The moment he hesitates, she knows he's about to decline her offer. It does sting slightly, but she knows if Vax were present, she'd want a moment in private to talk to her brother, eloping or not. Whatever he has to say to Cassandra is their business. She understands.
"... you don't need to explain to me, darling," she promises after a moment, but she's stubborn. "Let me take you halfway, at least. Then I'll go see how much of a heart attack I can give poor Keeper Yennen."
She's sure assumptions will be made about a quick and sudden wedding.
The tension running through him eases as soon as she agrees. He could kiss her - and does, with a little laugh, after she brings up Yennen. It's probably not high on the woman's list of plans for the day, after all.
(He hasn't considered just how this might look to her, mostly because he hasn't thought of anything except how dearly he wants her. After...well, it'll be easy to clear up, at least.)
"All right." Percy gives her a little squeeze, letting go only so he can turn back and start walking to the door. "You can come with me the whole way, if you like, and I'll leave you at the door. We'll meet again at...where should we do this?"
Our room was on the tip of his tongue, but it's hardly occasion-ready. Maybe they can come back outside, someplace in the golden glow of the late afternoon. It's cool out, but he can't think of anywhere else that might match the mood.
It's impossible to feel anything but happiness when he looks at her like that, kisses her like that. Her hand finds his as they walk, squeezing affectionately. They're doing this.
"Somewhere private," she says. Our room? She tries to think if there's anything left out that would add to his poor sister's trauma. Not that there's been much time or energy to get up to anything, lately.
"I imagine the whole thing is rather quick..."
The romantic in her would say under the Sun Tree, but they can save that for the real wedding. Besides, that's far too open.
"Surely there are some vacant rooms in this place."
Vex feels lucky she knows how to get from the front to their room without having to leave breadcrumbs.
"Too many," he says, and it's rueful despite his good mood. Whitestone is a home in need of family - and while there's more love here than there has been in years, it's still nothing like it was. The two of them are a fine start, though, and if Cassandra meets someone, that won't hurt...and perhaps someday, there'll be children sliding down banisters and shrieking through the halls again.
(And that thought is a breathtaking one, impossible and suddenly far nearer to hand than it was twenty minutes ago. They'll have to talk about that - but not right now. They've enough to do this afternoon.)
"There's a balcony one floor up," Percy says, nodding up toward it as they come up to the stone walls of the castle, "if you trust me with stairs."
Too many. She knows Whitestone is impossibly changed from when he was a boy, when he'd yet to see how cruel and unjust the world could be. Her hand tightens around his for a moment, and she thinks it would be nice to one day raise children here that would grow up with loving parents that kept the reality of the world at bay until they were ready.
And she doesn't need to think twice about whether she'd want children with Percy, because she does, without question. It's a discussion she knows is on his mind, because it's been on hers, too.
She tears her eyes away from Percy's profile to look upwards at the balcony. Private, but out in the sunlight. It'll do.
"In this instance, I would say to hell with your pride and hoist you over my shoulder," Vex says all too casually. She's probably joking.
But she's also probably at least a little bit serious.
"I don't think that will be necessary," he answers, pausing for a moment at the door to catch his breath. They've made it back in record time - by his current standards, at least - thanks to his newfound desire to see this plan through. If he could sprint to the room Cassandra's adopted as her study, he would (and no doubt survive a tongue-lashing from his soon-to-be-wife after). "I'd crawl up there if I had to."
It'll look more like the uncertain steps of an old man, though, or the first faltering attempts of a toddler. Slow work, going up there, but to a worthy end.
Inside, he starts toward Cassandra's office, still trying his best to maintain some speed. "Is there anything else we'll need to do? This seems too easy, somehow."
This little jaunt is turning into a bit more than a small break to get some fresh air and sunshine. Vex is sure once the excitement wears off he'll be stuck in bed for a day or two, but that's fine. Healthy or not, that's where he'd be after marrying her.
Still. He's not about to undo all her hard work of keeping him from overexertion. So she does slow their stride, free hand reaching over to give his arm a little warning pinch.
He knows perfectly well what she's saying, without actually saying it - and he sighs, not nearly as annoyed as he might sound. Yes, yes, my health, I know. But he does slow down.
