Topic: Home

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:52 EST
((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."

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:53 EST
He was not so naive as to think it would be easy. He knew she would be homesick for a while, perhaps even lonely, but he was determined to make her feel welcome and happy here any way he could. Despite his worries, he smiled over at her, hoping one day she might come to love him and this place as much as he was starting to love her. "We will make it a home," he said. With her there, it would be so much more than just a fortification and a castle.

"We will," Adelina promised him, glancing up as they crossed the lowered drawbridge over an uncomfortably deep chasm to enter the castle itself. She could already feel eyes on her again, aware that the household would be eager to get their first glimpse of their new duchess. What she hadn't expected was to find the entire household staff turned out in the courtyard to greet their master on his return home. It was rather an intimidating sight.

There were welcoming smiles on nearly all of their faces, not only for the duke, but for his young bride. Oh, there would be those who were jealous, who might try to cause trouble, but here in his home, they were all as hopeful as he was to make a fresh start, not only for himself but for all of Elan. He pulled his horse to a halt, climbing down to let one of the grooms take him before reaching up to help Adelina from her mare. "Come, principessa. They are all anxious to meet you."

It was a strange feeling, to be under such scrutiny in near complete silence this time, the discipline of the household staff unnerving in its absolute quiet. Adelina swallowed as Leandro lifted her down from her palfrey, sharing the worry in her eyes briefly before presenting the gentle smile that seemed to be her "public" face. "Then present me, caro," she suggested quietly.

He noticed the look of worry in her eyes, but he wasn't too concerned. He had left explicit orders before he'd gone to fetch her that the castle be made warm and welcoming for the new duchess, even before he'd met her. Perhaps later he'd tell her that she worried too much, but for now, he was too excited for everyone to meet her. Once she had her feet back on the ground, he offered her his arm and turned to lead her toward the household staff anxiously awaiting them.

Ignoring the surprise on the faces of the staff when she took his arm intimately in the way she had always been taught, Adelina summoned her courage to face these people who would ultimately be the ones who would make or break any reputation she might develop. It was their opinions shared with the people in the city below that would establish how she was thought of. The steward, a man of middling years with one foot missing at the ankle, stepped forward on his crutch, bowing to his Duke.

"My lord, welcome home," he greeted Leandro with the familiarity of a servant who has known his master for many years. "And you have brought us a Duchess. My lady, you are very welcome."

"Thank you, Carlos. It is good to be home," Leandro greeted the steward with a warm smile, obviously fond of the man. He had known him all his life, after all, and in some ways, he'd been more of a father than that of his own flesh and blood. He turned his gaze to the group in its entirety to whom he wished to introduce his young bride. "I would like to introduce you all to my new bride and duchess, Princess Adelina of Cicilia. I trust you will all make her feel welcome at home here in Elan."

There was a respectful murmur of sound as the men and women gathered about them bowed and curtsied to their Duke and his bride. Adelina nodded to them with a smile, trying to make eye contact with as many of them as possible before her attention was drawn back to Carlos, the steward.

"My lady, this is Mamita, my wife," he introduced her to the woman standing beside him. "She is the housekeeper here at the castle." And to Adelina's ever-lasting relief, Mamita greeted her in Cicilian - badly accented, but definitely Cicilian.

Leandro smiled at the greeting his steward and housekeeper were exchanging with Adelina. If they could win her over and make her feel welcome, the rest of the household would follow suit. "Carlos and Mamita have been with us as long as I can remember," Leandro explained, which likely meant he had known them all of his life.

Absorbing this, Adelina's smile grew a little more relaxed, though she jumped as Carlos abruptly turned and clapped his hands, dismissing the household to their duties.

Mamita gently touched her new duchess' chin, examining the young woman's face, and threw Leandro a look that suggested she disapproved but loved him anyway. "You have been traveling hard, and she is delicate," she informed her Duke, secure in her admonishment given that she had paddled his backside a few times in his youth. "Come, my lady, come inside and rest."

Leandro chuckled at the admonishment. Even now that he was duke, these two treated him no differently than they might their own son. "Perhaps you would like to suggest an easier way to travel, yes?" he asked the woman, with a hint of mischief in his brown eyes.

"I would have hired an open carriage," Mamita informed him with a faint smirk, gently taking Adelina by the hand to lead her into the castle proper. Leandro was treated to the sight of his new wife looking back over her shoulder at him with wide eyes, looking very much as though she believed she was being led to the execution block.

Beside him, Carlos chuckled. "Would you like to look over the estate books, my lord?" he asked. "It will be some time before Mamita allows you to see the Duchess again."

"I did hire a carriage!" Leandro called back with an amused smirk. Perhaps Adelina would tell her what had happened when she'd ridden in that carriage. He waved Adelina on with a nod of his head and an encouraging smile, knowing Mamita well enough to know that the duchess would be in good hands. "Why do you think it is that women must always be right?" he asked, turning back to Carlos.

"Because life is easier when we let them believe it is so," was Carlos' smiling response to that, words of wisdom from a man who had been married to a very strong-willed woman for almost twenty years now. He moved easily, despite his crutch, walking with his duke into the castle himself. "How is married life treating you thus far?"

Leandro chuckled at the other man's response, accompanying him into the castle after the women. He had known the man so long he hardly noticed his disability, the crutch no more noticed than an arm or a leg. He had been that way as long as Leandro could remember; it was just the way things were. "Would you believe me if I said I am happy?" Leandro countered with a smile that proved his words. "She is a wonder to me, Carlos."

In the great entrance hall of the castle, Mamita all but dragged Adelina up the stairs toward the family wing, with Valeria and a pair of young maids following after them in varying states of amusement at the housekeeper's ways. Carlos chuckled, pausing to see whether or not Leandro would choose to follow them, or make his way to the study to wile away an hour or so. "It is good to know that she is all you had hoped for," the older man nodded. "Young, yes, and perhaps a little afraid. She will learn."

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:53 EST
Leandro chose to leave the women alone for a while in hopes Mamita and Valeria would help get Adelina settled and put her mind at ease. He paused a moment to watch them head up the stairs before turning to make his way with Carlos to the study. "She does not speak our language. That is her greatest challenge," he told the other man. Just as he did not speak hers.

The steward nodded, understanding how that would be a problem for a while, at least. "She will learn," he said again, assuring his Duke confidently. "There are fine tutors in the city, if there is a need for them, and she seems eager to please you. We heard the cheering from here." He chuckled. "Mamita was all for sending a rescue party to the gates, in case the crowd grew too much."

"The people seem happy to have a new duchess," Leandro replied as they walked along beside each other. He was too modest to admit it, but they were probably equally happy to have a new duke, as well. "It is time for a change, Carlos. I care about the people, and I want to be a good steward to Elan."

"The people are happy in their duke," Carlos told him firmly. "Already you have made an impression on them far superior to that left by your late father. A fine impression. And now you have brought them a beautiful duchess, whom you will not imprison here for your own pleasures. You will be a fine caretaker of Elan, my lord. A little confidence in yourself would not go amiss."

