir in the bed with her eyelids fluttering softly as the gentle light filled the room.

"Hmm?" Came the soft mumble as Julia raised a hand to lightly rub at her sleepy eyes as she sat up and looked around in mild confusion and with a soft voice still thick with sleep, "It's still dark." She pulled the house cloak up, wrapping it about herself as she climbed from the warm bed into the cool morning air. It was a bit chillier than she expected. Hopefully it wasn't always this cold, it wasn't even winter yet. Of course she'd heard things about the northern provinces from her sister. This winter was bound to be a learning experience, and perhaps even a shock, for the young southern lady.

"Good morning, Liam." Julia finally said, though she had to cover her mouth halfway through in an attempt to stifle a yawn. A moment later her fingers had moved up to her long hair, trying to tame the dishevel caused by sleeping.

Liam handed her the moderately hot mug to keep her hands warm, he then gave her a grin and echoed the greeting, "Good morning, Julia. Now quickly, follow me, you won't want to miss it." He quickly led her from the room and down towards the east side of the manor. As they were already on the second floor, it wasn't a long walk to their destination. A stretch of windows that opened to the east. The sun was not yet up, but the brightening horizon meant it would not be long at all.

Julia took the coffee with a grateful smile, simply wrapping her hands around the hot mug appreciatively. With more than a little curiosity, she followed Liam through the manor, not really sure what he could want to show her so early. It wasn't until they reached the large wall of east facing windows that she really figured it out. With a smile she stepped close to the windows to admire the view as the first morning light started peeking out.

"So beautiful." Julia said softly, her eyes sparkling as they seemed purple one moment and blue the next depending on how the light touched them.

Liam stared at the raising sun, smile planted firmly on his face. "It sure is, I never get tired of seeing this sight. Really helped to make all those months of training for knighthood worth it. You should see this place after the first snow of the season, the deep colors of the forest and sky contrasting against the white of the snow. If only I could paint." After the sun cleared the horizon, which took maybe ten minutes, Liam turned to Julia, "Sorry for waking you so early, but thank you for sharing this with me."

As they watched the sunrise together quietly, Julia tried to imagine how it would look all covered in snow like Liam described. They didn't get nearly as much snow in the south as they did here. She sipped her coffee with a smile at the thought of how beautiful it would be. It was also good to know that her new husband was a very early riser!

"Don't apologize, this was a wonderful way to wake up to my first day as Lady Sinclair." Julia turned to Liam and reached out to squeeze his hand gently, "I will get used to getting up very early, especially if it means I get to see more sunrises like this one. Is the view as lovely at Manor Stead?"

"It is perhaps not quite as exquisite as the view here, but it is charming and lovely in a what that is unique to Manor Stead. I think you may prefer it there. I know I do." He took a long drink from his coffee, allowing the hot liquid to warm him. "Oh! How often do you drink coffee normally? Also, how do you normally take it? I didn't know so I went with what I used to do, two lumps and an ounce of cream." His own coffee was black, he forced himself to get a taste for it black as he soon found out that making the coffee how he used to cost him precious heat that the liquid liked to vent far too quickly during the winter. Especially if you were training all day out in the cold.

"Charming and quaint can be nicer than grand sometimes." Julia smiled, rather looking forward to seeing Manor Stead. It sounded like a much cozier and more intimate environment. Not that Manor Sinclair wasn't lovely, because it certainly was, but it felt more formal and opulent here. "I'm more accustomed to tea than coffee, but I don't mind. It is actually very good just like this. Thank you, Liam."

To emphasize her point, Julia took a long sip of her coffee as she continued looking out at the spectacular view. "How long are we staying here at Manor Sinclair?"

"Duly noted, and you're welcome." Liam took another drink of his coffee, "We will probably be leaving here tonight, After the last guest. Ben doesn't like staying at this Manor anymore than he has to. There are some bad memories here for him." He was of course talking about the death of Ben's wife, then later the disappearance of his daughter. In all likelihood, after they got to Manor Stead, Ben would only stick around for a few days before going to Manor Dellow. The good memories that the man had there could be just as haunting as the bad ones of Manor Sinclair.

Liam turned to face Julia once again, "I know you've only just woken up, but would you like to take a small hike on one of the game trails? It would be a nice way to eat up the early morning until breakfast is called. If you want, we can stop by the kitchen on the way, refill our cups or get something small to eat."