A little.
"Neither have I. I never thought I would be." It seemed resoundingly unlikely that someone would be interested in the possibility, even after he and Vex became involved. "I'm starting to wonder why anyone bothers making a fuss over the whole thing - this is so much more straightforward."
In theory, he knows why a big wedding might appeal to people; in practice, he might be a little too practical for the kind of frippery that'd be required. And yet, he keeps asking himself things like Should I change clothes for this? and What in the hell am I going to do if I can't find a ring for her? Pragmatism can only take him so far, it seems.
Soon enough, they're at Cassandra's door; Percy turns to Vex and gives her hand a squeeze before letting go. "I'll meet you upstairs as soon as we're finished here."
Vex already has a full heart. A ring isn't even on the table, for her. After all, a secret wedding is a little less secret with a rock on her finger.
There might be a pause where someone, a kinder someone, might reassure Percy he would have found someone. Vex, however, would be the first to (lovingly) say he could be a magnificent prick upon first meeting, depending on the situation, and there are all too many that would marry for money. Even if Whitestone had burned to the ground and they were living from inn to inn, making camp under the stars like they once did, she would still want to marry him.
They've both come too far to lose any more time.
"I suppose we'll find out soon enough." It's said with a helpless, but happy smile as she takes a deep breath. "Please make sure your sister knows I'm not knocked up."
And with that, she turns to head off to first and foremost let Keeper Yennen this isn't a shotgun wedding, so please pick your jaw up off the floor. Thank you.
He blanches - rather impressive, given just how pale he is normally - at the request. It's evident the possibility hadn't occurred to him, and he barely manages to sputter out a yes, of course before Vex is heading down the hall.
Telling Cassandra is wonderful, and it's embarrassing, and perhaps that's how it should be. She hugs him, tells him how happy she is for him, and asks why they decided to get married today. Which means, he realizes, that everyone's thoughts really will stray immediately towards whether Vex has been knocked up (ugh), even if his didn't. Whatever colour he lost outside her door comes back in full force, and she laughs, and for a moment he's a teenager again and she's the most irritating kid sister any one person could have.
He loves it, truthfully. Even when he asks about their mother's rings, and her face falls, everything about this afternoon feels right. The two of them make their way upstairs slowly, Cassandra even more studious than Vex about keeping him from hurrying. ("If you show up sweaty and about to faint, Percival, you can't marry her.") By the time they get up there, the sun's beginning to slip past the mountains, the sky alight with orange and red.
Keeper Yennen is surprised, both brows lifting when Vex approaches her and asks to speak on a personal matter. The fact she begins with before you jump to conclusions, no, I'm NOT pregnant doesn't help. But once Vex expresses why she's there, it makes much more sense. Keeper Yennen's surprise is still there, but with a warmth. A private affair suits them both, especially after all Percy's been through as of late. Something public and loud can wait until he's ready for it.
Fortunately, there's nothing complicated to be done. Vex is relieved, and she tells herself Vax and the others aren't really missing out on anything. They'll be there on the big day, when there's wine and dancing and food. This is just for her and Percy. She knows much of their lives will belong to Whitestone, in the future. But not now, not this.
They're quicker than Cassandra and Percy. Vex, ladylike as ever, is seated on the railing of the balcony, one leg crossed over the other, arms crossed, trying not to look nervous or anxious or excited when she's all that and more.
The way she jumps to her feet when she hears the telltale sound of Percy's gait betrays that, and Keeper Yennen doesn't bother to hide her amusement.
There's a moment, while clunking up the stairs, his sister poised to catch him if he stumbles, when he doubts. With time to marshal his own thoughts, he finds his worries coming to the surface first: Vex will regret this as a hasty decision, or she'll grow weary of waiting for his health to catch up to their dreams, or he'll find the close companionship of marriage stifling. Some awful vision of their lives diverging within the too-empty estate, Percy holed up in his workshop and Vex escaping to the forest whenever possible. Tedium ahead, or endless bickering and misery.