"It is what I was born for, is it not?" Leandro asked with a smile, though it was a rhetorical question. Just because he'd been born the duke's son and heir did not automatically mean he would be a good ruler. It was mostly because of Carlos that he had become the man he was. "To imprison such a thing of beauty would not only be cruel, but it would be a disservice to the people. We will be a duke and duchess of the people, Carlos."

"I know this," the older man nodded, accepting it as truth without needing to be told further. "You are a good man, before everything." He nodded to the footman ahead of them, who opened the door to allow admittance into the study - the working heart of the castle and the estate, not to mention the duchy itself. "I took the liberty of having the land by the lake cleared and preparations begun for construction. All that is required is your decision on what, exactly, we will be building there."

Leandro arched a brow before chuckling a little to himself. "You know me so well, Carlos." Of course, they had discussed this a little before he'd left for Cicilia, but nothing had been decided definitely. "Do you have any plans for me to go over?" he asked, himself debating what kind of structure he wanted built there. "Perhaps something that would remind her of home."

"Of course." Carlos nodded, moving to draw three rolled parchments from within the cabinet to spread them onto the desk. "There is always the possibility of retaining a Cicilian architect, if you truly wish it to reflect her homeland. Here ....dependent on your wishes, there are designs for a small manorhouse, a summer retreat, or a castle in itself. I would suggest the castle - there are ruins remaining on the lake itself of the former castle, which could be more easily put to good repair. But it is your decision, my lord."

"You can dispense with the my lord," Leandro told him. Now that they were alone in the study, there was little need for his former mentor to continue to address him so formally. Leandro leaned over to examine each of the parchments in turn. Each of them had something unique to offer, though he trusted Carlos' judgment in the matter. "You know best, Carlos. So long as it is comfortable. I want her to be happy here."

The older man chuckled at Leandro's informality. "Whatever you decide, it will take some months to construct and outfit for your comfort," he explained. "If you wish to keep this construction a surprise for her, there is also the hunting lodge on the far side of the lake that could be made use of in the meantime. When you told us that the duchess would be one of the princesses from Cicile, Mamita did a little research. Is it true that there is no need for horses or carriages within that city?"

A manorhouse was tempting, but a small castle would be easier to defend if the need arose. "I will think on it," Leandro replied in regard to the building of a retreat by the lake. He moved over to a cabinet and took out two glasses and a decanter of some amber-colored liquid. "It is true. The city relies entirely upon canals. Travel is mostly by boat or on foot. It is quite efficient, really, but I prefer the mountains."

"You were always more at home on a trail than in a castle," Carlos nodded, leaning himself comfortably against the desk as he always did. He never sat in the presence of his duke, no matter how often Leandro told him to. "How was the journey?" he asked then, knowing the younger man had a few issues when it came to sea travel.

He filled the two glasses and handed one to the other man. "Terrible. I really am not made for sea travel, my friend," he told the other man with a chuckle. He may not have openly admitted that to just anyone, but Carlos had known him all his life, and there were very few secrets between them. He lifted the glass amicably to his friend. "To a new bride, a new duchess, a new age."

"To Elan, and the true prospect of a fine future," Carlos answered, raising his own glass before taking a sip. Mamita was going to scold him for drinking while on duty again, but she enjoyed it, so he wasn't too concerned. "Now," he said, lowering the glass to eye Leandro thoughtfully, "what is it that is concerning you?"

Leandro sipped at the contents of his glass, too precious and potent to drain too quickly. "Concerning me?" he echoed, knowing he would not be able to fool the older man forever. He dropped into a chair, gesturing for his companion to join him, if he so wished. "What concerns me is how certain people will react to my marriage," he replied, and that was just for starters.

"Mmm ..." Carlos considered that for a long moment. There had been concern at one point that a perfectly suitable and utterly unpleasant lady might have become their duchess, but thankfully Leandro had proven he had more than sense enough not to make that mistake in time. "Cruelty is certainly a concern there, though I would be surprised if she chose to attack openly. Be wary if she attempts to strike a friendship with your lady. Our duchess is vulnerable while she is so alone."

"Agreed," Leandro mused, sipping at his drink again. "What she needs is some friends. Her lady, Valeria, will watch out for her, as I'm sure will Mamita, but she needs friends her own age. I will do what I can, but I have my own duties to tend to. I cannot always be here to protect her."

"When word spreads of your return, there will be visitors," Carlos predicted, "and invitations to the noble houses within the boundaries of Elan. I would suggest allowing those who make the journey to visit to engage with her, and choosing to honor only invitations from those whom you trust. If the lady can gather friends before the King summons you to present her, the court will not be able to harm either one of you as they would were she without allies of her own."

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:54 EST
"Yes, of course," he agreed whole-heartedly. "We must ensure she does not become lonely. She knows a little Pasan, but not nearly enough. Her lady translates for her, but the first thing we must do is teach her the language. She is a lovely woman, Carlos. As gentle as a lamb. I have not known her long, but ..." He trailed off, the rest remaining unsaid, though it wasn't hard to sort out what he'd been about to say.

"I would not expect a princess to be as rough as a shepherdess," his steward chuckled quietly, but he understood as much what was not being said as what was. "There is great excitement, and a true wish to welcome her. Even if she never speaks, even if all she does is smile, I do not think the people will take against her. Mamita will keep her from making too many mistakes in the running of the castle. If we are very unlucky, they may even become firm friends. Then you and I will have no sacred secrets at all."

"She seemed worried there might be no one to teach her how to run the castle. I assured her she would not be alone in such things, but I'm afraid I did not explain, other than to tell her that my mother died when I was young." He ran a finger along the rim of his glass, mulling thoughtfully. "I only wish her to be happy here."

Carlos watched him thoughtfully. He had lived through two duchesses already - one, the woman who had saved his life as a youth when her husband had injured him so badly his foot had been cut off to prevent his death at her command; the other, a young woman who had been bought by that same man to fill his bed and little else. Neither one had been truly happy here in this castle, but then, neither one had been treasured by their husband. "I see no reason why she should not be," he told Leandro gently. "You are not your father."

"No, I am not," Leandro agreed. And hopefully, he never would be. "You have been a good friend to me, Carlos. I would be very glad if Adelina found a good friend in Mamita. She is far from home with no family or friends, save Valeria. We must do all we can to make her feel at home here." He turned quiet a moment as something else tugged at his thoughts. "Do you think it is too soon to speak of love?" he asked, uncertainly. Though he'd had several lovers, he had never really been in love and wasn't even sure if this was what he was truly feeling.

Carlos did him the courtesy of thinking over the question before answering it. "No one can say but you, if you love her," he said finally. "I would be cautious of using the word until you can converse with her yourself, without the need for a translator. To love the appearance, the manner, is a very different feeling to loving the woman encased therein."

"I know how to say the words in her language," Leandro assured his friend. Language wasn't the problem, though he wasn't sure what exactly was. He knew he cared for Adelina, but he had never been in love before and wasn't quite sure what it was supposed to feel like. Besides, what if she didn't feel the same"

"That isn't quite what I mean," Carlos smiled, shifting until he was looking down at his duke comfortably. "When Mamita and I started courting, it took months before I asked her father for permission ask her to marry me. And those months were spent talking, stealing kisses. I learned about her, and I taught her about me. I knew I loved her long before I said it, and that love went through stages I can barely describe - the love of her looks, her manner, the way she reacted to me; and the deeper love that grew as I learned about her, what in her past made her who she was, what hopes she held for the future, what she loved and what she hated, things you can only learn with words."