Julia focused her attention back out the window, sipping her coffee with a slightly bowed head. She, of course, knew that Lord Sinclair's wife had passed away and his daughter was missing. The death or disappearance of a noble was big news and as such spread all across Serendipity like wildfire. Not that she was prone to gossip, but you couldn't help but hear about things like that when so many spoke of it. Her thoughts tried to move away from that and consider that she would be moving into her primary marital home that night, probably only hours after saying good bye to her family.

Her new husband once again stepped in to distract her from her worries at an opportune moment. Julia turned to look at him with a smile. It was a nice invitation. On such a hike there would be little else to do but enjoy the fresh, albeit chilly, air and the landscape around them. Well, and talking. There would likely be a lot of talking in the coming days as they came to know each other better.

"That sounds nice, but am I dressed for it?" After breakfast she would need to bathe and prepare for the day ahead. Normally she would do that first, but she doubted a bath right before a hike would be ideal.

"That should be fine, it's only about a mile in length and it is mostly level, plus now that the sun is up, it should start to warm up." Liam finished off his coffee and added, "Unless there was something else you wanted to do, someplace else you wanted to see. I could finish showing you around the manor, we kinda got cut short by the time yesterday."

"No, I think a walk in the morning air will be refreshing. I know we are leaving tonight, but there will be plenty of time to explore Manor Sinclair another time. It wouldn't be doing the place justice to try to rush seeing it all at once." Julia smiled and finished her cup of coffee. "Let's drop off our mugs or refill and then you can show me this game trail while we talk. I'm sure we can both think of more questions to ask each other now that we've had a good night's rest."

Liam nodded his agreement, leading them both back to the kitchen. Liam refilled his mug as chef Marris came out of the food storage. "Breakfast will be on the table in two hours. With luck, maybe less." The chef said before going back to cooking.

"Thank you, Marris." Liam replied, grabbing a leather belt with a knife holster from behind the woodstove, strapping it on under his housecloak. Being a knight, he had weapons of all sorts hidden throughout the manors. Perhaps it was a bit unnecessary, but it never hurt to be prepared. Noting Julia, he consoled, "Unlikely we will need it, but we'll have it just in case. This is a game trail after all." Picking his mug back up, Liam added, "Are you ready?" Offering his free arm.

Julia followed Liam in a comfortable silence as they made their way back to the kitchen. While her husband got more coffee she placed her empty mug neatly on an available surface and let her eyes wander about the room curiously. She had not gone into the kitchens themselves very often back in Ravensway. Her parents chastised her for being in the way. After all, what need have a lady in the kitchen?

It was kind of nice. No one seemed intent on shooing her out of everywhere. Under her parent's roof there had only been certain rooms where her presence was deemed 'acceptable' and it had been rather disheartening to always feel unwanted or in the way. Julia smiled at Liam's reassurance to the knife he had strapped on as she slipped her arm in his. "Yes, I'm a little excited to see some of the grounds actually. It is only a shame that our wedding did not take place at a prettier time of year."

Liam gave his wife a quizzical look. "You are probably going to want to retract those words in a moment. Autumn is very pretty here at the Sinclair Estate." He led her over to the back door of the kitchen, hunters who were given permission would bring a portion of their game to this door as a compensation. Most game trails could be easily accessed from the back door of the kitchen, per design. It wasn't long before Liam was guiding Julia along the path.

The forest around Manor Sinclair was alive with color, autumn has played it's roll, painting the trees in reds and orange and yellow. Occasionally, leaves would detach itself and it would fall slowly to the earth. The sight, accompanied the calm of the early morning and the chill of the air, was quite tranquil. Liam took a sip of his coffee before stating, "I believe it was your turn to ask a question."

Julia blushed faintly and lowered her gaze to the floor as she followed Liam out the back door of the kitchen. "Yes, it's very beautiful with all the colorful leaves, I didn't mean to imply it wouldn't be. I only meant that in the springtime it would be slightly warmer and the flowers would be blooming. I loved the wildflowers around my old home."

The nervousness and apologetic nature was not likely to go away anytime soon, no matter how sweet, accepting, or understanding Liam might be. Julia was still afraid of offending or upsetting her new husband. "Is it my turn again? I hadn't realized. Um...You said this was a game trail. Do you hunt?"

Of her brothers only Stewart didn't hunt, and she had no idea if it was something Liam enjoyed. She didn't recall seeing any hunting trophies, but this was essentially the party manor, so maybe if there were they would be at Manor Stead.

