A Bride's Price

He refused to allow her to return it and waved it off like it was done in the stubborn way the Northmen seem to have when they simply would not budge on a matter. He smiled weakly at her sisters and bowed slightly to them as he came closer to her. “Laenaya...I,” he was about to say that he hadn’t wanted to marry her without at least kissing her once but in roguish fashion, in ‘his’ fashion, he leaned in and kissed her quite thoroughly though he did keep his hands to himself. He didn’t know why he hadn’t asked first but it just felt right. He wanted to know and when he pulled away he did feel something more for her he knew. Before their teacher drubbed him over the head he leaped back and to the side and he laughed above her sisters gasps of outrage. “I still hope you will find time today to teach me to dance!” he said as he was chased back out of the courtyard. From a distance he yelled, “I didn’t want us to marry before we shared a kiss!” Then he was gone, his gift gleaming brightly in her hands.

Narisa, Calene and Arina crowded around Laenaya to look at the magnificent piece of history she held in her hands. To the Northmen what was useful was worth far more than a fancy belt but it had been in his family for generations. His mother had given it to him to give to his wife to be in hopes it would take some of the sting of this marriage away. All girls were told the story of Queen Beruthial and her cats. It was a story told to ward of darkness and fear of the dark. The belt signified the story was real and later its power would be revealed to her just by wearing it at night.

“Well, a real bargain for a kiss eh Laenaya?” Narisa said covering her giggles. Her sisters giggled to at that. “Is it really Mithril? Arina squeaked. “Look at those Diamonds!” Calene remarked.

Laenaya slowly pulled her hands back when he waved her off. She was actually trembling a little just holding it. She looked down at it again and the jewels glistened in the sun. As he spoke her name she looked up at him. She waited for him to finish what he wanted to say but he said nothing more. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her. She had been kissed before on the hand or the cheek, but never on the mouth and he kissed her so deeply that she felt rather dizzy as he pulled back. She was shocked and her face flushed from it all. Their teacher began to shoo him off as her sisters and cousin gasped and whispered at the entire event.

After he left, Laenaya stood there for a moment before looking down at the belt again. Her sisters and cousin quickly gathered round to look at it. They reached out to touch it and began to chatter excitedly. Laenaya, however, couldn't stop thinking about that kiss...

Two hours later she stood waiting for Gulbrandt in the ballroom to teach him to dance. As he came in she looked over at him.

"I hope you know that you are very lucky my father wasn't there when you kissed me. You would probably be missing your head now."

She spoke half seriously and half teasingly and he would see the faintest bit of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

His smiled faded quickly and he looked around nervously hoping no one heard what he had done. "Yes...yes, I'm ready to learn...but no one can know alright?" He asked almost nervously. Right then he looked like a little boy afraid his mother would tell his father what he had done.

For someone who was nimble on his feet he picked up dancing rather quickly. The steps were mainly simple and dealt with memorization. Still he enjoyed her attentions and how she looked when she danced. She was a graceful dancer and knew how to move her body. He tried to kiss her several more times but she rebuffed him even though she blushed profusely like she wanted him to try. Finally he just stopped trying and that oddly enough seemed to have disappointed her. He learned several different steps and on some of those he was decent enough to be able to lead so he decided to try his hand at one. The dance was a slower sort that gave them time to talk.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you since that kiss. Your lips were so soft and warm and you tasted sweet like snow blossoms after the thaw," he said as they moved together in time. He turned as she turned then they came back together again.

Laenaya had kept her promise and had told no one that she was teaching him to dance. They were completely alone with no chance of anyone walking in either. She started out by teaching him where to put his hands. It felt strange and a little scary at first to think that the hands that were on her were those of her soon to be husband. They were big and rather rough, but he touched her gently. She showed him the basic steps and was surprised that he caught on so quickly. She was leading, which was strange for her, but she was elegant and graceful all the same.

Throughout the lesson he kept trying to kiss her. She wouldn't let him, but blushed and even smiled a little. When he felt ready, he began to lead. He kept the pace slow and began to talk to her as they danced. She felt her entire face turn red when he spoke softly about the kiss and about her lips. She had never had anyone speak so intimately to her before. It was slightly terrifying, but at the same time she actually enjoyed it.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked to change the subject.

Frustrated with her rather studious deflections of his attempts to kiss her he decided to learn something and he found that he did. They danced slowly and though he would not admit it he was actually enjoying it and being with her.

"My brother Jachim died in the spring to a Rohan spear and my baby sister Dechane died due to pneumonia this past winter. We have very little in the way of medical supplies," he said as he concentrated on his feet trying not to look down. "Are you as nervous as I am about...uh, after the wedding?" He asked in return. He was, he wanted to impress her but he had avoided having sex with women he had not cared about but he could avoid it no longer. There were...expectations upon them both.

Laenaya was rather startled by his question and she felt her entire face burn with embarrassment. She felt her heart start to beat a little harder in her chest as she thought about it. She had never even had a man kiss her before today, and she had always dreamed of being happily and madly in love with her new husband when they shared their first night together. While she was growing to tolerate Gulbrandt and understand him better, she was extremely far from being in love and barely knew him. She could only imagine it being awkward.

