1002, southern france
The warm water felt nice on her skin, as did her husband's soft caress as he rubbed the bar of lavender soap down her calves.
With a cunning smile, Niklaus fingers loosened around the soap, letting it fall into the water as he placed a suggestive kiss to her ankle.
Giggling, Astrid's head lulled back against the edge of the bathtub as she kicked her legs out, Nik narrowly avoiding a swift kick to the head by ducking.
He seemed amused by this as his fingers wrapped and twisted around her ankle.
Firmly yet gently, he pulled her through the bathwater till she was sat on his lap, her bare chest facing his as he smiled contently at her.
They'd been at the De Martel castle for over a month now, and it was finally beginning to feel like home. They were more relaxed, happier even. Astrid had seen the changes in each sibling.
Sweet Rebekah was overly indulging in court, enjoying the company of the other fine ladies, she had even agreed to join their needlepoint session.
It was safe to say that Astrid had quickly denied her invite to the club, as she had said to Nik- she would rather poke her eyes out with needles than ever willingly do needlepoint again.
Though, Astrid supposed it was reminder of home and normality for Rebekah.
She couldn't count the amount of times herself, Rebekah and Esther had gathered in the wildflower fields, chatting away as they sewed clothes and designed pretty patterns.
Astrid had never been very good at needlepoint or sewing, she'd mostly come home with bleeding fingers after pricking herself countlessly.
However, Rebekah had always been very talented, she always been able to sow pretty flowers and challenging patterns.
But Rebekah wasn't the only one of her siblings to be enjoying their stay at the castle.
Elijah and Finn had both come very popular in court, engaging in sophisticated conversations and showing off their axe throwing and bow skills amongst other noble men.
Most of the noble men were futile, unable to even hit the edge of the targets with a bow, never mind an axe. So, Elijah and Finn's talents were highly appreciated.
Her darling husband was also becoming rather popular, showing off his sculpting skills and even showing how he used crushed berries and herbs to make beautiful paintings.
He was very talented, and Astrid enjoyed when he would show her his work.
The way he did it interested her, it was all very thought through, the way he tied varied lengths and widths of grasses together to make the head of a paint brush for different painting affects.
Out of all the siblings though, it seemed Kol was enjoying it the least. He spent most of his time alone if he could, and when he wasn't alone, he was often in the company of courtesans and brothel whores.
Astrid was snapped out of her thought when wet fingers cupped her cheek, Nik's inquisitive gaze staring up at her. "Something troubling you, love?" He questioned.
She smiled, shaking her head as she rested her hand over his. "Nothing, just thinking."
With a quick motion, she lowered herself to lean on his chest, her head resting above his unbeating heart.
His fingers ran down the bumps of spine soothingly as she let out a contented sigh.
"Can it stay like this?" She murmured quietly.
Nik furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
Glancing up, her eyes were suddenly cold as she frowned. "Us. This place. Everything. Can it be like this forever, Nik. Me and you, happy, our family, happy."
Surprised by her sudden change of conversation, Niklaus cupped her cheek once again, lowering himself so he was able to brush his lips ever so slightly against hers. "I made a promise to my family, but most of all, I made a promise to you, my love. Me and you, always and forever." He whispered.
As he leaned forward to brush his lips against hers, his arms looped around her waist. "I'm never letting you go. Never." He whispered, his voice unusually gravelly.
...
After her much-relaxed morning with Niklaus, her husband had eventually tore himself from her side, leaving their chambers to feed and head out on a hunting trip with the Count.
It seemed the majority of the Count's close circle would be heading out hunting, leaving Astrid to forge a deeper bond with Aurora.
The girl was far too naïve and trusting, letting her guard down so easily around others.
As she sat on the cushioned stool, her back gracefully straight as Aubrianne stood behind her. The redhead was brushing Astrid's now dry locks, the bristles tugging at her roots.
The sound of the brush scraping made her reminisce to a time where her mother had used to brush her hair.
Sigrid had never been very good at being delicate, tugging at the knots, often pulling strands of hair out.
Astrid smiled at the thought of her mother, she missed her dearly.
Letting her gaze switch to Aubrianne, Astrid eyed the girl curiously. She seemed on edge and was pale, even for her standard.
Her handmaiden only met her gaze when she tugged harshly at the brush, wincing as she sent Astrid an apologetic glance, concerned she had hurt her mistress.
If Astrid hadn't known any better, she would have thought Aubrianne looked afraid.
Sending Aubrianne a reassuring smile, Astrid hummed quietly as she continued to brush her knotted curls.
Niklaus was to blame, he had been awfully primal the previous night and that morning.