"Sorry, I didn-" Liam stammered and let his voice drop, "I was merely being playful, Autumn has always been my favorite season, the air tastes cleaner, very crisp. And the cooling temperatures make coats and cloaks increasingly appropriate. If I weren't of the nobility, I'd be a traveler wrapped in a cloak."

Liam took another generous gulp from his coffee before answering, "I know how to hunt, but I don't hunt for sport. My mentor made it very clear that I should be able to live off the land with nothing but my wits. So along with hunting, I also know how to fletch a bow and set of arrow, make weapons and tools, a fair bit of herbalism, and tracking among other things. General forestry really. The game trails are really for the hunters that we sell hunting licenses to. Ben started allowing hunters to hunt on our land as long as they signed a contract to give no less than twenty percent of their kill to the our kitchens. Chef Marris oversees it all. Meat is sent to the other manors from Manor Sinclair."

Julia's entire face was red, probably her neck and ears as well! She peered at Liam sheepishly out of the corner of her eye. The idea that he was just being playful hadn't even occurred to her. Gods above, but she felt so awkward and incompetent. Once again she felt herself doubting if she could really do this marriage thing. Her whole life she'd been groomed to be a wife to a lord, but now that she was nothing seemed simple about it. Not really knowing her husband very well didn't help her know what to do or say at all.

Thank goodness that he quickly changed the subject. Julia quickly found herself openly staring at Liam, her large doe eyes widened and mouth slightly open in a bit of an awe-struck expression. He could do all that himself? He was a lord and heir to a flourishing business! Why had he been taught such things? She couldn't help but think of what her father would say. Hunting was one thing, but the rest was just a waste of time for people like them.

"That's amazing." The words came out as a slightly breathy whisper as she looked down at the ground suddenly. Her husband was obviously a very learned man in practical skills. What would he think of her? How could he possibly find someone like her interesting at all? Julia could already feel her heart sinking at the thought of how much of an utter disappointment she would probably end up seeming to a man like him.

Liam smiled at her reaction, feeling a swell of pride rise in his gut as she stared at him in astonishment. Liam knew that many of his skills were uncommon among nobles, but it was a point of pride for him to be so versatile. But what she didn't after left him a bit stunned. Julia looked down, as if she were ashamed of something. He sought to move her beyond that.

"You say you like to read, have you ever read Kvothe Temmpi's Book of Great Mythos?" He asked, hoping the sudden change of subject with a question would distract her from whatever made her look so down.

"I don't think that one was in my father's library, or if it was, I did not chance upon it." Julia mumbled softly. Oh dear, she was going to ruin whatever good impressions she might have made so far, what with her uselessness and now her mumbling. Her mother would have scolded her for behaving so. She should be the epitome of poise and grace, not some timid, unsure ninny. There was only one use that was really important for a wife, her mother had told her so plenty of times, and that was children.

Oh, but she couldn't even do that right. Julia had no reason to believe she was barren, of course, but Liam hadn't even wanted to consummate, so she couldn't help but feel she'd done something wrong. Obviously she wasn't alluring enough. How was a woman to be both virginal and seductive for her husband? He'd insisted it wasn't a lack of appeal on her part, but a desire to become more familiar with each other before becoming familiar with each other. She really wanted to believe that, but couldn't completely ward off doubts about her desirability.

"I'm not sure that counted as your question. I think it is still your turn." Julia said weakly, hoping she could come up with a better answer to a question, not to mention a good question of her own.

Lima found Julia's increasingly quieting voice growing more concerning, "Okay, my next question. Are you okay? You aren't cold are you?" Liam started to shrug off his house coat as he continued. "Your voice has grown quiet over the past few minutes." Liam draped the housecoat over her shoulders, without the mug of coffee ever leaving his hand and without so much as a drop leaving the mug.

It was true that the air was just a little crisp for this time of year, especially for someone that was used to warmer weather in the southern part of the country, but Julia couldn't say she was unduly cold. Even so, she blushed when he draped his housecoat around her shoulders. Liam was so considerate, which made her feel even worse for feeling so miserable. Maybe she was being ungrateful. He was a good man and was obviously trying very hard to be a good husband to her despite neither of them having asked for this marriage.

"I'm sorry. I'm alright, really. I've just got a lot of heavy thoughts on my mind." Julia looked away from him sheepishly, actually taking a moment to look around them. Would he be content with that answer? What if he wasn't? She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and chewed on it nervously before turning to look at him through lowered lashes. "It's just that the more I learn about you, the more incredible you seem and I am so...spectacularly not incredible at all. I worry that you will find me a dull and boring wife."

