April 14th, 1614

Perhaps a visit from his youngest brother was just what was needed, as Stephan had returned from his afternoon looking bright-eyed and full of life, his face flushed and his hair tousled from the wind. There was still a bite of chill in the Pomeran spring air, but it only served to remind that he was still alive. The ride had left him feeling invigorated and lively, but whether it had been the ride or the visit with his brother was anyone's guess. It had been a long, cold winter, and he was as eager for the warmth and rejuvenating spring as anyone.

They had been gone longer than Marianne had expected; indeed, both princes returned with just time enough left to them to wash and dress for the evening meal, having left her to her own devices for the full afternoon. In one way, it was a good that they had, though she was not quite ready to admit as such, and longing for their company as she was, it was no wonder that Marianne was already at the table when Felipe found his way to the dining room, bowing low to his sister-in-law.

"Has my brother fallen asleep in his tub?" he asked in amusement. "I'm told that old men often do that."

"Old man, indeed!" came a familiar voice from not twenty paces behind him. At nearly thirty years of age, Stephan was still considered a young man and still had a lot of life left in him. He was hardly old, though there were days when he thought he ached like an old rheumatic, feeling every wound he had ever acquired. "Are you looking to take my place already, brother" I assure you I am far from the grave."

Chuckling, Felipe straightened from his bow, giving his answer to his brother while grinning down at Marianne. "You cannot blame me for trying," he pointed out. "'Twas you, yourself, who spoke so warmly of your wife's wildness only hours ago."

True to form, Marianne's face lit up in a bright blush, her blue eyes wide with indignant accusation as she looked at her husband.

"You wound me, brother," Stephan rebuked, laying a hand against his heart and purposely stumbling, as though he had been pierced by an arrow. "Betrayed by my own flesh and blood. How can I trust you as my closest adviser if I cannot trust you with my own personal secrets?" He was, of course, only playing along, repaying his brother's teasing some some of his own.

"Ah, but old man that you are, you may soon wither, and shall fall to me to to tame the wildness that has so bewitched you," Felipe pointed out with a grin. "Unless you would prefer Maksim to take on the challenge of my lady Marianne?"

The lady in question was glaring at both of them now, blushing hot in acute dismay. Even if they were simply teasing, it was not something she was used to hearing, and certainly she was not used to being the subject of the tease.

"Maksim!" Stephan echoed in a tone of voice that betrayed his horror at the thought of that particular brother showing any interest in his wife. "He will have a half a dozen illegitimate brats laying claim to his royal blood if he is not careful," Stephan said with little humor in his voice. Though Maksim was the elder of the two, it was no secret which of them Stephan trusted more, at least where his own wife was concerned. His mood threatened to shift badly, if more mention was made of Maksim in connection with Marianne. "You must forgive my dear brother, Mari," Stephan apologized for Felipe as he regained his posture and started toward the table. "He has too many wild oats left to sow and does not know where to sow them."

"Perhaps he is merely hoping to have himself castrated, thereby negating any political gain in marrying him," Marianne suggested in her quiet way, taking her own shot with a raised brow, rather than let Stephan's mood turn sour. "For that is what I will do to any man who approaches me but you."

Behind Stephan, Felipe actually blanched, shocked by the suggestion that sweet, quiet, demure little Marianne would actually emasculate anyone.

Marianne's remark had the desired effect, causing Stephan to break into raucous laughter. Of course, the expression on his brother's face didn't hurt either, though neither needed to worry about any such events taking place, at least, in the near future. Stephan gave his brother's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, his blue-green eyes bright with amusement. "You needn't worry, Felipe. I am too fond of this world to leave it just yet."

"Too fond of this wife to leave her yet," Felipe countered, laughing himself as he shook his head. "I bow to your controlled wildness, my lady, and hope never to be on the receiving end of it. I will, however, pay good gold to see you unleash it on your husband."

