"C-cough." *Hunches over, remembering when I said that it would be ten chapters long and knowing that it's gonna be double that now.*

"Sur-surprise?"

They set the wedding a week from that Monday evening. They posted the announcement on the church door, Christine desperately hoped that no one would disprove it. She needn't have worried, the King's signature at the bottom of the paper was more than enough to persuade anyone that this marriage was more than legal.

She hoped The Duke understood the great risk he was making to his position by marrying her. She hoped more than anything that ten years from now he would not regret his marriage to her.

He had already given her the money to hire the maid to tend to Mama Valerius. Christine had interviewed many a village girl over the week, eventually deciding on one who had nursed her mother until her passing. She seemed a good sort, not one to abandon her job. The money would last for three months, then Erik would have to send more.

The week was a flurry of preparation, the King insisted on paying for the poor feast they could provide. They killed three chickens for the dinner. Christine would need a wedding dress, Mary (Bless her.) gave Christine one of her old dresses. It was a nice blue that would be suitable for a wedding. To make it just that much nicer, Mary insisted on embroidering the edges and the sleeve. It was simple, but better than the worn clothes that Christine usually wore.

Christine chose Andre to run the Inn after she left, she also spent the week training him. This included accounting for the money that came in and out, and how to delegate tasks to others.

These were all things that Christine had expected she would have to do. What she hadn't expected was a flurry of gifts of embroidered handkerchiefs, small baubles, and hats from her friends within the castle. Words of appreciation for all she had done for them, sometimes tears accompanied their words of thanks. When they didn't she could see the pain in their eyes. She hadn't known that they had such love for her. She had always felt a little apart from them, even when they had accepted her into their friend groups.

Most of them had worked on that land for generations, she had wandered from land to land, never staying long enough to become attached to one place. Then Lady Valerius had taken her under her arm and she had not thought of them. She had assumed they had not wanted her there with them, but now she knew the wall she had seen had been built by her own imagination. It made her sad for what could have been, but was far too late to dwell on it. She thanked each of them with as much sincerity as she could muster without tears and accepted each gift, trying to connect each gift to a familiar face so that she might remember them as she used each one.

Still, she was happy. She would start over in a new place, and she would be sure not to allow such a thing as her own imagination stop her from letting herself be welcome again. She would start over... with Erik.

Christine wasn't exactly sure what she thought of Erik. She knew that he had no noble blood, those rumors had reached her at least. But there was a dark intensity about him that she hadn't expected. She knew that he didn't make decisions lightly, Nadir had told her so much. He must have thought her a great advantage as a wife if he had proposed to her. She was determined to fill his expectations.

It would be like running the inn. She told herself. Just bigger, with more money and more servants. Still, the thought frightened her. If she made a mistake in her organization, more would suffer from them.

And then the heir. Christine ran her hand over her stomach, thinking of the baby that would hopefully come into it one day. She liked children, had always wanted her own, but there was no guarantee that she would provide an heir. She might bear three daughters and then never be with child again. She was old for a wife, she did not have as long as most to provide a son. Still, older than her had had sons, though they had already been married by Christine's age.

Not only that, but he left for four of the seven days up coming to the wedding. He said he intended to buy her a ring. Christine's mind was plagued with visions of him being eaten by wolves on the way back. Ridiculous.

She tried not to worry too much, though she did pray near constantly that week that she had not made a mistake. She hadn't prayed so hard since Lady Valerius had become ill, her prayers hadn't seemed to help much then, but she had gained comfort from them. She drew comfort from them now. Somehow she knew that whatever happened, it was meant to be, maybe even for the best.

The night before her wedding, she made the final small changes in her dress before collapsing in bed and sleeping in her day wear. Somehow she couldn't muster up the energy to care that tomorrow she would be a married woman, at the moment, all she wanted was the loving embrace of her bed.

When she woke in the morning, she scrambled to pack what little was left of her belongings. One of the younger girls helped her into her dress and to do up her hair. Christine regretfully realized she wouldn't be able to wear it down anymore, loose hair signified that you were not married.

The ceremony was surprisingly crowded, near everyone from the castle came as well as the King's guard, Nadir, and the King.