None of it's true or real, and on some level, he knows it - why would a few words spoken between them change the life they've been living for weeks now? But it's only when he sees her that he can banish every unreasonable concern. She's already standing by the time he comes into view, but he knows her too well to miss the unspent energy running through her; she's as nervous as he, and they're both trying their best not to show it. That's more reassuring than anything else could be.
Cassandra remains at his side until Vex is within arm's length, and she doesn't leave without giving him a hug and murmuring, "Be good to her, brother," in his ear.
As she takes a step back, Percy turns to Vex, his smile earnest and irrepressible. With his free hand, he reaches for hers. "Ready?"
Just as he knows her, she knows him. He must be worried about several things. So is she, really. But whenever she thinks about it, that fight or flight instinct that's driven her for years, she thinks of what it felt like, holding his body in her arms. How hollow she felt, putting him to rest. The grief and regret that threatened to smother her. She would fight for this. It's been a relatively short amount of time that she's openly stood by his side as a lover, but it's been some of the happiest moments of her life. She could never let that go.
Vex's eyes are suspiciously bright when she takes Percy's hand, and she carefully reaches for his cane. She can support him for a few moments as they stand before Keeper Yennen, and Cassandra looks eager to have something to hold and keep her hands busy.
"Absolutely, darling." Despite the steadiness of her voice, the wide smile, the hands gripping Percy's might have the slightest of trembles to them. Just excitement.
Percy gives up his cane without hesitation and takes Vex's other hand as soon as it's free - he'd like to believe he's unlikely to collapse all that easily, standing still. Besides, feeling the little tremor running through her, he can't help but want to hold her in any way he can. Her nerves are his nerves, right about now, and only the need to keep himself upright generally is keeping him from shakiness.
"We're ready," he tells Keeper Yennen, whose smile suggests she'd already figured that out.
The ceremony feels far shorter than the one wedding Percy remembers from his childhood. He hasn't the faintest idea if that's because Yennen knows to keep them moving at a steady clip, or if his memories are colored by the boredom of a fidgety eleven-year-old with a long list of things he'd rather be doing. Yennen does keep it short, though, saying all the old familiar words without too elaboration.
"Percival, Vex'ahlia, this is the time when I would normally ask you to exchange rings," she eventually says, her voice warm and steady as well-stoked fire, "but under the circumstances -"
"Actually," Percy says, and he can't help feeling a little smug as he lets Vex's hands go in favor of reaching into the pocket of his waistcoat, "I do have something. If I may?"
At Keeper Yennen's nod, his attention settles entirely on Vex, his expression softening once more. This feels vulnerable in a way he's not sure he'd ever thought himself capable of - how things have changed in the time he's known her. "It's not a ring - though I am going to make you one, once I'm allowed to make things again - but I wanted you to have something for the occasion. This was...well, it belonged to generations of de Rolo women, but most recently, it was my mother's."
Reaching for her hand, he sets a necklace in her palm. Spaced evenly along the well-wrought golden chain are five diamonds; on her, it'll circle her neck without dangling far past her collarbone.
"Five stars for Whitestone's crest," he tells her, and it's only because Yennen and Cassandra are quiet that he can forget their presence enough to add, "and you, a sixth."
Percy's proud little actually is both unexpected and not. She hadn't expected more than his hands in hers, and yet it wouldn't be Percy if he didn't have something up his sleeve. Or pocket, really.
The necklace is so stunning it takes her a full heartbeat to register that he's giving it to her. It sits in her palm, heavy and glimmering in the retreating sunlight, and for a long moment she's speechless. Quite the feat. She looks panicked for a moment, then--this is the most gorgeous thing she's had in her possession, weaponry aside, and perhaps she's not worthy, and shouldn't it go to Cassandra--but when she looks over at Percy's sister, she can see her nod, blinking back the mistiness in her eyes.
"You have to put it on her, brother," Cassandra helpfully points out, but any attempt Percy might make to do that is thwarted by Vex using her free hand to grab the lapels of his coat and pull him in for a kiss. She still has no words. Only love for the man before her, that's loved her so fully and in ways she never imagined anyone could.
Keeper Yennen sighs before remarking that part was to follow... but regardless of their haste, they're officially husband and wife.
