((Contains material of an adult nature.))
May 2nd, 1614
Twelve days after landing at Alorine, the Duke of Elan and his party arrived in his home city of Elana, above which towered the beautiful Castile Elan. Though the journey overland had been onerous on the new Duchess, Adelina brightened as they entered the city, delighted by the new sights and sounds all around her. Confident enough on horseback by now to have been allowed a mount of her own, albeit on the proviso that she remained close to Leandro all the while, she could retain a little of her dignity as the people of the city turned out to welcome their Duke home again.
The closer the duke's party got to the city of Elana, the brighter he seemed to be, excited even, happy to be home at last and to be able to present his young and lovely duchess to the people he so cared for. Safely surrounded by their entourage, Leandro stayed close to his new bride, smiling and waving to those who had come out to greet them, welcome them home, and catch a glimpse of the new duchess. Even the people seemed happy and excited. Though Leandro had not been duke very long, he was already well liked among the people, who were happy for a change. It was a fresh start, not only for him, but for all of Elan.
It was impossible for Adelina not to smile at the enthusiastic welcome that was given to her husband on his return. He may not have been duke for very long, but she could see that he was loved by his people. Of the welcomes that were called out to him from the lowest to the highest, she could only follow a few, but it was enough to absorb how very high their expectations of his bride were. With butterflies multiplying in her stomach, she bit her lip as she smiled, hoping they would give her a little while to learn their language and ways before they passed judgement on her.
He would have reached for her hand as they passed through the streets, but he knew she was not very confident on horseback, and so, only waved and smiled to the people as he rode beside her. "They are happy to see you, principessa," he told her as they nade their way slowly toward the castle on the outskirts of the city that was the duke's home. People everywhere were shouting their names, a shower of flower petals filling the air like confetti. A lady and her daughter approached Adelina's horse and offered up a handful of roses with a bow and a welcome in their native tongue.
"I am glad it is so, mio duca," she answered him through her smile, making a valiant attempt to keep her nerves at bay for his sake, and the sake of the people who were so happy to see him home. Thankfully, Leandro had actual control of the placid palfrey on which his lady was mounted. The gentle mare came to a stop as the pair approached Adelina, offering up that small handful of roses and their greeting to her smile.
"Ah, thank you," she nodded, remembering to answer in Pasan as she took the flowers into her hands. "One moment?" Pausing, she took a single rose from the bouquet and bent down from the saddle to set it into the little girl's hair. "Now you are a princess."
The little girl beamed a smile up at the lady and thanked her in Pasan, before adding with a giggle, "Eres muy bonita, senora." You are very pretty, lady. Her mother blushed a little at her daughter's boldness and apologized with another bow before stepping back to let them move on, while a cheer went up from the crowd who had witnessed the new duchess' kindness.
"You see?" Leandro said with a smile. "They like you already."
"You are very pretty," Adelina promised the little girl, accepting her mother's apology with a gentle smile and shake of her head as the pair slipped back into the crowd that had formed. Easing herself into a better position on horseback, she breathed in the scent of the roses, blushing a little to hear her own name in the calls that rose up around them. "They are very kind," she smiled to her husband. "I have hope to not be a disappointment, to them or to you."
"I have no doubt they will become as fond of you as I am," he replied with a warm smile. Though he had not used the word "love", it was not far from his tongue or his heart. "It will be good to have a lady in the castle again," he said further, having to raise his voice a little above the shouts so that she could hear him. The Lady Alys had not been there long before his father had died, and there had been no other lady since his mother.
"You won't hide her from us, will you, my lord?" It was an odd thing, to be able to pick out a single voice from the clamor of the crowd, but the moment those words were called out, that clamor grew quieter, as though the crowd were waiting for an answer. A little lost, Adelina turned her eyes curiously to Leandro, hoping his response would make sense of the question she had not quite understood.