And the thought of being disappointing to him was a rather upsetting one to Julia.

Liam smiled softly, "You aren't boring. You can't be boring. Call it a naive thought, but my mother always said that boring is not a state of being but rather an event. It is impossible to be boring, you experience boring. Ben would tell you that the only sure way to stave off boredom is to find a passion. I love to learn new things, anything I can learn. Knowledge is my passion. From piano to swordplay and archery to forestry and tracking. So, if you'll permit me a third question, what is something you have always wanted to do?"

Julia dropped her gaze once more, trying to hide the slow blush that crept up her face, though her lips were twisting into a soft smile. He was just so nice. From the moment her hands had been placed into his, Liam had been more than kind to her. "It isn't naive, it's beautiful. I -"

She fumbled over her words, halting her speech again as she tried to think of what to say. Or of anything to say. Julia had certainly not prepared for a moment like this. What did she want to do? "Maybe, if you didn't mind, I could learn to play the piano with you?" Shyly, she looked up at him through lowered lashes, wishing to see his reaction.

Liam broke into a genuine smile, "I'd love to play piano with you. I know of some marvelous duets that we could try to learn, after you feel confident at the keys, that is." The Manor slowly came back into view as they continued on the trail. "If there is anything else you'd like to talk about before attentive ears are strained to hear our every word, now would be the time."

There was a rush of relief the moment Julia saw his lips pull into a smile, and she couldn't help but flash him a radiant smile in return. It was a small first step towards freedom for her, actually choosing something to learn and do simply because she wished to do it. She couldn't wait to play alongside him and promised herself that she would learn as quickly as she possibly could.

Julia saw the manor and felt a small pang of regret. Their walk seemed all too short. It had been nice, just the two of them with no pressure of expectation from everyone else. She couldn't help but pout just slightly. "Must we go back already? It feels as if no time at all has passed."

Liam nodded solemnly, "Time has a way of doing that when you are enjoying yourself. But before you know it, we will be headed for Manor Stead, no nobles nor rumor mongers to follow." As they entered the door to the kitchens again, more cooks had filled the room, rushing about. Liam took one of the robes off her shoulders, draping it across one of his shoulders. "We should head back to the rooms and get properly dressed before breakfast," he added quietly, idly beginning to lead her from the kitchen and back to their rooms.

Julia found herself reluctantly agreeing as she followed her new husband back in the kitchen door they'd left the manor through. As overwhelming as it was to have to move all the way across the country, she really couldn't wait until they went to Manor Stead. It was to be her new home and she wanted to get settled as soon as possible. Not to mention she felt drained from the whole wedding experience.

The kitchen was much busier than when they left, and she found herself clinging lightly to Liam's arm as they began navigating their way back to their rooms. "Yes, we can hardly go to breakfast like this." Julia mused quietly, she was still in her blue silk evening gown and the robe that he'd draped around her. Hardly appropriate attire for breakfast with company. "Do you know if my maid is here or was she sent to Manor Stead with most of my belongings to prepare for my arrival?"

Funny, nobody had told her. At least she had been allowed to bring her handmaiden, there would be at least one familiar face in this new place.

Liam paused, eyes darting around as if searching through his memory, "I do not, I can find out for you though." He opened the door to their rooms and allowed her in first, "However, my family's seamstress has been opening communicating with your family seamstress. So you do have some clothes here." Once inside, he disappeared into their bathroom only to return a moment later chewing on Mint Resin.

Mint Resin was this queer, mostly solid substance that most nobles used for oral hygiene. It had the physical properties of taffy, as in hard to chew, somewhat sticky, and known to not come apart easily. The Resin would pull away food clumps, dirt, plaque, and leave a nice minty freshness. However, swallowing it was highly dangerous, as the stomach could not digest it. He spat the thoroughly chewed materia into a spittoon.

"Thank you, I'm sure your seamstress has some very lovely things prepared for me." Well of course Julia had some clothing here, she had been into the wardrobe the night before and seen a brief glimpse of the dresses and gowns laid out for her use - after all, she was wearing the beautiful evening gown she had found there as they spoke. She was still nervous and felt out of place, and it wasn't the clothing she worried about anyway. A familiar maid would have been comforting just for the sense of normalcy it would have undoubtedly inspired.

Sighing softly she stepped into their temporary room and headed straight for the closet. She would have to find something her parents would find appropriate for her first breakfast as a married woman. Part of Julia wished that her parents wouldn't be having breakfast with them, but she still wasn't looking forward to seeing them depart. Forcing herself to focus instead on the the task at hand.