Their Priest gave the ceremony. Christine spoke words that she barely understood, her mind was racing. She could barely understand anything around her. How she was wearing Mary's dress? How had all her things ready to pack up and go for the next day? How was she holding the hands of a man she barely knew and reciting vows that would bind her to him forever?

For a moment she had regretted the decision to marry him and had almost ran off back to the castle and stability, but she managed not to flinch when the Duke slid the ring on her finger.

The priest declared them husband and wife.

The world around Christine spun, she could barely think. Then she managed to focus on his eyes, they seemed ashamed. She realized numbly that it was tradition for the married couple to kiss each other in celebration after the ceremony, but they couldn't, because of his mask.

Her heart melted, and the world around her suddenly seemed as clear as glass. Her arms found a way around his neck and she stood on her toes to kiss his jawline, just barely revealed by the mask.

The sudden roar of the crowd surprised Christine so much that she missed the glazed look in Erik's eyes as she did so. She also missed the deep red blush that spread from his cheeks to his ears for she was being pulled away by old friends and he by Nadir.

They walked the mile to the castle where the feast was waiting for them. Christine ate and talked and cried and laughed. Older mothers took her hand and offered advice earnestly, girls ran up to her and begged her to marry them to a knight once she was a duchess, boys begged to be given the right to become a knight. More little presents were slipped in her pockets. She was crushed by the numerous hugs and kisses they all wished to give her.

So surrounded was she by these people that she did not notice Erik sitting in the corner next to Nadir, eating nothing, doing nothing. He merely watched her be surrounded by joy and love and regretting ever of thinking of taking her away from it all.

Sometimes he would pause poking at the chicken on his plate to touch the spot where she had kissed him. Mostly, he ignored Nadir, never letting his eyes leave her smiling, joyful face.


Christine worked at the buttons on her sleeve while Erik sat on their bed, he had left the party early and was already undressed. Sometimes she glanced at him as she worked through the rows of tiny buttons, he seemed downcast.

The room was lit by two candles, one on the dressing table that Christine was using, and the other on the bed table by Erik.

She had just finished her second sleeve when he spoke.

"Do you hate me?"

Christine stared at him, her arm halfway out of her sleeve. "No."

He turned, his voice astonished. "Why not?"

She laughed. "It was my choice to marry you. You didn't force me, why should I hate you?" She hoped that he didn't give a good reason for her to.

"I am taking you away from here, from your friends. From the ones who love you."

She shrugged. "My choice, it was not easy, but it was mine. I can hardly blame you for it."

"Most would." He said ruefully.

She pulled her other arm through her sleeve and began to pull the dress above her head. "It's good you didn't marry them, then." She pulled it off her head, then stood to place it on her chair for the next day. She blew out the candle on her dresser, leaving just the one by the Duke.

Her feet tingled as they felt the bare stone floor, she shivered as she stood in nothing but her shift. She dashed across the cold stone floor to the bed. She pulled back the covers and dove between them, Erik jumped.

"You should join me." Christine whispered.

He nodded, reaching up to adjust his mask before joining her beneath the covers of the bed.

They lay there, in the light of the candle, side by side, both too afraid to blow it out.

"My Lord?" Christine whispered.

"Erik."

"Do you- what?"

He turned to his side to look at her. "Erik, call me by my name. We are married now, after all."

She followed suit. "Oh. Well, Erik," She pressed her head into the pillow a little more. "do you hate me?"

"Of course not, why would you ask such a thing?"

"I don't know, I thought you might, because I was your only option for marriage."

His eyes behind his mask widened. "Why would I blame such a thing on you?"

Christine shrugged. "Many would."

He chuckled. "Well, let us both celebrate our lack of hatred." His thin hand, ungloved, Christine noted, reached out to touch one of the free strands of her hair. "You are very beautiful." He noted.

Christine felt herself flush, to hide it she sat up, reaching across Erik for the candle on the table next to him. But she missed, and stumbled for a moment. Erik's hands, strong and steady, caught her at her waist. With his support she snatched the candlestick, held it up, and blew it out.

Darkness filled the room.

Fun fact, I wrote most of this chapter while listen to the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 soundtrack. Lake Shore Drive is the best thing ever. XD