Leandro caught wind of that question, a hush falling over the crowd as they awaited his answer. "She is too pretty to hide, don't you think?" he called back brightly. "We will have a festival, a celebration to welcome my lady wife to Elan!" he declared with a wave of his hand, as if his word alone would make it so.
It was certainly an education to witness how the crowd around them erupted happily, both at the promise of a festival and the implication that their Duchess would not be something hidden away in the castle this time. Adelina laughed with them, still a little at sea with the nuances of what had happened, but delighted with the outpouring of what seemed to be genuine affection from the people of the city to their Duke. No wonder there had been such smiles from the rural villages and towns they had passed through; Leandro had clearly made great strides in making sure his people knew him. Still, as welcoming as the crowd made her feel, she was glad when it began to dissipate, as the road wound upward toward the castle set atop the first of the foothills that led to the mountains beyond.
Even from the road, the castle could be seen looming above them - not dark and dreary as she might have imagined, but more like a fairy castle with its towers and spires, the duke's standard fluttering high in the wind where all could see it. Even the road to the castle was filled with greenery, trees and shrubs of all kinds lending it a peaceful air. It was clear from Leandro's face that he took great pride in his home and was very fond of the land and people.
Away from the curious eyes of his people, Adelina relaxed a little, the stiffness in her shoulders easing away. She knew she would be under scrutiny once again when they reached the confines of the castle itself, but for now, she could let her nerves run free for a few minutes. "It very beautiful, caro," she told her husband, trusting her horse just enough to reach over and touch his arm fondly.
"But it is not Cicilia," he pointed out, hoping someday that wouldn't matter. He really did want her to be happy in her new home, like the two duchesses before her had not been. "If there is anything you want, all you need do is ask, Adelina," he assured her, though, of course, there was only so much he could do to comply. "I love this place," he continued, drawing a deep breath of fresh mountain air, so very different from anywhere else.
She smiled at his obvious joy in his home. "I will learn to love it," she assured him. Though she did not know of the unhappiness of the two previous duchesses, his deep concern that she should be happy here was enough to warn her that he was fearful that she would not be happy there. "There is much to love."
May 2nd, 1614
Twelve days after landing at Alorine, the Duke of Elan and his party arrived in his home city of Elana, above which towered the beautiful Castile Elan. Though the journey overland had been onerous on the new Duchess, Adelina brightened as they entered the city, delighted by the new sights and sounds all around her. Confident enough on horseback by now to have been allowed a mount of her own, albeit on the proviso that she remained close to Leandro all the while, she could retain a little of her dignity as the people of the city turned out to welcome their Duke home again.
The closer the duke's party got to the city of Elana, the brighter he seemed to be, excited even, happy to be home at last and to be able to present his young and lovely duchess to the people he so cared for. Safely surrounded by their entourage, Leandro stayed close to his new bride, smiling and waving to those who had come out to greet them, welcome them home, and catch a glimpse of the new duchess. Even the people seemed happy and excited. Though Leandro had not been duke very long, he was already well liked among the people, who were happy for a change. It was a fresh start, not only for him, but for all of Elan.
It was impossible for Adelina not to smile at the enthusiastic welcome that was given to her husband on his return. He may not have been duke for very long, but she could see that he was loved by his people. Of the welcomes that were called out to him from the lowest to the highest, she could only follow a few, but it was enough to absorb how very high their expectations of his bride were. With butterflies multiplying in her stomach, she bit her lip as she smiled, hoping they would give her a little while to learn their language and ways before they passed judgement on her.
He would have reached for her hand as they passed through the streets, but he knew she was not very confident on horseback, and so, only waved and smiled to the people as he rode beside her. "They are happy to see you, principessa," he told her as they nade their way slowly toward the castle on the outskirts of the city that was the duke's home. People everywhere were shouting their names, a shower of flower petals filling the air like confetti. A lady and her daughter approached Adelina's horse and offered up a handful of roses with a bow and a welcome in their native tongue.