Though Aubrianne made no comment on the state of Astrid's hair as she placed the brush down, beginning to weave and overlap certain strands of tresses to create a sophisticated coiffure.
Meeting her gaze through the mirror, Astrid smiled brightly. "You seem quiet this morning." She commented, lips pursing.
With a knowing smile, she carefully watched the redhead, who seemed suddenly engrossed with a brown curl at the nape of Astrid's neck. "Perhaps a certain someone has captured your attention." She guessed.
Aubrianne instantly paled, fingers snapping away from the strand of hair as she took a shaky step backwards. The braid unwinded slowly as Aubrianne swallowed nervously.
Letting out a giggle at her reaction, Astrid batted a hand to the side, shaking her head. "Oh, don't worry, your secrets safe with me. I won't tell anyone about your secret lover." Astrid informed her kindly.
Swallowing, Anne nodded before reluctantly taking a step forward, allowing her fingers to reassume their work. "Thank you, my lady." She responded quietly.
'It was easier to agree, as after all, what could she say? That she had witnessed the dead body of a woman in Lord Kol's chambers, that she had seen the way Astrid had carelessly dismissed it.'
She hadn't even reacted to it, as if seeing such a thing would be a normal occurrence.
Aubrianne would never get the image out of her head, the blood-soaked mass of blonde curls that were sprawled across the bed.
As much as she hated to admit it, Tristian had been right all along. Something strange was going on with the De Guise's.
Perhaps Lord Kol and Lady Astrid were the reason for all the sudden peasant deaths.
Aubrianne shivered at the thought. How many could they have killed?
The gorgeous brunette smirked in response, highly amused that her timid little handmaiden had fell for a man.
Without another word, Aubrianne stepped forward, continuing to quietly fasten the braid, adding a few pins to secure it before she took a step back.
After her fingers awkwardly touched the braid, her arm bent at a tense angle, Astrid smiled approvingly before she turned to face the redhead.
"Lovely work, Aubrianne. I suppose you ought' to get ready, or we shall be late." Astrid commented slyly.
Confused if anything, Aubrianne furrowed her thin brows together. "My Lady?"
Astrid simply smiled, taking a bottle of perfume that sat on the dresser in her hand. Noticing the emerald bottle Astrid had chosen, Aubrianne licked her lips anxiously.
"My Lady, that one does not open. The lid is stuck, no one in this castle can open it. Lord Tristan wanted it kept as a souvenir." She commented.
The brunette simply hummed, holding the bottle in her hand as she raised a brow at the redhead.
Almost smugly, Astrid turned the top, the lid easily popping off.
"This old thing?" She hummed, sniffing the bottle before she began dabbing the lavender perfume on her wrist and neck.
Openly gaping at the brunette, Aubrianne glanced between the bottle and Astrid in shock.
Aubrianne had seen many men, the strongest of warriors try and open the bottle of perfume. None had been able to do it, yet Lady Astrid had done it with ease.
Lord Tristan had been amused from the whole perfume ordeal; it had begun once Aurora had received it as a gift from her father but had been unable to open it.
Perhaps with the year it had been sat there, it had eased the pressure of the lid. Surely that was the only explanation.
"But- but, how?" She found herself questioning, stunned.
Astrid simply sent her a cat-like smile, placing the perfume back on the side once she was finished. "Men can be so dramatic, but never mind that." Standing, Astrid eyed the ragged dress her handmaiden was wearing.
"Like I said, we are going to be late, so you better get dressed." Astrid informed her.
Suddenly understanding what the noble Lady was implying, the bottle of perfume fell far from her mind as her head began to spin.
Surely Lady Astrid wasn't considering taking her along to the garden party?!
A handmaiden and peasant as a guest? The court would be scandalized!
"My Lady, I- we cannot." She protested desperately.
Rolling her eyes, Astrid stood to her feet, skirting around Anne's stunned figure as she moved to her chest of dresses.
Kneeling beside the wooden box, Astrid payed no attention to Anne's protests as she began digging through the gowns.
Humming in satisfaction when she came across a light peach gown, Astrid pulled it from the crate, pushing it to Anne's chest, who desperately clutched at it.
"Now, get dressed. The peach tone will no doubt compliment your pale skin." Astrid informed her, although truthfully she wasn't quite sure what shade would complement Anne's ghostly complexion.
Though it seemed most noble Ladies were experts in that department, and Astrid was pretty sure that she had heard Rebekah telling a pale noblewoman in court that a peach toned gown would bring out her pink undertones.
As the redhead scrambled to get dressed, Astrid shook her head in amusement.