Vex kissing him is both unexpected and not - he's expecting it at some point soon, but nothing in him is ready for her fervor. If she didn't have her hands on him, he'd probably be in danger of stumbling; as it is, his arms come around her as much to steady himself as to hold her.
Percy returns the kiss with the same ardor, a hand coming up to cup her cheek once he's surer on his feet, his other hand settling at the small of her back. Nothing is different, and everything is. Distantly, he hears Keeper Yennen declaring that in the eyes of the Dawnfather and all mortal beings, they're married, and in that moment he couldn't care a copper coin. If they're wed, and they most certainly are, it's by feeling - the recognition of anyone else feels like happenstance by comparison.
Eventually, he breaks the kiss, the tip of his nose brushing against hers. "Cassandra is right, you know."
Were she not at least vaguely aware that they weren't entirely alone her tongue would be down his throat and her hands shucking off his layers of clothing, but Vex controls herself. See, she's got this Lady thing down. And she supposes ladies don't weep at their own wedding, but the joy and love she feels is so overwhelming. It's threatening to come out of her eyes.
But if anyone is deserving to see her so vulnerable, it's Percy. Her husband. Vex smiles against the palm of his hand, her own coming to cover his and give a squeeze as she composes herself with a breath.
"Get to work, then," she says, the words lacking all bite and full of warmth. She presses the necklace back into his hand and turns so that he doesn't have to deal with moving behind her.
It gives her a moment to quickly wipe at her eyes.
Percy laughs, and it's a gentle sound. If his eyes are a little too wet and soft, so be it - this evening is one that will last in his mind forever, and when it's over, it'll never come again. He'll feel it now, without (too much) embarrassment.
Once he's fumbled the clasp open, he moves her braid aside and settles the necklace around her neck. His nod to propriety is the fact that he doesn't lean in to kiss the nape of his neck, as he'd dearly like to...but not around his sister. Tonight, perhaps, when they've retired to their room to celebrate properly.
"There," he says, closing the clasp again. One hand lands lightly on her shoulder, affectionate and also keeping himself steady. "Turn around, Lady de Rolo - I want to see how it looks on you."
The necklace feels warm from his pocket and their hands. It'd be a lie to say there wasn't a weight to it: she wonders if his mother would approve, were she alive. It sits too high for her to see it when she glances down, but her fingers do graze over it delicately, like she's afraid it might break.
"Well?" She asks, turning around to face him. Looking at him, she wants to kiss him again and again and again. There will be plenty of time for that later, of course, but the urge is absurdly strong. She settles for reaching for his hands again, both to steady him and for the simple pleasure of contact.
"Well," he agrees, his smile crooked and his eyes bright. It suits her - the gold is warm against her sun-bronzed skin, and the jewels shine nearly as bright as Vex herself. And even the only piece of jewelry left to them was absolutely hideous, she'd make it beautiful.
(It is not, fortunately, the only thing that survived the Briarwoods; a few other pieces are still around, and they'll suit Cassandra we'll. From here, he'll simply have to turn his metal-working skills over to a new purpose every once in a while. The thought of making jewelry for his wife - his wife - makes the craft sound decidedly more interesting than it otherwise would.)
He squeezes her hands in reassurance. "No one could wear it better. You are, without a doubt, the most attractive woman I've ever seen in my life."
The laugh from her is a girlish thing, overjoyed that the man she loves finds her beautiful and worthy and now she's his wife and this is real and hers. Not even death could take this from her--she'd have to fish him back up again. She feels like she's floating, and only his hands are keeping her firmly on the ground. Lady de Rolo. It's the best title he's given her yet.
"Thank you, Percy," she says, and the words don't feel like enough. She'll be sure he knows how grateful she is once they're alone.
She looks to Cassandra and Keeper Yennen, nodding to both. "And you, too. We know this was sudden. There will be a proper wedding sometime. Until then..."
Their discretion will be appreciated. Both seem to understand, promising to keep the secret without complaint.
"Until then," Cassandra says, coming near and holding Percy's cane out to him, "it's good to have a sister - even a secret one."
