A/N: I know it hasn't been very long, but I wanted to get this out because reasons. The following is a direct continuation of the previous chapter.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Rhyllish Visitors (II)

Dinner was, as expected, a rather interesting affair. Astra's guests were slowly eased into conversation and the only one who purposefully did not hold back on questions was Seren, whose curiosity was emphasized by his young age. By the time dinner was done with the lad had thoroughly learned about the concept of supply and demand, as well as monetary inflation—things he was still slightly confused over, yet very interested in. He had nearly talked the new serdar's ear off when the Marchioness made a decision.

"How about if we do things a little more traditional tonight, since we have guests over that even out our numbers," she suggested. "We don't often split up but I think it would be interesting for a change to have the men in the lounge and the women in the drawing room. What do you think, Johan?"

"That is an excellent idea, dearest," he replied. "Sterling, Seren, you two may come along with us as long as you allow me a few moments with our guests first."

"…but Papa! Serdar Peladon was talking about interesting stuff!" Seren protested.

"Serdar Peladon, his nephew, and I have some things to discuss first," the Marquis said. "Sterling? You will keep your brother busy, won't you?"

"Yes, Papa," the teen replied. As the men went towards the lounge, the women headed into the drawing room together, immediately ringing the bell for some tea upon entering. It was an ornate room, with paintings and lace doilies and delicate pieces of furniture neatly arranged throughout. Alida, still slightly taken aback by the situation, simply floated into the room in a dazed blur; she never would have guessed that her son had fallen in love with a member of high society, but then again, her son had seemed just as surprised as she was.

"Are you alright, Ms. Alida?" Maglina wondered, sitting down next to her on the settee. "You seem a bit in shock."

"I'm still having a hard time taking this all in," Alida replied honestly. "Everyone has been so welcoming and kind, which makes things loads easier, but…"

"It is a bit of a surprise for most of us, don't worry," the Marchioness replied. "The only two who seemed to have the slightest clue as to what was happening were my eldest two daughters." She turned her attention towards Lena and Astra, the latter of whom shrunk back while the former shrugged.

"We took a risk doing things this way instead of out in the open in order to do the least amount of damage possible," Lena said. "I wouldn't have blamed Olly if he didn't believe Astra if she said who she really was via letter, therefore breaking it off early, and while it's never a good idea to surprise Papa, it was definitely a better idea than telling him beforehand and potentially having Olly arrested for being in love as though this was some tawdry romance novel."

"I still wish you would have at least told me," her mother frowned.

"The fewer the better—it was only Tara and me entrusted with the secret, not because we cannot trust you, Mama, but because secrets are safer with fewer mouths to tell."

"I suppose that is correct," the Marchioness frowned. Tea came and once the maid left, she turned her attention towards Alida. "I do hope you can stay for a while—we have spare rooms in the castle for you and your family to use at your leisure."

"Oh, we've already booked a room at the pub," Alida replied. "I can't impose…"

"People with less manners and even less charm have imposed rather insistently before—it would be our pleasure to host you and your family," the Marchioness assured. "We will deal with that later, though. For now, you must tell us about how you feel about this match our children got themselves into."

"How else should a mother react to her only child coming home saying he got engaged without any prior warning?" Alida posed. The word had not been said yet that night, yet it was something that the entire dinner party, sans the thankfully-oblivious Seren, seemed to know was implied immediately. "He's never been flippant about women, so I did the only thing I could and trust in that he found himself a good person from a decent family and hope for the best. Now that I've met everyone, I think I can safely say that my boy was not wrong with his choice."

"Thank you," Astra squeaked. She was trying to make herself seem as small as possible, though it was difficult considering she was already completely backed into the settee. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

"Don't be sorry for falling in love, dear," Alida said. "It's always trouble, even when it's not. Even when people are old and grey they can get into trouble because of love. I'm sure there are those going about this much worse than you and Olly are—I've barely seen him without a lift in his step since he met you, and that has to count for something."

"It got me not only into trouble, but married off to my husband," the Marchioness mentioned. When she saw the look of confusion on her guest's face, she took a sip of tea and grinned. "Johan and I weren't one another's first choice, though that didn't stop us from falling in love anyhow."

"That is a bold admission, milady," Alida marveled.