The flowing silk dress Julia slipped into was a deep plum with golden roses embroidered along the hems and neckline. It was modest in cut, but the way it hung on her body had her blushing as she stepped back into the open bedroom. "Is this alright?"

All motion left his body as he cast his eyes over to her. "Wow. You look.. stunning.." A grin grew from the corner of his mouth, it soon spread into a smile that warmed his eyes, "The dress fits you well. Let's see if I can find something to compliment it." With that, he slipped into the closet. He returned a few minutes later wearing a light silk shirt and dark pants woven of meticulously spun cotton. The color of his clothing was hard to determine. The shirt could be white, or a light blue, or perhaps it was some hue of purple. It seemed that the longer one stared at it, the more uncertain one would be of the color. The pants were the same, were they black or deep navy blue? It was impossible to tell. Something else striking about his choice of wear was how plain the clothing looked. Correction, how plain they looked at a glance, closer inspection showed so much more. What the clothes lacked in adornments it more than made up for with the quality of the clothing.

This was the sign of the truly wealthy, many nobles wore trinkets or bobbles, or had gold and silver inlaid into the clothing, anything to draw the eye. It made for a rather difficult balance of just enough and far to much. Liam's clothes seemed to be made to abolish any notion of the word 'gaudy'. These clothes undoubtedly cost a small fortune in their own right. His eyes were a softer shade today, coupled with his dirty blonde hair, he would very much draw eyes, just like she.

"Hmm, nope. I don't think I managed it. You just shine too brilliantly in that dress, I hope you don't mind me not being able to match it." He complimented her as he went over to the nightstand and grabbed his family ring, slipping it over his middle finger on the left hand, it clinked lightly against his wedding band.

There came a knock at the door, and a voice rang out that he did not recognize. "Master Liam, Mistress Julia, I was sent to fetch you both for breakfast."

The way her new husband was looking at her did not help Julia stop blushing in the slightest. Indeed, her face flushed even more as she lowered her gaze to the floor shyly. A smile was pulling at the corners of her mouth as she lightly bit her lower lip as he disappeared into the closet. It felt strange to have any man looking at her like that, but knowing it was her husband felt even stranger. At the same time, she felt a surge of happiness knowing that he approved and knowing that he found her to be stunning, to use his own word.

When Liam emerged from the closet she found her eyes drawn to him immediately. Yesterday he had been dressed very finely for the ceremony, but the plain design of what he wore now only emphasized his handsome face. Julia rather liked that there were no frills to his outfit that would distract from his natural appeal. All of her dresses in the closet had embroidery. No doubt that was her mother's doing.

"You have a light of your own, you know." Julia smiled lightly, just as the knock sounded at the door and the familiar voice of her maid came through. She smiled and held out her hand to Liam. "That would be my maid, Nancy. Shall we?"

Liam took her hand in his own and led her to the door. "Then let us shine together." Opening the door, he gave a polite nod to the maid, Nancy as Julia had called her. The three of them started walking down to the dining hall, which with many of the guests of the wedding still here, was being held in the grand hall. They were taken on the most direct path, so they actually ended up behind there seats at the laid out tables, next to Ben and Arthur. Which was great, because it meant they wouldn't have to engage in small talk with any overly friendly gentry or overtly sly scandalizers. Where were often times one in the same.

Ben looked to Liam and gave him a half smile. Liam noted to the smile and blinked once, perhaps a bit slow for a blink, but nothing noticeable by far. Ben's smile grew to embrace both sides of his mouth before he spoke, "Good morning to the happy couple!" The Lord Sinclair almost sang as Liam pulled the chair out for Julia. "Breakfast hasn't yet been served, but we have coffee and drinking chocolate available while we wait." Liam helped himself to some coffee and offered to refill Arthur's own mug.

Arthur watched attentively as the newlyweds appeared, a smug smile crossing his lips as he observed the joined hands and the way his son-in-law helped his daughter into her seat. He knew that this would be a good match. Perhaps the Sinclairs were not old nobility, but they were rising quickly and had a very bright future. A future he had ensured his daughter and grandchildren would be part central to.

Julia's father only grinned broader as Liam offered to refill his mug, which he graciously held out, eyes still focused on his daughter, who he noticed was looking demurely at her lap. His daughter had been a good girl all through this arrangement; he was pleased with how much grace she had handled herself.

"So my dear Julia, how do you feel about your new husband after your first night as a married woman? Does father know best?" Of course he wanted to see her squirm as she tried to answer.