"I am glad it is so, mio duca," she answered him through her smile, making a valiant attempt to keep her nerves at bay for his sake, and the sake of the people who were so happy to see him home. Thankfully, Leandro had actual control of the placid palfrey on which his lady was mounted. The gentle mare came to a stop as the pair approached Adelina, offering up that small handful of roses and their greeting to her smile.
"Ah, thank you," she nodded, remembering to answer in Pasan as she took the flowers into her hands. "One moment?" Pausing, she took a single rose from the bouquet and bent down from the saddle to set it into the little girl's hair. "Now you are a princess."
The little girl beamed a smile up at the lady and thanked her in Pasan, before adding with a giggle, "Eres muy bonita, senora." You are very pretty, lady. Her mother blushed a little at her daughter's boldness and apologized with another bow before stepping back to let them move on, while a cheer went up from the crowd who had witnessed the new duchess' kindness.
"You see?" Leandro said with a smile. "They like you already."
"You are very pretty," Adelina promised the little girl, accepting her mother's apology with a gentle smile and shake of her head as the pair slipped back into the crowd that had formed. Easing herself into a better position on horseback, she breathed in the scent of the roses, blushing a little to hear her own name in the calls that rose up around them. "They are very kind," she smiled to her husband. "I have hope to not be a disappointment, to them or to you."
"I have no doubt they will become as fond of you as I am," he replied with a warm smile. Though he had not used the word "love", it was not far from his tongue or his heart. "It will be good to have a lady in the castle again," he said further, having to raise his voice a little above the shouts so that she could hear him. The Lady Alys had not been there long before his father had died, and there had been no other lady since his mother.
"You won't hide her from us, will you, my lord?" It was an odd thing, to be able to pick out a single voice from the clamor of the crowd, but the moment those words were called out, that clamor grew quieter, as though the crowd were waiting for an answer. A little lost, Adelina turned her eyes curiously to Leandro, hoping his response would make sense of the question she had not quite understood.
Leandro caught wind of that question, a hush falling over the crowd as they awaited his answer. "She is too pretty to hide, don't you think?" he called back brightly. "We will have a festival, a celebration to welcome my lady wife to Elan!" he declared with a wave of his hand, as if his word alone would make it so.
It was certainly an education to witness how the crowd around them erupted happily, both at the promise of a festival and the implication that their Duchess would not be something hidden away in the castle this time. Adelina laughed with them, still a little at sea with the nuances of what had happened, but delighted with the outpouring of what seemed to be genuine affection from the people of the city to their Duke. No wonder there had been such smiles from the rural villages and towns they had passed through; Leandro had clearly made great strides in making sure his people knew him. Still, as welcoming as the crowd made her feel, she was glad when it began to dissipate, as the road wound upward toward the castle set atop the first of the foothills that led to the mountains beyond.
Even from the road, the castle could be seen looming above them - not dark and dreary as she might have imagined, but more like a fairy castle with its towers and spires, the duke's standard fluttering high in the wind where all could see it. Even the road to the castle was filled with greenery, trees and shrubs of all kinds lending it a peaceful air. It was clear from Leandro's face that he took great pride in his home and was very fond of the land and people.
Away from the curious eyes of his people, Adelina relaxed a little, the stiffness in her shoulders easing away. She knew she would be under scrutiny once again when they reached the confines of the castle itself, but for now, she could let her nerves run free for a few minutes. "It very beautiful, caro," she told her husband, trusting her horse just enough to reach over and touch his arm fondly.
"But it is not Cicilia," he pointed out, hoping someday that wouldn't matter. He really did want her to be happy in her new home, like the two duchesses before her had not been. "If there is anything you want, all you need do is ask, Adelina," he assured her, though, of course, there was only so much he could do to comply. "I love this place," he continued, drawing a deep breath of fresh mountain air, so very different from anywhere else.
She smiled at his obvious joy in his home. "I will learn to love it," she assured him. Though she did not know of the unhappiness of the two previous duchesses, his deep concern that she should be happy here was enough to warn her that he was fearful that she would not be happy there. "There is much to love."