"No miladies here, please," Lena insisted. "Even if we don't become family, you seem like a good friend to have and friends are better with fewer formalities."

"That is something I need to get used to," Alida admitted. She breathed a sigh of relief and sipped at her tea—at least this was going much better than she had anticipated.

Over in the lounge, the men and boys were settling in for the evening. The Marquis had sent away the servant who followed them in, insisting on remaining alone, though the room was not without its comforts. While Sterling had Seren on the far side of the room playing cards, their father had their guests sitting by a warm fire crackling in the hearth. He was about to sit down when a thought came to him.

"I need a drink for this; do you two drink?"

"Not a lot, but I had enough at dinner to indulge, I think," Olivier replied. He watched as the Marquis crossed the room and drew open the doors to a tall oaken cupboard, the contents of which were a great many different crystal bottles and drinking glasses. The Marquis was getting ready to pour when Seren came running up to him, tugging at his cape.

"Papa, may Sterling and I have juices?" the boy wondered.

"You may ring for them, starlet," his father said. As the Marquis prepared the adults' drinks, Seren politely ordered some apple juice from the maid that answered his call.

"You've got a good boy there," Antoine said as he accepted a drink from his host. "A real talker, but he behaves impeccably."

"My wife and I have taught our children that manners matter, from His Highness the King all the way to the basest born, for respect is something earned, and that if we are to lead our people, we mustn't be so distant that those under our command despise us," the Marquis explained. He gave Olivier a drink and sat down with his own. "Mercy begets mercy, and it is easier to sow in soil tilled with respect."

"Very wise," Antoine agreed. "You are one of the more reasonable lords I've met in my short time as a serdar, and that is the honest truth."

"Thank you," the Marquis nodded. He waited until the maid that arrived with his sons' drinks left before turning towards Olivier, who was sitting in the chair across from him. "Now, explain to us why you are here; we are not dense and it's been written all over your face the entire night."

"To be frank, sir, I think this is the sort of conversation we should be having alone," the young man said.

"No," he replied. "Your uncle and I were equally shocked earlier, and considering you are to be the one to inherit his title, he should at least know all the facts before things progress from here."

Olivier exhaled and stared at the drink in his hand. He knew this discussion was not going to be an easy one, though he never imagined how difficult it truly would be. "Uncle Antoine, Mum, and I have all agreed that I would be the one to head the company's expansion to the northern end of the kingdom. While I thought I was coming up here to meet a clerk and his family, my intentions are still the same: Astra is a uniquely wonderful woman and, since you are the head of the household, I would like your blessing to marry her."

"…and you think you can make her happy?"

"I don't think, I know, sir," Olivier assured. "She makes great conversation and is already sage counsel. There's just this feeling I get when I hear her laugh, like the stars in the sky are a bit brighter, and I want to always feel that way. She is mature beyond her years, and I can see us being very happy together."

"You do realize that Astra is the first of my daughters to bring home a legitimate suitor asking for her hand, correct?" the Marquis asked. When Olivier nodded in response, he continued. "I believe you when you say that you had no idea she is second in line to my title, but that doesn't make me any less wary."

"Nor I," Antoine added. "With all due respect, milord, but I know my nephew well, raising him like my own, and this behavior has been unlike him. They were snowed in for a time, that's all; I am divorced because of a snowstorm."

"That is another concern I have," the Marquis said. "You and your sister are both divorced and while I do not judge you for it, children of divorce often end up in a similar situation down the road. Olivier, I trust you realize that you are now a part of high society thanks to your uncle, and divorce is extremely difficult to come by once you enter into this world thanks to how political alliances often come into play. Even if you stayed an untitled merchant, Astra is still in a line of inheritance—entering into a marriage with her would near-permanently bind the two of you, even if you happen to fall out of love in a few years' time."

"My father didn't start out bad, but in the end he taught me how not to treat a family," Olivier replied. "I never want my wife to cry herself to sleep like Mum did, nor do I want to show up after over a year's absence only to have her brother toss me out on my arse. My father was an unfaithful vagabond and I am not my father. I have not married yet because I am looking for someone I can be with forever so I don't inherit his mistakes."