Marianne giggled at that offer, gesturing for both men to join her at the table as she clapped her hands to summon the meal. As was the custom, all foods were laid out between them, all courses in one place. Meals, even formal ones, were slow, easy affairs in Pomerania, enjoyed for the social opportunities as much for the food itself.

"I will not debate or argue that fact," Stephan admitted agreeably, as he and Felipe joined Marianne at the table. "As for her wildness, that is yet to be seen, but I do believe she has it in her. Do you remember that filly Father had when we were boys" Do you remember how we all tried to tame her, much to our disgrace?" he asked, lifting his wife's hand for a kiss before claiming his seat at her side.

Marianne smiled as Stephan kissed her hand, relaxing a little further now that it seemed she was as welcome to tease among the brothers as they were comfortable to tease her. "I hope, for your sake, that you are referring to a horse, dear heart," she said, one brow raised above her challenging smile. "If not, I fear for the comfort of your bed tonight. You told me yourself that Leopold smells awful when he settles down to sleep."

There was a faint splutter from Felipe as he took his seat, though to his credit, the younger prince did try not to laugh out loud at this genteel threat. "I take back my words," he chuckled warmly. "There could be no finer wench in all the world than thee, dear sister, for the taming of my brother."

"Taming!" Stephan echoed, snorting again. "Do you mistake me for Maksim, dear brother?" he asked with a grin. No mistake could ever be made between them, as the three brothers were as different in looks as in temperament. It was a wonder no one had ever dared to challenge their paternal bloodline. "My darling," he continued, turning then to his wife. "This entire conversation started because of a horse. I have offered the black to my brother, and am only waiting for him to accept the offer before making it official."

Marianne's smile deepened, her eyes flickering to watch as servants moved to serve a selection of foods onto each plate. "I find it fascinating, dear heart, that you choose to clarify that point, when your brother has just named me a wench," she offered with playful innocence, gesturing for wine to be poured into each cup, trusting in the loyalty of their servants that this conversation would go no further.

"She has you over a barrel, oh brother, my captain," Felipe hastened to agree with his sister-in-law, cheerfully making Stephan the center of their attention.

"My dear brother, if you ever find me in your bed, rest assured that your wife will have made sure I will never get out of it," Felipe chuckled warmly, washing down his mouthful with a gulp of his own wine. "I meant only that you seem to have developed that curious manner of speaking without words, oft witnessed between our parents."

"It is the language spoken between two loving hearts, Felipe," Stephan explained, his gaze moving back to that of his wife, the love he felt for her shining brightly in his blue-green eyes. "Some see marriage as a trap and a prison, but trust me, brother, when I say that in the hands of the right woman, marriage is nothing short of heaven."

Soft and warm in her silent adoration of her husband, Marianne raised Stephan's hand to her lips, kissing his hand tenderly as she held his gaze with her own smiling eyes.

Felipe, safe in the knowledge that neither one of them would notice, rolled his eyes. "The trick there, Stephan, would be in finding the right woman."

"How does the saying go' Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I was as surprised by it as anyone. I was only hoping for a wife who could be a good friend and companion, and instead, I found so much more than that," Stephan said, his eyes lingering on Marianne, charmed by the tenderness she offered with her own kiss, before turning his gaze to that of his brother. "I pray you are as fortunate, Felipe, but at least, you are more free to make your own match."

"Unless Father decides there is more to be gained in a political arrangement," Felipe shrugged. If he was honest, he would have preferred to have his marriage arranged - it would be a good excuse not to spend time with the woman, if it turned out he couldn't stand her. Being put in charge of his own marital future was not helping his sense of confidence. "That you are happy and well with one another is joy enough. I will defend the Frankish match to the death."

"Let us hope it never comes to that," Stephan said, with a worried frown. He knew as well as anyone what a tenuous position he was in - the heir to the Crown and the enemy of the Coimbrans. There was a target on his back from within and without, though he hoped he had enough friends and allies to defend against his enemies. He could not deny the joy he had found with Marianne, though it saddened him that such a happy union was so rare among royals.

"It won't." Felipe was certain of that, leaning away from his plate to allow a servant to remove it from in front of him.