"And you think I should wait until we can converse properly before telling her of my feelings," Leandro filled in the blanks, though there was more to it than that. The other man seemed to be advising him to get to know her first, to make sure he loved everything about her before he spoke his heart. "I did not have the luxury of waiting months to learn about her, Carlos," he reminded the other man soberly, as he reached for the decanter to refill his glass.

"No, you did not, but the ambassadors did their job well," the steward pointed out calmly. "Your position dictates restrictions on you as well as freedoms. You have a beautiful wife who looks to you without fear for your reassurance and approval, that much is clear already. It will not take long for her to learn Pasan, especially as you say she already knows the basic structure of our language. And I doubt you will avoid her bed; intimacy is your greatest ally. The more intimate you feel with her, the more you will both share with one another as the words come."

"If I were to avoid her bed, she would think I was displeased with her," Leandro pointed out, wordlessly confirming the fact that they had already become bedmates. "What if she does not share my feelings" I do not want her to be unhappy here the way my mother and Alys were unhappy." Though that unhappiness had more to do with his father than with Pasan or its people.

"Leandro." It was rare that Carlos chose to use that tone with his liege lord - wearily resigned, but stern. "I will say it once more. You are not your father. She is not your mother, nor is she Lady Alys. The women of Cicilia are different to those who live in the lower countries. They are stronger than they look, and as a princess, she will have lived her life knowing that her husband was unlikely to be of her homeland. Your lady is well-trained, well-taught, and clearly braver than either of you realize. I was alive when your mother came to Elan, and I witnessed the marriage between your father and Alys. Your Adelina bears none of the sorrow or the fear that those noble ladies held when they came here. It is a good beginning, and I have never seen a good beginning turn sour when there are such good intentions shared."

He couldn't speak for his mother, but Leandro couldn't really blame Lady Alys, married to a man old enough to be her father or grandfather even - a man who clearly cared little for her welfare. If he had cared just a little even, she might have at least resigned herself to it. "Yes, I know you're right, but I just can't help but worry." He took another sip of the amber liquid in his glass.

"Take care you do not let your worries exceed your care," was the only advice Carlos could offer him. He couldn't help offering a faint smirk. "Because I know my wife, and if you and your wife become estranged, Mamita may well exhume the willow cane and test it on you again." He chuckled at the mental image of his wife thrashing the full grown Duke of Elan, draining what was left in his own glass.

Leandro laughed at that mental image. "I am a bit too old for switching, don't you think?" he asked the other man, clearly amused. "I do not think you need fear us becoming estranged, Carlos," he continued. Just the opposite, he thought. If the passion they shared in bed and the tenderness they shared when they were alone was any indication, if anything, they would likely become closer, not the opposite.

"Then I do not think you need fear her unhappiness," the older man chuckled gently. He was never going to understand how his duke was able to cut through the butterflies of the court with conquests here, there, and everywhere without a second thought, and yet seemed to quail at the thought of even a little distance between himself and his new wife. "Nor your own. You will make this place a happy one again, between you."

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:55 EST
"I hope so, my friend. I really do," Leandro replied, draining his glass at last, before setting it aside. "Now, I believe you mentioned something about going over the estate books and what has been done while I was away." He leaned forward, all personal business aside to focus on the business of the castle and the duchy, while they awaited the return of the women.

Between them, Carlos and Mamita knew their work very well indeed. There was no interruption to the business of the estate until the most pressing had been dealt with, over an hour later. Mamita knocked on the door and let herself in without being invited, grinning cheerfully as she presented her new duchess to Leandro. Adelina had been bathed and calmed, and dressed in the style of Pasai - still modest enough to ease her comfort, but far less formal than the style to which she was accustomed. Her green eyes lit up as she entered the study, lips parting in a laugh at the sight of Mamita taking her own husband by the arm and all but dragging him out of the study, whether he wished to go or not.

Thankfully, Leandro had not drunk enough to feel anything but relaxed and now that the business of the duchy was taken care of, it was time for a little pleasure. Leandro arched a brow at the sight of Adelina with her hair left loose to drape about her shoulders and the much less formal gown in a shade of blue that both contrasted with and complimented the green of her eyes. He rose to his feet to greet her, offering her both his hands, a soft smile on his face, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her. "Adelina, you look lovely. Are you tired, hungry' Is there anything I can get you?"

Left alone with her husband, Adelina moved to him easily, her hands folding into his as she smiled in greeting. "I have all I need," she promised him, rising up onto her toes to kiss his cheek affectionately. "It is all ....bello, beautiful. Valeria is sleeping."

He smiled affectionately back at her as he took her hands in his and drew her to him. "Then we are alone." As evidenced by Carlos and Mamita's hurried exit. "Would you like for me to show you around?" he asked, unsure if she'd understand what he was asking exactly. "Um ....Vedere il castello?"

"I ..." She hesitated, making sense of what was asked as a fresh smile touched her lips. "You not need to rest?" she asked him curiously, loosing one of her hands from his to gently touch his cheek. Despite the calming reassurance of quite how motherly Mamita was, she felt more at ease now she was in his presence once again. "Your Mamita, she say you work, that you work too much."

"Rest?" he asked, touched at her concern for him and a little surprised that Mamita had spoken of him to her. What else had they talked about, he wondered, and had Valeria been there all the while helping to translate" "Are you tired?" he countered, wondering if she wanted to rest along with him or if she was only asking out of concern for him. He had yet to bathe and eat, but he thought the finances could wait a bit longer.

Adelina smiled gently, letting her hand fall to rest against his chest, wondering why he kept turning the question back onto her. "I-I would not rest without you, caro," she admitted with a slightly shy cast to her expression. "I not sleep without you." One of these days, she was going to produce a full sentence that wasn't broken, but for now, these shorter expressions of what she was feeling and thinking would have to do. "You need bathe, food."

There it was again - the little hints that told him she just might have the same feelings for him that he had for her. What was it Carlos had said" To talk to her, get to know her before overwhelming her with talk of love; to learn to love her for herself, not just for her beauty and kindness. He frowned at little at the confession, unsure of her meaning. Did she mean that she did not wish to sleep without him or that she couldn't sleep without him' "Have you eaten yet?" he asked, turning the question back onto her once again. "If you are hungry, I could have some food brought to our room." Our, not his or hers. It seemed he clearly intended to share quarters with her.

"I could eat," she agreed with a nod, glancing down at herself. The Pasan style of dress was very different to the Cicilian, but not even Adelina could deny that it suited her better. She blinked, looking up at him once again with curious intrigue. "Our room?" She had thought that custom dictated they should sleep apart, and was not looking forward to it.

He followed her gaze to her dress, wondering if she would prefer something more to her own liking, but before he could ask, she was looking up at him with curiosity in her eyes, which he mistook for apprehension. "Would you prefer a room of your own?" he asked, uncertainly, trying to hide his disappointment. It wasn't unusual for those of their noble rank and title to have their own rooms, rather than a share suite. He'd been hoping she'd like to share his quarters, but if that was not the case, he was not about to force her.