"Good to hear." The Marquis sipped at his drink and allowed his eyes to flit over towards his sons and back. They were behaving, making his own conversation easier to concentrate on. "Then are you ready and willing to provide my daughter with a loving and lasting relationship, help her raise any children you have, keep your family safe, and above all: treat my daughter with the respect she deserves while conducting yourself in a manner befitting someone in line of a serdarship who is wed to a possible heir to a marquisate?"

"I am, sir," he affirmed.

"Olly, are you certain that Astra is The One? I mean, you started the relationship under false pretenses… both of you did… and there's no shame in admitting that you might have made a mistake now before you break one another's hearts," Antoine mentioned. "Not admitting that if you know it is true would only hurt the both of you."

"I'm certain, Uncle Antoine."

"Then go do what you came here for," the Marquis said. Olivier put down the remainder of his drink and walked out of the room, allowing the two lords time to talk. "He at least seems genuine in his feelings—I'd rather he be foolish and genuine than anything else."

"We're all fools when we become excited over a new love," Antoine said. "I'm sure you were when you were getting ready to propose to your wife."

"Clara and I were a well-made political match at first; courting came after the marriage," the Marquis admitted. "It makes things easier to swallow by thinking of this union between my daughter and your nephew as a political venture instead of one made during the snows."

"I was thinking on the way up that at least he would be marrying a northern woman, which would look good considering what he plans on doing for the company," Antoine shrugged. "You know that any reservations I've had have not been because of your daughter specifically, right?"

"They are the same ones I would have had if it were the reverse—nothing to worry about," the Marquis replied. It was then that a knock at the door took away their attention, revealing the Marchioness as she popped her head in. "What's the matter, dearest?"

"Come here, please," she requested. The Marquis went and joined his wife in the corridor, allowing her to drag him along towards a window where they were able to gaze out onto the gardens where Olivier and Astra were sitting on a stone bench together. "Look at her, Johan… it makes my heart want to burst."

"No longer a child tugging at my cape, that's for certain," he frowned sadly. "She's so young though… she's clever, but there's still so much of the world she doesn't know yet."

"Olly will show her, and whatever he doesn't, there's always us," she said. "Children never really stop needing their parents—our owlets will never be too far from the nest."

"They shall always desire their mother's care, for despite the silver crowning her head, she is still the same beautiful, warm, loving person she was when they were small," he murmured. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her atop her head tenderly. "How was I so fortunate to have you as my wife?"

"…by being an idiot," she chuckled. The Marchioness reached up and pulled her husband in for a proper kiss, one that she broke with a small giggle. "Doctor Idiot… mine and mine alone."

"Until the end of our days."

Olivier stood in front of the closed drawing room door, taking deep breaths to steady his nerves. He knew he was going to be terrified of asking properly, but now, with all the things that had happened over the past few hours, he was absolutely mortified. Raising a fist, he knocked on the door and made the plunge.

"Astra? Can I have a word with you?"

A moment passed and Astra appeared at the door. She gave him a nervous smile, which told him she was just as worried.

"Yes, of course," she said. Turning back, she glanced at the Marchioness for a second. "Mama, I'm going with Olly."

"Go ahead dear," she replied. Astra slipped into the corridor and hooked her arm with Olivier's, pulling him along.

"I know where we can go and be alone, but they can still watch over us, because I know they will want to watch," she said. She led him outside into the garden, where a warm breeze was letting them know that summer was soon approaching.

Finally, alone, for the first time since reuniting—Astra pulled Olivier's face down into a kiss, which he reciprocated gently for a moment before pulling away.

"So… it seems as though neither of us were exactly truthful, were we?" he mused, placing some hair behind her ear that had escaped.

"I never meant to deceive you, but I was afraid you'd change if you knew I was Lady Astra instead of Astra the Accountant," she sighed. "It would be falling in love for the wrong reasons, and the last thing I want is for a title to get in the way. Considering your uncle's position, something tells me you thought similarly."

"That was part of why I never said anything; the rest is that it doesn't matter, not that it was a deception, and I see you as having done the same thing," he said. They sat down together on a bench, holding hands and leaning against one another underneath the red sky. "What I don't understand now is why you were so willing and ready to be with me, despite the fact I was, for all you knew, baseborn and untrustworthy."

