Tales from Tauren

Hollenmere

Hollenmere

May 1153

The sun shone brightly upon Banebury and its castle that warm May day; the long glass windows of the fortress glowed white and the birch trees lining the main path from the gate had been decorated with thick chains of deep scarlet roses. The entire forest seemed to sparkle in the light, yet that day, nothing in the realm was so radiant as the fair royal bride.

Adelaide breathed deeply as the rich, faint sound of cellos began drifting towards them from the base of the hill upon which Banebury Castle was perched. She smoothed the lace skirts of the clean white dress that she had crafted herself. She was a seamstress by trade, after all, just like her Aunt Catrin.

Aunt Catrin would be waiting for her at the end of the aisle, Adelaide reminded herself, with Uncle Peter, Cashlin and Cicely. The rest of her family would be there, too. Not to mention the entire Captains' Legion. She tried to shake that thought from her mind. Finny will be there, she thought, and this was enough to quell her doubts.

"Ready?" Reid asked, smiling kindly at his baby sister and offering her his arm.

Adelaide took it, grinning back at him sweetly. She was disappointed that her father couldn't be there to share this day with her, the brave man she had never known but had heard so much about. Still, she was grateful that she had Reid to take his place. Adelaide had always been close with her big brother.

It was at Reid's Titling Ceremony some thirteen years prior that she had first met Finny. She was only eight at the time, Phineas eleven, and it hadn't exactly been love at first sight. At lunch after the titling, Finny accidentally spilled an entire goblet of sticky lilac wine into Adelaide's lap, all over her new dress. Furious, she spent the rest of the meal flinging peas at his head while no one was looking and stomping on his feet under the table. Later in the afternoon, the young prince retaliated in kind by chasing her around the grounds throwing handfuls of dirt at her. She left the castle that day in tears, covered in mud and lilac wine.

Several years later, Adelaide and Phineas were reunited when Adelaide returned to Banebury, having earned the privilege to continue her apprenticeship under the Royal Clothier. When the pair met this time, the story was quite the opposite of their first encounter, and now here they stood, at opposite ends of what seemed to Adelaide to be an unreasonably lengthy aisle.

She clutched Reid's arm tightly as he escorted her down the path between the birch trees which seemed to hum excitedly around her. Certainly some of them keep drayds, she mused wistfully as they walked. She held a long bouquet of full red roses in her other hand and she breathed deeply again; surely one of her last breaths as a commoner. Her heart raced excitedly beneath the lace of her gown, and her eyes brimmed with emotion, welling with every step.

Elevaine, Adelaide, you can't even see him yet, she reprimanded herself. Hold it together.

She squeezed Reid's arm with her hand and he returned the gesture, steadying her. The respite was brief, however, because at that moment Phineas came into view, standing under an elegant arch of rose chains and looking very regal in black, his sword by his side and a thin circlet of green leaves on his head.

He bit his bottom lip as his bride approached, but he couldn't hold back his joy. Adelaide gently swept the escaped tears from his cheeks with her thumb as Reid released her to stand beside him.

In the Hollenmerish tradition, the ceremony was simple and short. Queen Elevaine and King Piper stood to bear witness as Adelaide and Phineas promised themselves to each other - vows of faithfulness, honesty, and love - they kissed, rose petals rained down upon them from the hands of the guests, and just like that, it was through. They were one.

From there, Prince Phineas and the newly named Princess Adelaide led the procession up the long, winding pathway that was carved into the hillside and into the castle, where the more important portion of the evening - the feast - was to take place. It was a lavish affair, truly befitting of royalty, and yet there was a warmth in the air, a sense of equality. The halls of Banebury Castle rang with jubilant laughter that night, as Hollenmere welcomed its next king and queen.

***

Within the year, Prince Phineas and Princess Adelaide welcomed a son. They named him for Adelaide's brother, Reid's twin, who had been lost fighting in the Battle at Banebury. Oliver, the future king of Hollenmere.

A/N: I know this vignette is super saccharine, but after how The Breton Boys ended, I felt like the Breton family deserved something nauseatingly joyful. Please leave a comment or a vote to let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading. :)