There was no mistaking the disappointment in his young wife's eyes as he asked her that - disappointment and hurt of a kind, a belief that he did not mean to call his rooms theirs, after all. "I ....I do not know," she answered him uncertainly. "If you wish me, I will sleep alone. I-I do not wish to be alone, but ....you are lord."

Was this what Carlos was warning him about' It was easy to misunderstand each other when they didn't know each other well and when neither spoke the other's language very fluently. "I do not wish you to sleep alone," he assured her, lifting a hand to touch her cheek. "I would prefer you sleep with me."

The hurt disappointment fled from her eyes as he made it plain, the tilt of her cheek leaning into his hand affectionately as she smiled. "I prefer with you," she nodded in agreement, her hand tightening in his. "But you must eat, and bathe. Long journey, long day ....I look after, si?"

"Look after me?" he asked, though he thought that had to be what she'd meant. He wasn't used to having a woman who wanted to look after him this way, except for Mamita. It was usually servants who looked after his needs. It both pleased and surprised him to know his new bride wanted to look after him herself. He smiled at the thought of it and stepped back to offer her a polite bow. "I put myself in your hands, querida."

Giggling, she curtsied to him easily, seizing his hand to draw him out of the study and into the wide entrance hall of the castle. And just as quickly, she paused, looking up at him with a shy blush. "I do not know the way," she confessed awkwardly, biting her lip as she shrugged. "You must lead."

"I will show you the way," he agreed, tucking her arm into his and leading her through the entrance hall to a staircase that wound its way upwards. "It would probably be good for you to have your own quarters, if only for entertaining guests," he explained further, though that didn't mean she couldn't spend her nights with him. "You will need a space of your own that is separate from mine."

She listened quietly, absorbing what she understood and trying to memorize what she did not in order to have Valeria translate it for her later. "Separate?" she queried that one word, however, making a guess at its meaning. "Apart, yes" Away from you?" Without conscious instruction, her hands tightened on his arm as they walked, betraying a need to be near him, at least while she was finding her feet. He was, in reality, the only anchor she had in Elan for now.

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:55 EST
He frowned, realizing she might not have understood his intent. "Si, you will need your own quarters for entertaining your ladies. That is all, querida." He smiled and patted her hand as he led her slowly up the stairs. "I am often busy during the day with the business of the duchy. I do not wish you to become lonely without me. You must make some friends of your own. Mamita can help you with that," he explained further. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with her, but only that there would be times when ducal matters would take him away from her.

She relaxed a little as he reassured her, the softness of her smile reappearing as they mounted the stairs. It would take time for her to know her way around the castle, certainly, and though Mamita might not approve, she already had plans to make sure that every servant within the castle was known to her, name and face and role. She might not be the best Duchess of Elan for a while, but she was determined to be the most known among the people she was directly responsible for. "You work, I work," she assured him in her own turn, understanding that there would always be duties to be attended to. "I learn."

"I know you will, Adelina," he assured her again, turning to lead her down the hall to the ducal quarters once they had reached the top of the stairs. He frowned a little thoughtfully. There was so much he wanted to tell her, so much he wanted her to know and understand. Though he hadn't known her very long, he believed in her. The truth was he believed in her more than anyone he had ever met.

Given the way her head turned in the other direction as he steered them along the hall, it was clear that Mamita had tended to her in the rooms that had belonged to Lady Alys while she was Duchess here. Perhaps Adelina would take up residence in the original Duchess' suite, adjacent to Leandro's own rooms. She was frustrated by her own lack of understanding when it came to speech between them, doubling her determination to learn Pasan as quickly as she could. "I look after you," she reiterated, though, nodding firmly. "My place to do so."

If he'd know what she was thinking, he'd have encouraged her to take up his mother's old rooms adjacent to his, but there would be time for that later. For now, he only wanted her to be comfortable and since she had made her wishes to be near him clear, he would try to accommodate those wishes as best he could. There was plenty of time for everything else. "I would like to look after you, too," he told her, as he came to a halt outside the door that led to his apartments. "You may find my rooms a bit dreary, I'm afraid," he warned her with a worried frown before pushing open the door to lead her inside.

"Dreary?" The word sounded almost comical to her, allowing her laughter to precede her into the rooms he directed her into. She saw nothing to suggest that there was anything dull about them, but then, she had never been in rooms designed purely for a male presence before now. Turning, she looked back to him with a soft smile. "Yours."

"Yes," he confirmed, following her inside and pushing the door closed behind him. Nothing much had changed about the ducal suite since his father had died, but the linens. The fact was he hadn't had time to make any changes with all the other duties that kept him busy about the castle and duchy. The room wasn't dreary exactly, but it was darkly appointed with an air of closeness that didn't quite fit the new duke's personality. Leandro frowned as he took a look around. He hadn't spent much time in these rooms and was only just realizing how much they needed a change. "These were my father's rooms," he admitted, as he looked around.

That, she understood, and his tone gave away a reluctance to engage with even the memory of his father. "Large rooms," she commented, looking over at the window, which was disappointingly half covered with heavy shutters. She frowned, hands laying on her hips as though she were seriously considering ripping those shutters off entirely. "I change, if you allow me," she suggested. The closeness was a lack of light, in her opinion, and easily remedied, one way or the other.

"I think that would be good," he replied with a sigh, moving into the next room where a bath had been prepared and a meal had been left for them. The covers had been turned down on the bed and a fire was going in the hearth. The suite of rooms was certainly comfortable, but lacked warmth and character. Maybe dreary wasn't quite the right word, but there was certainly nothing cheerful about the place. "Perhaps we should stay in your suite tonight," he suggested, glaring back at the portrait of his father that held a prominent place in the bedroom. Why his father had wanted it hung there, Leandro had no idea. There was nothing in the room that suggested the man had held even a morsel of affection for his son.

She followed him into the next room, following his gaze to the portrait that hung on the wall. Her reaction was not at all considered. "Il malocchio!" the young duchess gasped, stepping backward as her fingers wound into the superstitious warding against all things not good. It didn't occur to her until her back hit Leandro's chest that she might have just insulted his father.

He wasn't quite sure what she'd said, but the gestures she was making at his father's portrait and the look on her face were enough to tell him it wasn't good. He frowned up at the portrait, as she bumped into him, considering a moment. There were enough linens that he could easily drape something over the portrait to cover it for now, if he could manage to reach it. "I have not had a chance to have these rooms refurnished."

Shocked that such a cruel face was hanging in his bedroom of all places, Adelina turned her wide eyes to her husband, gesturing toward the portrait. "Tuo padre, your father?" she asked, horrified. "I ....forgive, I did not know."

Despite the mix-up in her words, he seemed to understand she was trying to apologize, though there was nothing to apologize for. "No need," he told her, moving over to take up one of the many blankets that covered the bed. "I will have it moved in the morning," he promised, pushing a chair in front of the portrait so that he could cover his father's glaring face. It wasn't that he wanted to forget the man who had been responsible for his birth, but only that he didn't want his face staring down at them all night. "I should have told them to take care of it before I left."