Squirm she did. Julia's face flamed scarlet immediately as she jerked her eyes up to look at her father for the first time since being seated. She had not consummated her marriage with her new husband, and while she knew that her father hadn't asked outright, that was what he wanted to know. She cast a glance in Liam's direction and her blush only deepened.

"Thank you for finding such a fine husband for me, father. I am very happy with your choice." It was very hard to get the words out, and she was once more staring at her lap, where her hands were now tightly joined and trembling. She hadn't done what she was supposed to last night, and her father would be angry and disappointed if he knew. Julia hoped that he would be satisfied with that answer and put his attention elsewhere.

Liam did not like Arthur. From where he sat, it very much looked like the man enjoyed making her daughter squirm. Since Julia had elected to not refill her mug of coffee before going on their morning walk, he poured her a mug of the rich hot chocolate. He then leaned back in his chair, his mug in one hand, his other hand resting on her leg. The knight hoped that Julia didn't mind this to be overreaching, but he was trying to keep up the illusion. After a long drink, he spoke.

"Thank the Gods for coffee, and Thank you, Lord Vasile, for having such a lovely daughter that makes a man need coffee come morning." Liam hated himself for pandering to the man. Julia's reaction and air of smug was all he needed to know. This man was Cruel.

Ben picked up the implication and shot both Liam and Arthur a knowing smile. "Anything to help you get through the day on such little sleep, huh?" Liam gave an amused shrug and took another sip of his coffee. "Now Arthur, the first of the trade caravans will be arriving in Ravensway in a week, I have two coming to you dir...." Ben continued a business discussion that they had been having before the newlyweds had arrived.

Breakfast was served in an unspectacular fashion, lightly scrambled eggs, pan seared ham, and fruit. A small plate was set before each person before another server came with a loaf of bread for the table.

Julia managed to cast a thankful smile at Liam as he poured her drink for her. It still surprised her how attentive he was, it made her feel a little bad that he seemed to constantly be catering to her. She was capable of pouring her own drink; her husband shouldn't have to do it for her. Curse her nearly paralyzing shyness.

It took a great effort to unclasp her hands, especially when Liam had laid his hand on her leg. She actually jumped slightly in surprise, but recovered quickly and smiled bashfully in his direction as her fingers wrapped about her hot mug. She reminded herself that everyone else would think a very small degree of touching considering the previous evening had been their wedding night. Julia didn't mind the touch, she really didn't. It had just caught her off guard.

It was the talk that had her blushing and dropping her eyes away from them all until her father and Lord Sinclair became once again engrossed in their business as breakfast was served. They had certainly gone to bed late, but not because of the reason her father assumed.

Unlike the previous day, Julia actually did tuck into her breakfast without any real prompting. A meal of cookies was hardly proper nutrition for her wedding day. Her manners and table etiquette were impeccable, of course, but she ate heartily. Especially the fruit, as that was her favorite part of almost any breakfast.

Liam had cut bread for Julia then himself. Most of this was all for the appearance, he was a new husband who was doling affection for his new wife. Mostly in subtle ways, as was expected in the courts. A grazing touch here and there, a refilling of her mug, small smiles and smirks. And while perhaps it was for the benefit of those gossip mongers who would dare try to sully something as beautiful as a union between two young people, Liam could not deny that he did enjoy doing all these things. After all, Julia was very sweet, easily likable, and by the gods was she beautiful.

First to go where the rather tasteless- in his opinion -eggs, followed by the far better tasting fruit, and lastly, the ham and bread followed. When he was done, he topped off his own mug- and Arthur's -before sitting back in the chair, one hand resting on Julia's leg, like it had done previously. She didn't seem to mind it the first time, and Liam hoped she didn't mind it this time either.

Ben absolutely dominated the conversation, once formal business discussion had run it's ground, he started into financial observations on other Mercantile businessmen. Sharing acquired information with a once rival, now business partner. And there was alot to tell, even more that he wasn't telling. But more importantly, Ben was keeping the conversation off Liam and Julia. Ben also didn't like Arthur, never had, never would. But Julia was the right choice for Liam, and vice versa. Ben would act the part of a friend and colleague for his nephew, at least until he was able to cast off the facade.

Now that everyone was done eating, Liam was able to make his own move. "If you will excuse us, I want to show off the Library before things get too busy later." Ben paused only to shrug them away with nonchalance before continuing with his spiel about that damnable company, Torva Trading Company, and it's monopoly in Connloath. Not wasting the opportunity, Liam stood and held his arm out to Julia, ready to whisk her away.