On Stephan's other side, Marianne nodded fiercely. "It shall not come to that," she insisted. "Only a fool would seek to harm you, dearest, and though they are untamed, the Coimbrans and their secret supporters are not fools."

"Not fools, no, but desperation makes men do foolish things," Stephan replied, though he was not too worried. He was, at least, safe here at Peronell, where he had few enemies, but the robbers and thieves he was determined to eliminate from his lands. "But let us not talk of these things tonight. Felipe is only with us for a few more days, and then he is off to court to beseech our father regarding an important matter."

"Indeed, then, let us return to regaling your wife with stories of your misspent youth," Felipe declared, and proceeded over the course of the meal to share as many of the embarrassing and praiseworthy stories from both his brothers' childhoods, keeping the laughter flowing as the sun went down, until they had all been adjourned in the sitting room for a few hours to enjoy one another's company.

Felipe's stories were countered with some of Stephan's own, so that he shared as many stories of his own brothers' exploits as Felipe shared of his. In the end, it was obvious there was a great love between the brothers, including the elusive Maksim. It wasn't until the fire in the hearth started dwindling that the conversation followed suit. It had been a long, busy day and promised to be an early morning. Stephan had once again had a few too many glasses of wine and was feeling decidedly light-headed, even swaying a little as he moved to his feet to escort his bride to the master bedroom. "I thank you for the memories, dear brother, but I'm afraid it's time to tuck my young wife into bed."

Of the three of them, it was Marianne who was sober, deeply amused by the sway in both brothers as they rose to their feet. As she gestured for one of the servants to escort Felipe to his own chamber, the younger prince bowed to his brother and new sister, only just managing to straighten up without stumbling.

"A fine evening it has been," he grinned to them both. "I shall sing to the stars before I seek my own bed."

Marianne laughed, easing herself beneath Stephan's arm to ease his swaying. "If you wake the town, we will give you to them as a sacrifice," she threatened Felipe fondly. "Come along, gentlemen. It is long past time we should have sought our beds."

"He is not coming with us!" Stephan exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at his brother. As fond of him as he was, he had no intention of sharing his bed or his wife. But it was only the wine dulling his senses and causing him to misunderstand his wife's intent, missing the plural, rather than singular form of the word. "And you ...." he started, still pointing that finger Felipe's way. "You should be careful who you sing to or you may find yourself with half a dozen illegitimate brats laying claim to your birthright!" he warned, only partly in jest. Maksim's dalliances worried him, and he did not want to see his youngest brother make the same mistakes.

Felipe's only answer was to guffaw the way he had done when he was a child, hardly resisting at all when the manservant took him gently by the shoulders to steer him out of the room and toward the stairs that would take him to his own chamber.

Marianne laughed quietly to herself, gently turning to steer Stephan herself. "It is well past time you were in your bed, husband," she reminded him warmly. "Come, it has been a long, good day. Do not sully it with worries that have no foundation."

Stephan frowned a little at Marianne's admonition. Though it was mostly the wine loosening his tongue, the worries he felt for his brothers was genuine and came of the love he felt for them both. "It is Maksim that worries me," he admitted, allowing her to lead him to bed, untrusting of his own legs to get him there safely. "Felipe is a good boy. He will make a fine general one day, but Maksim ..." He trailed off, saying not more but only frowning worriedly.

"There is no harm in Maksim," she told him gently. "He is a rogue and a scoundrel, yes, but no scandal has touched him. He takes mistresses, yes, but no child has come of it. He is your brother, and I would wager he would die a thousand deaths before bringing dishonor to your name through him. No illegitimate child of his could ever challenge the right of your own legitimate offspring, love."

"It is not worry of my own title and birthright, Mari," he tried to explain through a murky wine-clouded brain as she led him toward their chambers. "It is worry for himself. For his well-being, for his future. Felipe thinks he should be chancellor one day, but he cannot even see fit to attend the King's council. He must take his responsibilities more seriously if he intends to be one of my closest advisors."