Concerned by the way he dismissed her apology and moved to cover his own father's portrait, Adelina frowned as she watched him, wondering just how awful the old Duke had been to have earned himself such dislike from his son. Her own father had always been distant, but had never been anything but kind to her when they were in the same room together. "We make different," she said suddenly. "Our bambino, they loved."

Her pronouns were a bit off, but he understood what she meant. The thought of them having children of their own warmed his heart, even as it scared him. They would be expected to produce an heir, just as his parents had produced him, but he wanted to raise a child with love and affection, not cold indifference. "Si, we will," he agreed as he climbed up onto the chair. Even at this height, he had to reach high over his head in order to accomplish the task of covering that portrait.

Watching him, Adelina frowned once again, her hands at her hips once again. It seemed an awful lot of effort to simply make a room habitable, and even once the old Duke was covered, they would both know he was still there. Abruptly, she came to a decision. "Caro, stop," she told him, pointing to the floor. "Down. Come." Turning, she gathered up two of the plates left for them, and moved toward the door. "We not sleep here. Il malocchio sleep alone."

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:56 EST
Even as tall as he was, he could not quite reach high enough to cover that damnable painting. Sighing in annoyance, though not at her, he climbed back down at her insistence. He wasn't sure what it was she was saying when she referred to his father, but he was sure it wasn't anything pleasant. "No, you're right," he admitted, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep, much less make love to her, knowing his father was staring at them, covered or not.

"Wine, bring," she told him, nodding to the decanter on the table as she passed it by. His bath would have to be drawn again in other rooms, but that wouldn't be such a hardship. The servants were certainly going to have something to chat about, given that the passage of the new Duchess and her husband from his rooms to Lady Alys' old rooms was witnessed by several of them. Adelina could feel the old ghosts haunting this castle, and she wasn't sure she liked them. Sunlight and laughter was what this place needed, and she'd provide them, even if she had to hire jongleurs and jesters to fill every room to do it.

It was just as likely that the servants would notice the Duke following in his lady's footsteps like a puppy to its master. He did as she suggested, snagging the bottle of wine and two glasses, relieved to be away from the dark confines of the old Duke's quarters, making a mental note to have Mamita help Adelina start redecorating as soon as was possible. In the meantime, Lady Alys' rooms should serve them well for now. He hadn't realized until how the ghosts of his mother and father still haunted these halls.

The rooms that Adelina had first been taken to seemed strangely lacking in those ghosts, though they had their own, to be sure. Alys of Francia's time in the castle had mostly been spent here, in these rooms, and in accord, they had been brightened by her hand over the few years she was in residence. The style was not quite Frankish or Pasan, but it was infinitely more pleasant than his father's old suite. Valeria looked up from where she had been unpacking the princess' clothing, startled, and abruptly hurried out as Adelina led Leandro inside.

"I did not mean to frighten her away," Leandro admitted as he followed Adelina into the quarters that had once been Alys' suite of rooms. Though he and Alys had become friends, it would have been scandalous for him to visit her here, and so these rooms were as much a surprise to him as they were to Adelina and pleasantly so. These rooms lacked the dark, dreary feel of his father's ducal quarters and were even more pleasant than the rooms that had been his all of his life.

She smiled, shaking her head as she set the plates down on the table. "I not think she frightened," she tried to explain. "Surprise, si" She think we stay away, I think. She ..." She frowned, struggling to find the right words in his language. "She do duty, but duty can wait?"

"Si," he agreed. "Duty can wait." In more ways than one actually. There would be time to sort out the finances and the lake house and the ducal suite tomorrow. Tonight was for them. "These rooms suit you better," he judged, as he took a look around. They were bright and airy and entirely devoid of the shadow of his father that clung to the ducal quarters. He held up the bottle of wine and the glasses questioningly. "Shall I?"

Relieved that she had made sense, Adelina smiled deeply, ducking between his arms to kiss him. Though they had only been separated a little over an hour, she had missed his company. "We eat," she agreed, nodding. "And you bathe. Valeria will have water come."

He smiled as she ducked under and between his arms, unable to embrace her properly with the bottle and glasses in his hands as they were, but certainly not minding the kiss. Though he did not say so in so many words, his kiss told her that he had missed her, too. He laughed a little when she mentioned a bath once again. "Do I smell that bad?" he asked, with a hint of mirth in his eyes.

"You rest, you calm," she pointed out, slipping away to usher him into a chair at the table. The door opened to admit several quiet servants, bearing great steaming kettles to fill the bath that was already by the fire - Valeria had apparently gone straight to Mamita, who wasn't far behind the servants, bearing with her an armful of Leandro's clothes. The housekeeper smiled at the couple, shooing the servants about their work as quickly as possible. Adelina laughed softly, not quite so intimidated by the woman now she had been mothered.

He had but a moment to set the wine and the glasses down on a table before she was tugging him into a chair. He was sorely tempted to pull her down onto his lap, but decided to save her the embarrassment in front of the servants, at least. "I see I am to be spoiled," he teased, with a wink to Mamita. "Well, who am I to argue with that?"

"You don't argue, you do as you are told for once," Mamita informed him, waggling her finger in his direction. She paused, stroking her hair over Adelina's golden hair with a certain amount of proprietary pride. "We have a good little duchess. She'll make you into a good little duke." Nodding to them both, the housekeeper swept out of the rooms, bearing the servants with her, leaving Adelina in giggles once again.

"Si, senora," he replied, obediently enough but still with that amused gleam in his eyes, smiling to see the obvious affection the older one offered the younger, as if sensing how it was needed. He might have pointed out that perhaps Adelina didn't want him to be a "good little duke", if she hadn't hurried way so quickly. "I wonder sometimes just who is the master of the castle - me or her."

His wife laughed once again, sitting up straighter with a teasing gleam in her green eyes, and pointed to herself. "I am master," she informed him with impish good humor, falling into another peal of giggles as she reached to cut the bread for them both.

"Mistress," he corrected. "Amante del castillo," he told her in his native tongue. It was a good thing she spoke a little Pasan, as he knew very little Cicilian. It warmed his heart to hear her laugh and he found himself laughing with her. "You have a pretty smile," he told her, tracing the smile on her lips with his fingers to make himself better understood.

Her smile softened as his fingertips touched her lips, a tenderness in her expression that was not feigned or constructed. Her hand caught his, holding it there as she kissed each fingertip before releasing him. "I smile for you," she told him warmly. "I am happy to be home."

"I am happy, too," he told her quietly, drawing her into his lap now that Mamita was gone. Yes, he had to eat and bathe and sleep, but for the moment, all he wanted was to enjoy a quiet moment with his wife after their long journey.

She yelped, laughing at her own surprise as he drew her onto his knee, her arms rising to curl about his neck as her forehead lowered to his. Perhaps he had not realized what she had said; that this was home, now, because he was there. Her fingers stroked against his cheek as she sighed contentedly, closing her eyes to linger with him in quiet comfort.

He had heard what she'd said, though he might not have quite realized her meaning. To hear her call this place home was encouraging, though that fear of his lingered that she might not be happy here. "I want to build you another home, Adelina. One near the water. Do you think you'd like that?" he asked, trailing fingers through her hair to sweep it away from her pretty face.