Percy takes his cane and takes a careful step back, letting go of Vex's hand so Cassandra can embrace her and kiss her cheek. It occurs to him for the first time that this may be something special for his sister, too. She was even more alone than he, when the Briarwoods ruled Whitestone; even now, there are gaps between them he hasn't yet been able to bridge. Cassandra is so much quieter than she used to be, and she keeps her own counsel more often than not.
Vex could be a confidante for her, he thinks. A sister in more than name or technicality, someone who might be able to hear the things Cassandra can't bring herself to say to Percy.
(He thinks of Vesper, refusing to let himself wonder what indignity her final resting place might have involved. He thinks of the girl she was, the woman she could have been. He misses her -all of them, but especially his elder sister - with a sudden, fierce longing.)
He slips a finger behind the lenses of his glasses and swipes at his eyes quickly. As Cassandra lets Vex go, he says, "I hope you'll stay for supper with us, Keeper Yennen. I'm sure they could set an extra place."
A sister. The words affect Vex more than she'd anticipate, threatening the dry eyes she had so valiantly fought to reclaim. She pulls Cassandra into a hug, grateful, as Keeper Yennen tells Percy she'd be happy to join them for dinner. It's a day to celebrate, even if quietly.
"Until then," Vex says, patting Cassandra's shoulder before reaching for Percy's arm, "You need rest. You've been up and about for far too long."
Nothing says just married like a quick power nap before dinner. The walk around the garden was already going to be pushing it, by her measure.
"Shall we all go freshen up and reconvene in the dining room?"
"Let's," he answers, surprisingly docile about being asked to rest. A wedding gift to his wife, he thinks, but the truth is, he really has used up the bulk of his energy. He'll drowse off in the pudding if he doesn't get some rest now.
The stairs are slow going - walking down feels so much less stable than walking up did - but with a hand gripping the railing and Vex beside him, he doesn't fall. From there, it's a short walk to their room.
Once the bedroom door shuts behind them, Percy breathes out, leaning back against it. Giving his wife (his wife) a wry little smile, he asks, "How serious were you about resting?"
Dead serious. It's a little too soon to say as such, but the look in her eyes is clear enough so far as intent: he needs to rest.
But not before she steps up to him, using the sturdy door to her advantage as she leans in for a deeper kiss than she'd allowed herself before his sister and Keeper Yennen. She certainly doesn't hold his face or press her body to him like he's a man on the mend, but she perhaps keeps it brief, just enough to get it out of her system before bumping her nose to his.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2025-01-12 01:21 am (UTC)"... you don't need to explain to me, darling," she promises after a moment, but she's stubborn. "Let me take you halfway, at least. Then I'll go see how much of a heart attack I can give poor Keeper Yennen."
She's sure assumptions will be made about a quick and sudden wedding.
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Date: 2025-01-12 03:09 am (UTC)(He hasn't considered just how this might look to her, mostly because he hasn't thought of anything except how dearly he wants her. After...well, it'll be easy to clear up, at least.)
"All right." Percy gives her a little squeeze, letting go only so he can turn back and start walking to the door. "You can come with me the whole way, if you like, and I'll leave you at the door. We'll meet again at...where should we do this?"
Our room was on the tip of his tongue, but it's hardly occasion-ready. Maybe they can come back outside, someplace in the golden glow of the late afternoon. It's cool out, but he can't think of anywhere else that might match the mood.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 03:22 am (UTC)"Somewhere private," she says. Our room? She tries to think if there's anything left out that would add to his poor sister's trauma. Not that there's been much time or energy to get up to anything, lately.
"I imagine the whole thing is rather quick..."
The romantic in her would say under the Sun Tree, but they can save that for the real wedding. Besides, that's far too open.
"Surely there are some vacant rooms in this place."
Vex feels lucky she knows how to get from the front to their room without having to leave breadcrumbs.
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Date: 2025-01-12 03:43 am (UTC)(And that thought is a breathtaking one, impossible and suddenly far nearer to hand than it was twenty minutes ago. They'll have to talk about that - but not right now. They've enough to do this afternoon.)
"There's a balcony one floor up," Percy says, nodding up toward it as they come up to the stone walls of the castle, "if you trust me with stairs."