Ben Sinclair was a godsend. Julia wasn't sure she could have made it through breakfast without him. Not to say that having Liam at her side, his hands sometimes brushing her lightly or resting on her leg, wasn't also comforting. When his hand had come to rest on her leg the second time the young woman still couldn't keep herself from blushing and casting shy looks his direction, but it was Ben that demanded her father's attention so wholly. Arthur Vasile didn't have time to scrutinize his daughter further the rest of the meal.

Julia almost couldn't stand fast enough to take Liam's offered arm. Any excuse getting away from that unbearably awkward table! Although, she did like the library, so her smile was radiant as she beamed up at her new husband. In fact, just for extra emphasis, she found herself hugging his arm, pressing herself against him lightly. He had been working very hard all while breakfast was on to show that they were a happy couple, and she couldn't make him be the only one trying to make sure her father didn't have reason to poke his nose into their marriage bed.

It wasn't entirely an act, she felt calmer and more secure with Liam.

They moved through the halls, and Julia made sure to smile at anyone they passed. It wouldn't do for her to seem sour and unpleasant. Almost as soon as they were in the library, Julia rose up on her toes and brushed a kiss on her husband's cheek. Her face immediately turned red as she looked down at the floor. "Thank you."

Liam pressed his lips to the top of her head as she looked down. "Think nothing of it." Still holding onto her arm, he led her around the side of the library, his eyes skimming along the spines of books aplenty. He was also subtly looking to the corners of the room. His father had warned him to be wary of rumor mongers, and he didn't like to idea that someone would try to listen to their conversations without their knowledge. All in the hope of gaining dirt on a rising power. Tch, how uncouth.

Satisfied that they were alone, he turned to her, "Hmm, nothing stuck out to me this time, anything catch your eye?"

Kissing the top of her head, it was such a sweet gesture. Liam truly was so different than what she had expected. So different from everything she had feared. Julia didn't mind being led along, much like her husband, she let her eyes wander over the book titles. Although unlike him she wasn't looking subversively for eavesdroppers. The young lady was naive enough not to realize that people might spy on them just to have a scrap of gossip.

Of course, her eyes kept leaving the books to subtly look up at Liam. More naivety, perhaps, but Julia found herself rather taken with him. He was kind, gentle, and sweet. At least so far, and to her. There was also the fact that he truly was very handsome. It certainly couldn't hurt to be married to an attractive man.

Her white knight, he almost seemed. The kind of shining knight you saw in stories.

Julia faltered for a moment, as when Liam finally turned to her again, she had been quite absorbed in looking at him as discreetly as she could. A faint blush tinted her cheeks as she turned her eyes back to the shelves, giving them a brief glance before sheepishly replying. "Nothing on the shelves, no."

"Oh?" He cast his eyes around the room again, trying to think of what else could have caught her eye. After all, her response did heavily imply that something had in fact, taken her attention, it just wasn't on the shelves. Perhaps she wanted to take a closer inspection of the magic lamps? What was she talking abo- "Oh!" She was talking about him. She was flirting?

A smile slowly spread across his face as his cheeks reddened slightly. He had been flirted with before, but it seemed so out of character from her. And the subtly of it was sublime. He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze while his thumb rubbed small circles on the back of it. "What do you like to read? If it's here, it can be sent to Manor Stead. The library there doesn't have nearly as large a selection as this one does. Mainly because of size limitation."

It was impossible to stop her lips from turning up in an amused smile as Liam began looking around, not seeming to understand the implication. Julia almost could have laughed, but managed to suppress that, still blushing softly.

Her mother hadn't taught her how to flirt, and though she had read about such things, and had even seen and heard some flirtation by observing her brothers and the maids, this was the first time she had truly had the chance to try. After all - flirtation with anyone would not have been tolerated at home!

When realization dawned on Liam she couldn't stop a soft giggle from escaping. Julia immediately brought her free hand to her lips, unable to stop grinning, but managing to halt the laughter. He was even cuter when he blushed, and his smile made her heart flutter softly. The skin underneath his thumb tingled lightly as he rubbed the back of her hand, and her fingers curled around his just a little more firmly.

Once again she found her face flushing as she turned to press against his shoulder, attempting to hide her blush in the fabric of his shirt. It took a moment for her to regain her composure, but she slowly lifted her face to look up at him again.