"Yes," she admitted embarrassedly. "I am very nervous."

He nodded in agreement and saw her face blush. "If I tell you I've, uh, never been with anyone, will you hold it against me?" He asked on his world men tried to be with as many women as they could. Being with odd women had not interested Gulbrandt though. "Also, I'd like it very much if you called me Brandt, my sister used to call me that," he told her. "Have you, uh, been with a man before?" He asked. He didn't blush exactly. But she could tell he felt awkward asking such intimate questions.

Laenaya was actually surprised to hear that Brandt had never been with anyone before. She had heard stories of his kin and knew that their views on such acts was not the same as that of her people. She blushed when he then went on to ask her if she had ever been with anyone.

"Most certainly not," she replied. "Until today I had never even been kissed."

"How is that possible? You're...you're so beautiful. I'd imagine men busting down your door to get at you," he said with a smile. He twirled her around for the dance then took her hand again and the movement made her smile. "Uh, can you cook?" He asked. "We will not likely have a servant, and I do not agree with my fathers stance on slaves. When I am chieftain I will abolish that practice right off," he told her.

Laenaya blushed even more at his comment. She had in fact had several suitors who had sought her hand quite aggressively. But whenever she allowed them to take her out it was always chaperoned and none of them had been brave enough to stand the wrath of her brother by stealing a kiss.

"I can cook a little," she replied. "My parents strongly believed that my siblings and I should know how to take care of ourselves and so we were all, including my brother, taught how to cook a few things. However, I haven't cooked in a while and do not know a lot."

"He actually smiled at that. He had had to learn himself being the middle child and he didn't mind cooking. Though most of what he knew involved meats and potatoes. "Well I know some to so many we can learn together? And I was going to ask you to kis me but wasn't sure you would, I hope it wasn't to bad for you?" He asked hopefully.

Laenaya was surprised and somewhat relieved to know that Brandt would not just throw her into the kitchen to cook everything for him. She hoped he meant what he said and wasn't just saying it now to make her believe that, although she doubted that was true. Brandt seemed the type who was true to his word.

"No...it wasn't too bad at all," she replied with a blush again.

In all honesty Gulbrandt could dance with her forever he felt but he knew she had so mic to do. It was difficult for him, his father's ways pulled at him but his mothers sense of fairness did as well. Those that he had lost had affected him as well and so he stood out among the other Northmen as 'odd'. A distinction he did not concern himself with. He was beginning to like Laenaya though he wanted to kiss her now and put his hands on her and feel her body. He would hold those urged back though, that was hopefully what would happen on their wedding day. He stopped and let go of her.

"Well, thank you Laenaya for teaching me and keeping it all quiet, I do wish we had more time to get to know one another. But at the very least I hope we can be good friends, I have few of those to be honest," he told her and then bowed to her as she prepared to depart.

Laenaya had rather lost track of time and was surprised by how late it was getting. She stepped away as he stopped dancing and let go of her. She looked at him for a moment before responding.

"I hope we can be good friends too," she said before taking her leave.

OOC-On to the wedding?

Ooc-yes, could you do the narrative for what you wanted on this please?

OOC-I didn't really have anything specific in mind. I would imagine that it would probably be fairly traditional since it is taking place in Gondor, although maybe some of the Northmen's traditions are also included. I would think that Serethiel and Conleth would be there, as would Eomer and Lindariel and Theodred. Because she's a princess of Gondor it would probably be very large, although most everyone would not be happy about the union. We could always skip over the actual wedding ceremony if you wish.

Ooc-we could allude to it in subsequent posts. The narrative would be a massive body of text. Not sure if I wanted to do all that writing . If you don't either we can begin when they are being led out of the hall.?

OOC-Sure, that sounds good to me.

Ooc-ok I won't be able to get to it until tomorrow

OOC-Ok, sounds good

So I had an idea. What if Nauriel gives Laenaya the same tea she used to drink not to become pregnant and tells her not to stop drinking it until she is absolutely sure about the union. Then at some point in the future Brandt finds out not only that she's been taking it but that she's still taking it (or that he thinks she is) and gets very angry and pretty much tosses her out into the cold (maybe he's been receiving a lot of grief that she isn't pregnant yet and is teased). What he doesn't realize is that she had stopped drinking the tea and is in fact pregnant. Maybe she starts to try and find her way back to Gondor, but there is almost a blizzard coming down and perhaps she is nearly attacked by starving wolves when Brandt comes to find her and saves her.

I dont know if he’d toss her out though. I was thinking something similar like he finds out about the tea and it creates a rift between them. Even so they travel south to Edoras to conduct trade. She visits with her cousin etc. and helps conduct the trading and does well despite the troublesome Northmen. She notices that she has been getting sick alot in the mornings etc. alluding to her being pregnant. On their way back there is a blizzard and they get separated. I was thinking that she is attacked by a large, Snow Cat in which her belt helps her communicate with it. (I can play the animal) To find her a good deal of the Northman population go out to look for her. She could be lost for weeks and when Brandt finds her he apologizes to her and confesses his love for her. As they move back to the search camp she is endeared by the sheer number of people that came to help look for her.

OOC-That sounds great

ooc-new thread