He's teasing, mostly.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 04:11 am (UTC)And she doesn't need to think twice about whether she'd want children with Percy, because she does, without question. It's a discussion she knows is on his mind, because it's been on hers, too.
She tears her eyes away from Percy's profile to look upwards at the balcony. Private, but out in the sunlight. It'll do.
"In this instance, I would say to hell with your pride and hoist you over my shoulder," Vex says all too casually. She's probably joking.
But she's also probably at least a little bit serious.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 04:25 am (UTC)It'll look more like the uncertain steps of an old man, though, or the first faltering attempts of a toddler. Slow work, going up there, but to a worthy end.
Inside, he starts toward Cassandra's office, still trying his best to maintain some speed. "Is there anything else we'll need to do? This seems too easy, somehow."
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Date: 2025-01-12 04:34 am (UTC)Still. He's not about to undo all her hard work of keeping him from overexertion. So she does slow their stride, free hand reaching over to give his arm a little warning pinch.
"Wouldn't know. Never been married before."
And she only plans to be married the one time.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 04:48 am (UTC)A little.
"Neither have I. I never thought I would be." It seemed resoundingly unlikely that someone would be interested in the possibility, even after he and Vex became involved. "I'm starting to wonder why anyone bothers making a fuss over the whole thing - this is so much more straightforward."
In theory, he knows why a big wedding might appeal to people; in practice, he might be a little too practical for the kind of frippery that'd be required. And yet, he keeps asking himself things like Should I change clothes for this? and What in the hell am I going to do if I can't find a ring for her? Pragmatism can only take him so far, it seems.
Soon enough, they're at Cassandra's door; Percy turns to Vex and gives her hand a squeeze before letting go. "I'll meet you upstairs as soon as we're finished here."
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 05:15 am (UTC)There might be a pause where someone, a kinder someone, might reassure Percy he would have found someone. Vex, however, would be the first to (lovingly) say he could be a magnificent prick upon first meeting, depending on the situation, and there are all too many that would marry for money. Even if Whitestone had burned to the ground and they were living from inn to inn, making camp under the stars like they once did, she would still want to marry him.
They've both come too far to lose any more time.
"I suppose we'll find out soon enough." It's said with a helpless, but happy smile as she takes a deep breath. "Please make sure your sister knows I'm not knocked up."
And with that, she turns to head off to first and foremost let Keeper Yennen this isn't a shotgun wedding, so please pick your jaw up off the floor. Thank you.
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Date: 2025-01-12 05:34 am (UTC)Telling Cassandra is wonderful, and it's embarrassing, and perhaps that's how it should be. She hugs him, tells him how happy she is for him, and asks why they decided to get married today. Which means, he realizes, that everyone's thoughts really will stray immediately towards whether Vex has been knocked up (ugh), even if his didn't. Whatever colour he lost outside her door comes back in full force, and she laughs, and for a moment he's a teenager again and she's the most irritating kid sister any one person could have.
He loves it, truthfully. Even when he asks about their mother's rings, and her face falls, everything about this afternoon feels right. The two of them make their way upstairs slowly, Cassandra even more studious than Vex about keeping him from hurrying. ("If you show up sweaty and about to faint, Percival, you can't marry her.") By the time they get up there, the sun's beginning to slip past the mountains, the sky alight with orange and red.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 05:47 am (UTC)Fortunately, there's nothing complicated to be done. Vex is relieved, and she tells herself Vax and the others aren't really missing out on anything. They'll be there on the big day, when there's wine and dancing and food. This is just for her and Percy. She knows much of their lives will belong to Whitestone, in the future. But not now, not this.
They're quicker than Cassandra and Percy. Vex, ladylike as ever, is seated on the railing of the balcony, one leg crossed over the other, arms crossed, trying not to look nervous or anxious or excited when she's all that and more.
The way she jumps to her feet when she hears the telltale sound of Percy's gait betrays that, and Keeper Yennen doesn't bother to hide her amusement.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 02:20 pm (UTC)None of it's true or real, and on some level, he knows it - why would a few words spoken between them change the life they've been living for weeks now? But it's only when he sees her that he can banish every unreasonable concern. She's already standing by the time he comes into view, but he knows her too well to miss the unspent energy running through her; she's as nervous as he, and they're both trying their best not to show it. That's more reassuring than anything else could be.