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:57 EST
Her eyes opened, curious as to his meaning. "You wish I live away from you?" she asked him worriedly, though this time she did not jump to the conclusion that he did not want her with him. It was difficult to reconcile that assumption with the fact that he had brought her into his lap before ever speaking of it. "I see no water, no ....Not no water, I see ..." She sighed, frustrated with herself. "I see little river, no sea."

"No, of course not, querida," he assured her with a soft smile and a tender caress to her cheek. "I want you always here with me, for as long as you wish to be. Umm ....sempre?" he asked, uncertainly. "There is a lake not far from here. You know lake" Lago" I would like to build a house there for you," he told her, touching his forehead to hers.

For a long moment, Adelina paused, absorbing this touching offer with no small amount of surprise. "You ....you build place for me?" she asked, her voice very small in the quiet around them even as her eyes lit up hopefully. "On lago, on water?" Her smile broke free once again, and abruptly she was embracing him, holding on tightly as her lips peppered his cheek and neck with kisses. "Grazie, grazie, mio caro, oh, thank you!"

"Not on the sea, mind you. A lake, but I'm afraid it's the best I can do." He laughed as she hugged him tightly and smothered him in kisses, glad that she was pleased with his proposal. "I only wish to make you happy, querida. Would that make you happy?" he asked hopefully, though her answer seemed obvious.

She nodded, delighted with even the prospect of being close to water she could indulge in. Of course, he might have a moment of second thoughts the first time he ever saw her indulging, but it would probably be too late by then. "I very happy," she promised him between those exuberant kisses. "You very easy to learn to love."

Love" He arched a brow at that single word, but made no mention of it just yet, too busy indulging in her kisses. Carlos had warned him to go slow, and here she was talking about love. But she hadn't said she'd loved him exactly; only that she might learn to love him. Would she still want to love him when she learned more about him' As for her, he thought he was already well on his way to loving her. "You might have to teach me to swim," he admitted, a bit sheepishly.

This gave her pause, drawing back to blink at him in surprise. "You not know?" she asked, truly intrigued by this. She'd never considered that he might not know how to swim; she had grown up swimming before she could walk. "I teach," she nodded to him firmly. "You naked, I teach." This was offered with a wicked little giggle as she reached to the plate to roll up a slice of ham and offer it to him. "You eat."

"Naked?" he echoed laughing. "Are you sure you are not just looking for an excuse to get my clothes off, moglie"" he teased, using the word he had learned in her language for wife. Of course, that would happen soon enough anyway, considering the bath that was waiting. He opened his mouth to let her feed him, reluctant to unwrap his arms from around her waist, even to eat.

Adelina giggled softly at his laughing comment, understanding enough to know she was being teased with her own oft-displayed eagerness to share her passion with him thus far on their road together. "I wink, you strip," she teased him back, glorying in this unexpected power he had given her over him, though she was unlikely ever to abuse it, too grateful for the common warmth they shared so soon between them. "You not swim easy in this," she pointed out, tugging at the heavy layers he wore. If he was happy to be fed, then feed him she would, neglecting her own appetite to sate his without a second thought.

He was perfectly happy to let her spoil him as much as she liked. It was something he had never enjoyed before, not even from Carlos and Mamita. Though they had cared for him more than his own father, they had never spoiled him or indulged him in the same way that Adelina was, nor had any of his lovers. He chuckled in amusement. "I will likely be stripping soon enough," he admitted with a hint of mischief in his own eyes. "It's a shame you've already bathed," he teased, tracing the line of her neck with his lips, another kind of appetite making itself known.

Passionate she might be, but his wife seemed to have a stubborn streak, too. Despite her own teasing, she leaned back as his lips wandered, one finger on his mouth as she looked at him with a smile. "Uh, uh," she warned him. "You eat first. You wash. Then we play." She kissed the tip of his nose, and inserted an apple into his mouth with a grin.

He grinned around the apple she'd stuck in his mouth, effectively silencing him and distracting him from continuing those kisses. He took a bite of the apple before offering it to her to share, like the first man and his wife in the Forbidden Paradise. "Are you teasing me, Adelina?" he asked, with a fond and playful smile.

Her eyes danced with tender amusement as she took a small bite from the apple as he offered it to her. "Perhaps," she conceded mischievously. "But I like seeing you smile. You happy, I happy. And you happy now, so I happy now. And you naked soon." She snickered wickedly once again, taking a sip from one of the glasses on the table.

"You make me happy, querida," he told her quietly, his voice soft and full of rare tenderness. "Eat first, naked later," he reminded her of her own words, tapping her nose playfully before taking another bite of the apple. A slice of ham and a few bites of apple would hardly fill his stomach, but it was a start.

There was food a-plenty for them both, a light enough meal for those who had been on the road for most of the day but hearty enough to fill their stomachs while the biting heat of the boiling bath cooled to something far more comfortable for its intended user. Adelina was as good as her word - when it became clear that neither of them would eat more, she rose and stood over him, hands on her hips with a teasing smile. She clearly intended to look after him, whether he wanted her to or not.

Leandro couldn't help but laugh. Thought she might be trying to look stern, the teasing smile on her face gave her away. "Are you my mother or my wife?" he teased back, draining what was left of his wine before moving to his feet to tower over the diminutive young woman. "Shall I undress myself, or would you like to do it for me?" he teased further, dark eyes dancing with mischief.

To her credit, she didn't give ground, even with him looming over her in mischief. "If you not, then I will," she informed him, though they both knew exactly how it was going to end if she was the one who ended up undressing him. That wasn't an unpleasant prospect, not at all, but it was a little beyond the idea of making sure he was bathed and rested. "You need bath."

He didn't have to smell himself to know she was right. The journey had been a long and tiring one, both there and back, and it had been several days since he'd had the opportunity to take a proper bath. "Very well, wife," told her agreeably. "Perhaps you would like to find me something suitable to wear," he suggested. Though he would have just as soon have shared the bath with her, she'd already had hers and was looking as fresh as a flower.

Her head tilted curiously, his phrasing just a little beyond her comprehension of the language. "You wish ....you wish clothes?" she asked finally, taking a stab at guessing what it was he actually meant. "Si" I find clothes?" There was something endearingly naive about the way she watched him, hoping for some clue - any clue - as to what he wanted her to do.

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:57 EST
"Clothes, si," he replied, though it seemed rather silly to get dressed when they were just going to undress as soon as they got in bed - at least, if he had anything to say about it. He turned his back to her so he could get undressed with at least a semblance of modesty, though he had a feeling she was likely still watching. The layers were slowly shed, one by one, peeled away to reveal a body honed by years of work. Unlike some others of noble birth, Leandro was not only a duke in name, but in action, unafraid to lead his men in battle and bearing the scars to prove it.

Adelina saw no reason to look away, though she retreated a few steps to allow him the illusion of privacy. Standing beside the chest where Mamita had stowed his clothing, those bold green eyes that had made such an impression when they first met traveled over every inch of him as it came into view, marking the scars she had kissed and caressed, the strong line of his form, the strength she could see was there but had not experienced in anything but playful passion. A possessive smile played about her lips as she watched him undress, fingertips playing with the loose length of her hair restlessly.