"I've never been concerned about titles—the friend of Mama's who tutored us growing up was a poor soldier's orphan before he ended up being gifted with a barony by His Highness, and would have been our tutor and friend no matter what happened, baron or not," she explained. "As far as knowing if you were trustworthy… um…"

"Astra…? What's the matter?"

"You remember when I said earlier how Papa is descended from the Ancient Gallifreyans, yeah? Well, my siblings and I inherited quite a few things from that bloodline. Not only do we suspect that we will live long lives, we also have a couple extra things that we can do like withstand heat and cold much better than normal, and then there's the mental capabilities with heightened thought and telepathy and—"

"Telepathy? Did I hear that right?" Olivier interrupted.

"Uh-huh," Astra nodded quietly. "Papa is a touch-telepath, as are most of my siblings, but Tara and I are much more powerful than that. If we concentrated hard, we could contact one another with her all the way over on the front while I'm in Gallifrey. There are laws though, about what telepaths can and cannot do inside another person's mind, since someone's mind is their own and no one else's."

"Did you read my mind?" he wondered.

"No, but I did read the emotions you were projecting; everyone without mental training projects certain emotions and thoughts, and even those with the ability to shut their mind off from the world don't do so all the time."

"So… you read my emotions…? That's… odd…" He stared at a stone on the garden pathway in concentration, attempting to process the information. "That must mean that whatever you sensed told you that I wasn't there to do you any harm."

"It felt like when my parents don't guard their feelings for each other, or when Sir Daniel and Lady Martha are together, and knowing that you were looking at me the way they do one another… it felt like the best sort of magic there is." She went quiet after that, allowing the sounds of the warm night to be the only thing that passed between them.

"Don't tell Mum or Uncle Antoine about that," Olivier said after a while. "Whenever someone is born with those sorts of powers in the southern lands, they're seen as witches and cursed. You… you just wanted to make sure you were safe… and I cannot blame you for that. Actually, I'm rather glad you did it, considering the circumstances." He squeezed her hand gently, assuring her that he was still holding on. "Please never do that to me again unless I know about it."

"I promise, Olly," Astra vowed. She tried to blink away tears from her eyes, only instead for Olivier to start dabbing at them with a handkerchief.

"Hey, no sad tears," he chuckled, attempting to change the mood. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'd like to tell you about another southern superstition." She nodded silently and he continued. "When a couple wants to marry, one of them decides to buy the other a ring to propose with—but not just any ring, one with a gemstone in it."

"Do they still exchange rings during marriage?"

"Yeah, but here is the superstitious part: the gemstone represents something significant about the couple and why they are in love. Diamonds are very popular right now, but it isn't supposed to be only what's pretty, but it needs a deeper meaning than that. It's that stone which contains all the luck the couple needs for their incoming marriage to make it long-lasting and happy."

Olivier reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. When he opened it, Astra saw a ring inside: a pale metal with an amethyst set into it. She watched as he went down on one knee before her once again, holding the box out.

"This is me asking properly, having talked to your papa and my uncle first, with a gem to signify the violet winter sky we met under." Astra bit her lower lip to keep herself from bursting into tears, instead placing her hand on the side of his face and projecting a word into his mind.

'Yes.'

"Okay—I need to get used to that," he chuckled. He took the ring and placed it on her left hand, finding that it was only slightly loose. "Wow, pretty good fit for a guess."

"It is, isn't it?" she croaked. She then kissed him, lunging forward so that they were sitting on the ground with her in his arms. They were engaged to be married, and neither of their families were cross about it; very little could bring them down from their high now.

"Astra? Why are you kissing Olly?"

The couple glanced over and saw Seren standing nearby, utter confusion slapped across his face.

"I am going to marry Astra," Olivier explained as they both stood. "How would you like that? I can be your new brother that way."

"That's how it works?" Seren questioned. He climbed up onto the bench and hopped on Olivier's back when he was offered a ride, though the boy was still wrapped up in thought. "So if Lena and Maggie get married, then Sterling and I will have three extra brothers, right?"

"That about sums it up."

"Okay; you're my brother now," Seren decided. Astra patted him on the back, glad that he was so easily placated, for she knew that in the weeks ahead, things would be anything but peaceful in Castle Gallifrey.