Cassandra remains at his side until Vex is within arm's length, and she doesn't leave without giving him a hug and murmuring, "Be good to her, brother," in his ear.
As she takes a step back, Percy turns to Vex, his smile earnest and irrepressible. With his free hand, he reaches for hers. "Ready?"
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 05:52 pm (UTC)Vex's eyes are suspiciously bright when she takes Percy's hand, and she carefully reaches for his cane. She can support him for a few moments as they stand before Keeper Yennen, and Cassandra looks eager to have something to hold and keep her hands busy.
"Absolutely, darling." Despite the steadiness of her voice, the wide smile, the hands gripping Percy's might have the slightest of trembles to them. Just excitement.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 07:42 pm (UTC)"We're ready," he tells Keeper Yennen, whose smile suggests she'd already figured that out.
The ceremony feels far shorter than the one wedding Percy remembers from his childhood. He hasn't the faintest idea if that's because Yennen knows to keep them moving at a steady clip, or if his memories are colored by the boredom of a fidgety eleven-year-old with a long list of things he'd rather be doing. Yennen does keep it short, though, saying all the old familiar words without too elaboration.
"Percival, Vex'ahlia, this is the time when I would normally ask you to exchange rings," she eventually says, her voice warm and steady as well-stoked fire, "but under the circumstances -"
"Actually," Percy says, and he can't help feeling a little smug as he lets Vex's hands go in favor of reaching into the pocket of his waistcoat, "I do have something. If I may?"
At Keeper Yennen's nod, his attention settles entirely on Vex, his expression softening once more. This feels vulnerable in a way he's not sure he'd ever thought himself capable of - how things have changed in the time he's known her. "It's not a ring - though I am going to make you one, once I'm allowed to make things again - but I wanted you to have something for the occasion. This was...well, it belonged to generations of de Rolo women, but most recently, it was my mother's."
Reaching for her hand, he sets a necklace in her palm. Spaced evenly along the well-wrought golden chain are five diamonds; on her, it'll circle her neck without dangling far past her collarbone.
"Five stars for Whitestone's crest," he tells her, and it's only because Yennen and Cassandra are quiet that he can forget their presence enough to add, "and you, a sixth."
dying to tag this all day 🥹
Date: 2025-01-13 01:12 am (UTC)The necklace is so stunning it takes her a full heartbeat to register that he's giving it to her. It sits in her palm, heavy and glimmering in the retreating sunlight, and for a long moment she's speechless. Quite the feat. She looks panicked for a moment, then--this is the most gorgeous thing she's had in her possession, weaponry aside, and perhaps she's not worthy, and shouldn't it go to Cassandra--but when she looks over at Percy's sister, she can see her nod, blinking back the mistiness in her eyes.
"You have to put it on her, brother," Cassandra helpfully points out, but any attempt Percy might make to do that is thwarted by Vex using her free hand to grab the lapels of his coat and pull him in for a kiss. She still has no words. Only love for the man before her, that's loved her so fully and in ways she never imagined anyone could.
Keeper Yennen sighs before remarking that part was to follow... but regardless of their haste, they're officially husband and wife.
ugh same 🥲 having the best time over here
Date: 2025-01-13 01:39 am (UTC)Percy returns the kiss with the same ardor, a hand coming up to cup her cheek once he's surer on his feet, his other hand settling at the small of her back. Nothing is different, and everything is. Distantly, he hears Keeper Yennen declaring that in the eyes of the Dawnfather and all mortal beings, they're married, and in that moment he couldn't care a copper coin. If they're wed, and they most certainly are, it's by feeling - the recognition of anyone else feels like happenstance by comparison.
Eventually, he breaks the kiss, the tip of his nose brushing against hers. "Cassandra is right, you know."
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Date: 2025-01-13 01:49 am (UTC)But if anyone is deserving to see her so vulnerable, it's Percy. Her husband. Vex smiles against the palm of his hand, her own coming to cover his and give a squeeze as she composes herself with a breath.