He could still feel her gaze upon him, though he did not look around to confirm it. She was far too quiet to be rummaging for clothes, and he knew she was watching him, though he was unsure if she liked what she saw. "You may join me, if you wish," he told her quietly, knowing if she did, he'd likely be distracted from bathing. Once the last layer of clothing was removed, along with his belt and boots, he immersed himself in the water with an appreciative sigh.

Any uncertainty he might have felt about whether or not she liked what she saw was put to rest by how quickly she moved from her place by the chest to the bath, untying the loose over-gown and setting it aside. She didn't undress further, or get into the bath with him, but a moment later, he felt her lips against his bare shoulder. "I wash?" she asked him softly, stroking her fingers over his chest from where she knelt behind him.

He felt her lips against his bare skin and sighed softly as he turned his head to regard her. "If you wish, querida corazon," he replied quietly, her touch relaxing him further. He was not sure what he'd done that the Goddess had seen fit to reward him with such a lovely, tender flower of a woman, but he was not one to take such a gift for granted. A marriage arranged for political reasons such as theirs could have turned out badly, but if the last few weeks were any indication, they seemed to be a perfect match.

She smiled, brushing her lips to the corner of his mouth as he looked back at her. "Un giorno, io so abbastanza per dirti ti amo," she told him softly, reaching for a cloth to begin the slow, easy task of washing his skin. She knew he couldn't understand her, but she needed to say it, even if it was in the wrong language. She needed to share the hope that one day he would understand her, and believe her, when she could tell him that she loved him. "E non dubito, perch' voglio condividere tutto quello che sono con voi, tutto ci" che sar" mai o pensare o sentire. Ma per ora ... I wash, I care." Ending with that gentle promise that she was learning to love him, Adelina touched another kiss to Leandro's temple as she knelt up, reaching down into the water to rub the cloth over his back.

He arched a curious brow at her, wondering what it was she was trying to tell him. Whatever it was, it seemed important to her, and hence, it was important to him. Was she not yet fluent enough in his language to explain herself fully, or was she merely too shy yet to tell him what was in her heart or on her mind" He only understood a word or two of what she'd said, though from the tone of her voice, he seemed to understand that she was telling him something that came from the heart. "I care, too, Adelina," he promised, turning a little so that he could touch her cheek with wet fingers before he surrendered himself to her care.

"I not have words to say," she tried to explain herself softly as she stroked the cloth over his skin. "I show, if I can." Her cheek tilted into his touch, heedless of the dampness left behind on her own skin, glad that his regard for her had not dimmed in the wake of returning to his home and the people he knew. "Mio Leandro," she murmured tenderly, leaning over to kiss him properly, unafraid to let the water soak the soft silk of her chemise.

What was it she was trying to say with her tender words and her gentle touch' She claimed him with those words - his heart, his soul, his life. It seemed she had been trying to tell him something for days, if only he could understand what that something was. Did she love him already? Or was she at least learning to love him' Could he truly be that lucky' Despite all the women he'd taken as lovers over the years, not a single one had been quite so tender as this. Words were meaningless. Anyone could claim to love without truly feeling what that single word implied. In that moment, he realized he did not have to hear the words. It was already there for him to see in her voice and her touch, in her eyes and her lips. If she did not love him already, then she was at least well on her way to loving him. He returned her kiss, as tenderly as it was given, turning to touch her cheek, her hair, fingers moving over to touch the soft womanly curves beneath the silk of her chemise.

Though he had always been gentle with her, there was a new note in the tenderness he shared with her in that kiss, something that made her heart ache hopefully even as a soft sound escaped her throat. Did he understand what she was trying to say to him' Or was he trying to tell her something in his own way' She couldn't tell, inexperienced in love or even such intimate companionship. Enthusiasm could not give her the answers she sought, but she thought, perhaps, intimacy would - intimacy with him, time to share with him who and what she was, even before she had the words to tell him her thoughts and feelings. Her lips broke from his with a soft gasp, retreating just far enough to look into his eyes with a smile that didn't need to curve her mouth to be seen. "I want," she whispered to him, disliking how strangely distant those words seemed in such a close moment.

He lost himself to her kiss if only for a moment, surrendering himself and trusting her completely. He was no poet, the feelings in his heart too difficult to express in words she might understand. Perhaps, if she looked hard enough, she would feel those feelings in his kiss, see them in his eyes and know that what she longed and hoped for was the very same as him. "What?" he asked quietly, his fingers retreating, though he remained close. "What is it you want, Adelina" Tell me, please, so that I can give it to you."

This, at least, needed no translation. There was too much in his eyes, his touch, to misconstrue what it was he was asking her to say. With her bold eyes soft and tender, she let her fingers smooth down over his skin, coming to a gentle halt over his heart. "I want," she repeated softly, hoping he understood it was not simply desire that prompted her to ask. "You, mio caro. I want be yours."

He searched her eyes as her fingers smoothed over his skin, coming to rest near his heart. Her meaning seemed clear, even without words to make herself understood. She was already his, at least in name, but it seemed she wanted more than just that. How did one reply to such a request' There was only one way he could think of and that was to pull her close for a kiss, passionate and ardent in both the giving and taking. Hopefully actions would succeed where words failed him.

She answered him in kind, heedless of the bath water soaking into her chemise as she leaned ever closer into him, her arms curling about his form as she poured her passion, her growing tenderness, into every nuance of that kiss. Mamita might have a few words to say about the slop of water over the rug, but in that moment, there was no thought in Adelina but of Leandro, her husband, the man she longed to love and be loved by. Who truly cared for the state of a rug, or a chemise, when they were left as evidence of a bond growing deeper with each passing day?

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:58 EST
Was it too soon to tell her he loved her" Carlos seemed to think so, but in that moment, in the midst of their passion, Leandro didn't really care. He knew what he was feeling. It wasn't just his body that was on fire for her, but his heart, too. His hands moved over that silk of her chemise, drawing it upwards, hands skimming over her the softness of her skin and through the golden silk of her of hair, even as he continued to ply her lips with soft, sweet kisses that were slowly growing more impassioned.

Quite how it happened, she was never entirely sure, but somehow, Adelina found herself in the warm lap of water with him, her chemise discarded to the rug as, skin to skin, they traded those kisses back and forth, sharing what neither one of them could yet put into words with each touch that left fire in its wake.

It was only a short leap from trading kisses to making love, and Leandro was as tender as one as the other, sharing his love and his desire for her in the only way he knew how - wordlessly but with as much passion as the most prolific of poets. Each kiss, each caress telling her of his most heartfelt feelings, until they were both breathless and sated. Even then, he held her close, hearts beating in unison, wrapped in a lovers' embrace.

Enfolded in his arms, his young wife couldn't quite still herself, her fingertips roaming still with gentle caresses even as they lingered together in the sweetness of that languid warmth that came after passion rose. She murmured to him, endearments in her native Cicilian, always forgetting in the tenderness of these moments that he could not understand what she was saying. But perhaps he didn't need to understand the words to know their meaning.

Though he didn't understand her words, he though he understood the meaning behind them. He lingered happily in that quiet embrace, wondering at her and at this small miracle the Goddess had created for him - no, for them. If only they could hold onto this moment and keep it forever. "Might I ask you something?" he ventured, his voice quiet as he held her in his arms, his fingers toying with the soft fall of her hair.