Julia was still smiling, albeit a little shyly, as she answered, "I always liked stories with a little adventure in them. For my sister and I...there just wasn't much we were allowed to do. We went nowhere and spoke only to those father thought appropriate, which wasn't always every guest he had. Since reading was one of the few activities we were allowed, books that let us escape were always the best."

Gently, his hand let go of hers and both arms wrapped around her waist, his fingers intertwined at the small of her back. Liam smiled down at his wife, risking losing himself in her eyes. "My mother taught me to love similar stories. Usually a young knight or a charming rogue becoming entangled in some conspiracy, and working hard to right the wrongs, save his newfound love interest, only to find out that she saved herself in the last act and having to catch up with her so they can prevent disaster together..."

Liam just stopped talking, not really ending the sentence or leaving it open to continuation. It was just over. His eyes were drawn in to Julia's. Be that they remained in his head, his face drew closer to hers, leaning down, the mere breadth of a breath between their lips. Then he was kissing her. Gentle, nigh timid press of his lips to hers, hoping that perhaps she might kiss him back.

Julia felt her heart do a little skip as Liam's arms encircled her, her eyes were currently a deep purple as they reflected the light. Her chin tilted up as she met his gaze, her hands pressed lightly against his chest as she leaned into him just slightly. It still felt surreal to be in this strange house being held by this strange man, but the young lady thought that she could become quite used to a life where such warm arms and eyes captivated her.

Her husband even liked similar stories. How could it happen this way? Julia had been so cure that her father would marry her off to someone she wouldn't be able to relate to and who would have little interest in her outside of her wifely duties. She felt so relieved and so grateful that this sweet, handsome knight was all hers.

A blush spread across her cheeks as he leaned in, her breath catching in her throat as her heartbeat quickened. Their first kiss at the alter had been over before she could even really process it. Now her eyes fluttered closed as a tingling warm radiated from the contact. Her hands moved from his chest, sliding up until she could wrap her arms loosely around his neck, pressing herself more firmly against him.

And then there, in that instant, was their first real kiss. His lips touched to hers, slow- tentative, curious. And despite the maidens his uncle has hired to train him how to kiss- he couldn't help but feel inexperienced. Julia didn't kiss like someone who was paid to do it. She kissed like someone who genuinely wanted to be there, but just as slow, and tentative, and curious, and inexperienced as he was. It was maybe a few seconds before the first kiss faded, instead of pulling away, Liam tilted his head to the side and moved back in.

The second kiss faded a few seconds later, as did the third. By the fourth kiss, Liam realized he rather liked kissing Julia. Her soft lips had encaptured him- he could do this all day. But the turning of the heavy brass knob alerted him to the arrival of someone else- and while he didn't end the kiss any more quickly than he would have, he didn't chase it with another kiss.

"My apologies Master Sinclair, your Uncle bade me tell you both that the Lady Sinclair's father shall be departing soon, would you like accompany me to see him off, or shall I tell him that you are... otherwise occupied?"

Liam hadn't stepped away from his wife, hadn't unwrapped his arms from around her, so he turned his head to look her in the eye after being addressed by the butler, "What do you think, dear?"

The kiss shared between them at the alter could be discounted, as if Julia were being embarrassingly truthful, she could hardly recall it. In that moment her brain had barely been functioning, mind and heart racing with anxiety. That had been a kiss given out of necessity, as the ceremony demanded it, and in front of a room full of hawkeyed witnesses.

This was the first kiss that the newly married woman would remember. Nobody was there to impress or demand. They were alone in the library, just the two of them, bodies pressed close as they embraced each other and kissed for no other reason than they wanted to. Julia's heart still raced, a warm feeling spreading through her as her husband turned his head to draw her into another kiss, and then yet another and another.

Each kiss was less hesitant than the last, her lips moving against his softly as she allowed herself to be caught up in the moment. Her fingers had curled against the nape of his neck.

It was when the sound of the door opening reached her that Julia felt a blush creeping back into her face as her eyes fluttered open again. For a moment all she could do was stare up at Liam owlishly at being caught kissing in the library, barely able to rationalize that there really was nothing scandalous about it as they were now husband and wife.

Otherwise occupied.

Julia wasn't sure she could blush any harder as she somehow managed to meet those gentle green eyes momentarily before burying her face against his chest, arms sliding from around his neck to let her hands once again rest upon his chest.

"I should say goodbye to them." Her family had horrible timing. She hadn't expected them to leave so soon. Despite her new bright outlook on a future as Liam's wife, it was still not easy for Julia to part with her family knowing just how far away they would be.