"Get to work, then," she says, the words lacking all bite and full of warmth. She presses the necklace back into his hand and turns so that he doesn't have to deal with moving behind her.
It gives her a moment to quickly wipe at her eyes.
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Date: 2025-01-13 02:22 am (UTC)Once he's fumbled the clasp open, he moves her braid aside and settles the necklace around her neck. His nod to propriety is the fact that he doesn't lean in to kiss the nape of his neck, as he'd dearly like to...but not around his sister. Tonight, perhaps, when they've retired to their room to celebrate properly.
"There," he says, closing the clasp again. One hand lands lightly on her shoulder, affectionate and also keeping himself steady. "Turn around, Lady de Rolo - I want to see how it looks on you."
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Date: 2025-01-13 02:27 am (UTC)"Well?" She asks, turning around to face him. Looking at him, she wants to kiss him again and again and again. There will be plenty of time for that later, of course, but the urge is absurdly strong. She settles for reaching for his hands again, both to steady him and for the simple pleasure of contact.
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Date: 2025-01-13 04:48 am (UTC)(It is not, fortunately, the only thing that survived the Briarwoods; a few other pieces are still around, and they'll suit Cassandra we'll. From here, he'll simply have to turn his metal-working skills over to a new purpose every once in a while. The thought of making jewelry for his wife - his wife - makes the craft sound decidedly more interesting than it otherwise would.)
He squeezes her hands in reassurance. "No one could wear it better. You are, without a doubt, the most attractive woman I've ever seen in my life."
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Date: 2025-01-13 04:58 am (UTC)"Thank you, Percy," she says, and the words don't feel like enough. She'll be sure he knows how grateful she is once they're alone.
She looks to Cassandra and Keeper Yennen, nodding to both. "And you, too. We know this was sudden. There will be a proper wedding sometime. Until then..."
Their discretion will be appreciated. Both seem to understand, promising to keep the secret without complaint.
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Date: 2025-01-13 03:20 pm (UTC)Percy takes his cane and takes a careful step back, letting go of Vex's hand so Cassandra can embrace her and kiss her cheek. It occurs to him for the first time that this may be something special for his sister, too. She was even more alone than he, when the Briarwoods ruled Whitestone; even now, there are gaps between them he hasn't yet been able to bridge. Cassandra is so much quieter than she used to be, and she keeps her own counsel more often than not.
Vex could be a confidante for her, he thinks. A sister in more than name or technicality, someone who might be able to hear the things Cassandra can't bring herself to say to Percy.
(He thinks of Vesper, refusing to let himself wonder what indignity her final resting place might have involved. He thinks of the girl she was, the woman she could have been. He misses her -all of them, but especially his elder sister - with a sudden, fierce longing.)
He slips a finger behind the lenses of his glasses and swipes at his eyes quickly. As Cassandra lets Vex go, he says, "I hope you'll stay for supper with us, Keeper Yennen. I'm sure they could set an extra place."
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Date: 2025-01-13 07:12 pm (UTC)"Until then," Vex says, patting Cassandra's shoulder before reaching for Percy's arm, "You need rest. You've been up and about for far too long."
Nothing says just married like a quick power nap before dinner. The walk around the garden was already going to be pushing it, by her measure.
"Shall we all go freshen up and reconvene in the dining room?"
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Date: 2025-01-14 02:18 am (UTC)The stairs are slow going - walking down feels so much less stable than walking up did - but with a hand gripping the railing and Vex beside him, he doesn't fall. From there, it's a short walk to their room.
Once the bedroom door shuts behind them, Percy breathes out, leaning back against it. Giving his wife (his wife) a wry little smile, he asks, "How serious were you about resting?"
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Date: 2025-01-14 04:29 am (UTC)But not before she steps up to him, using the sturdy door to her advantage as she leans in for a deeper kiss than she'd allowed herself before his sister and Keeper Yennen. She certainly doesn't hold his face or press her body to him like he's a man on the mend, but she perhaps keeps it brief, just enough to get it out of her system before bumping her nose to his.
"Very serious."
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From:maybe everything's kind of a bummer, lmfao
From:typical!!!
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From:claws out of the abyss
From:😍😍😍
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