She nodded slowly, rousing herself from her comfortable curl to lift her head from his shoulder, meeting his eyes with trusting affection. "I answer anything, for you," she told him softly, the tip of her nose tickling his as she smiled.

It was such a silly question, he was almost afraid to ask, knowing she'd wonder at it and wonder why he would even think to ask. "Forgive the question, but if I may, what is your favorite color, querida"" he asked, pausing in the finger-combing of her hair to meet her gaze with a perfectly solemn look on his face.

She blinked, a little surprised by the question but hardly seeing that he needed to apologize for it - her grasp on the difference between forgive and apologize still needed a little work, after all. "Turchese," she told him, without thinking, making herself laugh as she realized she had answered in the wrong language once again. "Ah ....forgiveness. Turquoise, I think is word. Blue and green together, sea and land."

"And sky," he added helpfully, smiling at her answer. What was it Carlos had said" That they needed to learn each other before they could love" Well, he had learned all he needed to know, and now that he knew her favorite color, he would rejoice in the discovery of the rest of her. "A fine choice, querida." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand with a loving touch. The color fit her perfectly - her heart would always long for the sea, but perhaps he could help her grow in appreciation for the land, as well - for the woods and the mountains and the sky he loved so well. "Were I to choose one color alone, it would be green. Verde." The color of his beloved's eyes.

Perhaps she didn't quite understand why he had chosen that color for himself, but her smile rose under his gaze, this offering of something about himself rewarded with a soft kiss that left her lips tingling. "I turn to ask," she countered through that smile, happy to engage in this gentle back and forth that would become easier as she learned his language better. "What scent you like best, caro""

"Scent?" he echoed, one brow arching upwards at the unexpectedness of the question. That was a far more difficult question than the one he has posed. He had a feeling she wouldn't accept his answer if he told her he liked the smell of his horse or of a pig roasting in preparation for a feast. "Um ..." he mused uncertainly. The scent of a woman - especially this one - was certainly pleasant.

She giggled softly, nuzzling close to him. "I like wet sand," she told him. "And the weed of the sea. Before I marry you. Now ..." She curled closer, pressing her face to his neck to breathe in the unique scent that clung to his skin. "This, you. This my favorite scent."

"Wet sand?" he echoed, laughing. That was not the answer he was expecting from her, but it made him more comfortable in replying. But then, she was breathing him in, and he couldn't help but be touched by her answer. He smiled in reply, answering in kind, matching her reply with one of his own. "Mmm, I like the smell of morning, when the grass is still wet with dew." His smile widened, warming. "And then, there is you," he added, brushing his lips against her brow.

She giggled, choosing now of all times to share with him something her older sister had once told her after a particularly strident argument. "I smell like wet dog," she told her husband, and burst into giggles once again, hugging him warmly.

He laughed at that, wondering if she had chosen the wrong word or if she'd said that on purpose. "And I smell like the stables," he declared with a grin, though now that they'd both bathed, it was likely they both smelled more like lavender.

Her giggles faded as she looked at him, drawing her fingers against his cheek. "I watch you sleep," she admitted softly. "At dawn, when day start and you sleep on, I watch. I happy to stay for long time, still and quiet, to let you sleep."

His smile softened, touched by her words and by her sweet intent. "Querida," he started softly, "It is my deepest wish to have you beside me always." You see, I think I am falling in love with you, he thought to himself, a slightly troubled frown on his face as the fear to speak those words bubbled up once again.

"Then I stay," she promised him fervently. "You wish, then I wish. I do everything to be good wife. Never ....separate ....from you." It was a new word to her, but one she had apparently taken on the meaning of quickly. "We make this place happy. Put ghosts to bed." And privately she made a note to have that awful portrait in his rooms removed to the gallery as soon as possible.

"I would like that very much, Adelina," he told her with that soft smile of his, touching her cheek gently. "But for now, it is I who must go to bed," he added, touching a soft kiss to her lips. Of course, he had no intention of allowing her to follow him everywhere - certainly, not to battle, and she'd only be bored by diplomats and strategists. It was here in the confines of their quarters, where they were free to do as they pleased - to share their most heartfelt desires - that was his respite, and she in all her tender, gracious ways was his refuge.

Adelina

Date: 2015-04-05 07:58 EST
She understood that they would both have duties to attend to, and given that he was a Duke of Pasai, his duties would often be in the realm's interests, not simply those of his own duchy. But here, she had every intention of being at his side for as long as he wished her to be. "We rest now," she agreed softly, nuzzling to him once more before moving to untangle herself from his embrace, however reluctantly. They could not rest while still dripping from their shared bath, after all.

He frowned a little as he watched her, longing to tell her everything that was in his heart, but what was the hurry' There would be plenty of time for that, wouldn't there? They had the rest of their lives, after all, didn't they' Once she had untangled herself from him, he reached for the linens, helping her to her feet and wrapping the soft cloth about her slender shoulders. "You are the loveliest woman I have ever seen," he told her softly, though there was much more to her loveliness than merely her looks.

If she was surprised that he reached to dry her before she could do the same for him, it showed only in the brightness of her eyes as she smiled up at him, content to be cared for as much as she wished to care for him in her own way. "I your woman," she told him, laying her hand over his heart once again. "That make me lovely." She hesitated, biting her lip, and quite suddenly blurted out a few words in her native Cicilian, almost trusting to the fact that there was every chance that he wouldn't understand her anyway. "Credo che ti amo, il mio tesoro."

Once again, he only caught a word or two of what she was saying, but the words "love" and "treasure" were easily understood. If only he knew what it was she was saying, they each would have known that they felt the same. "Creo que te amo," he told her in return, as he gently pulled that length of linen about her to keep her warm. He reached for her hand to lay it against his heart once more. "Mi corazon late solo para usted." My heart beats only for you.

Amo. The word was the same in both their languages, and though she was not fluent, she knew enough to understand that he had answered her in kind. Drawing her hand away from his heart, she pressed a gentle kiss there instead. "This ....where my heart is," she told him in her broken Pasan, glad that there were at least some things they could share. She took his hand, laying it over her own heart. "This, yours."

There was nothing more that needed to be said in that moment. All of it had been said already with lips and eyes, kisses and caresses, tender words that needn't be understood to touch each other's hearts. Leandro swept her hair back from her face, before tipping her chin up to meet his gaze. The look from him spoke louder than words, everything he was feeling plain to see in the warmth of his eyes and his smile. "Te amo, Adelina," he told her, recklessly throwing Carlos' warning aside. To hell with taking things slowly. Life was too short, and he wanted to live it while they still had the chance.

The words were barely out of his mouth before she squealed softly, delight radiating from every aspect of her bright eyes and laughing smile. "Ti amo, Leandro," she answered him happily, surging close to throw her arms about him as she bounced on her toes, exuberant in her pleasure at hearing him echo the words she had been holding in her heart for days.

And now that those words had been said, he only wanted even more to prove them to her. It would be a little while yet before they slept, sharing in this new-found honesty and affection, in awe and wonder of all that was Adelina and all that was Leandro. When they did finally find sleep, it was peaceful and content in each other's arms. No matter whether they were in Cicilia or Pasan, they had each at last found their way home.