July 11, Summer, year 36

It's a curse, I swear… No matter how late I go to sleep the previous night by body insists on being awake as six in the morning… There's not even are dawn here, but I know what bloody time it is.

Errgg….

At least I managed to fall back to sleep. A warm Skye and comforting heartbeat sound does tend to help with that… It was what happened after I woke up the second time that was… weirdly unnerving.

Waking at six in the morning was not unusual to Claire. Even on very little sleep the routine was so ingrained that it was just another fact of life.

But waking properly usually was completely dependent on caffeine. So it wasn't too hard to see why she was utterly disoriented upon her first awakening.

The bed was far too soft, the blankets were too numerous for a summer day—and it felt too chill to be summer—and the sounds that filtered into her consciousness were not those of her farm waking up.

Blearily, she blinked, disentangling herself from Skye long enough to glance around the room. Which she didn't recognize. Claire refused to panic, but it was a close thing.

It took another twenty minutes for her to remember that they were in Tranquility Palace, that she had come with her children to ensure that Skye would be allowed to abdicate his throne to… someone, she didn't know yet who.

Initially what it all meant was that she could have more sleep, and she took that with a grateful sigh, snuggling back up to her husband who was less than half awake himself.

When they woke the second time, it was to a polite series of tapping knocks. Claire buried her head under one of the fluffy pillows, willing the person on the other side of the locked door to go away. Skye knew better, and slid out of bed, grabbing a bathrobe—the blue one that Claire had made him—tying it closed before unlocking and opening the door the barest margin.

"Yes?"

"Your Honored Mother wishes your attendance for a family breakfast in thirty minutes time, Prince Sora," it was the same messenger from the night previous, looking weary and ready for her rest. "She extends this wish to the lady, and the children that accompany you, and requests that you dress accordingly."

"My thanks," and Skye gave the young woman a faint smile. "You should hurry to your rest, you look ready to collapse."

There was a short pause as the messenger attempted to decipher whether it was criticism or not. Claire could almost hear the confusion, and let out a faint sigh from the bed. Skye chuckled.

"I appreciate what you've done for me and my family," he informed the messenger, sea-green eyes glittering with humor. "You deserve a break."

"Ah!" and the messenger bowed, trying not to smile herself. "You are actually the last of my duties for the day, my thanks for your consideration. There is suitable clothing for the lady and the children in the wardrobes, and…" The messenger flicked a glance around the hall, lowering her voice. "Tell her that what she did last night was most impressive, and won her more respect than enmity."

"I will. Have a good rest."

Skye closed the door gently, rested his back against it, and began to snicker. Claire raised a blonde brow at him.

"Apparently the way you acted last night won you respect love," Skye teased. "Make a point of noticing who greets you once we are freed from the breakfast."

"Dress accordingly?" Claire brown went down, a frown crossing her face. "I assume that means dress nice…"

"Yes, yes it does. Let's see what they have for us, mm?"

She reluctantly climbed out of bed, twining a blanket around her bare body as Skye went over to the large wardrobe—it literally took up half the wall on its own—and slid open one side.

To say it was filled with pastel… would have been both accurate, and an understatement. Claire looked at the pastel and gauze, then turned an unamused glance to her husband.

"I refuse to dress like a clone," she said flatly.

Skye agreed, tapping his chin in thought. There was no time to actually attempt to rustle up new clothes though, in the bright, dynamic hues that they both were fond of. Five minutes passed, then Claire snapped her fingers, grinning.

"Lauren!" she exclaimed.

"Lauren?" Skye blinked, puzzled.

"She can change the color of the clothing we choose," and Claire's smirk was pure mischief. "So it won't matter what we're wearing, we can make the colors our own."

Skye thought about this, then chuckled, and ruffled Claire's already unkempt hair. She retaliated by ducking away from his hand and lightly smacked his shoulder.

"Behave you," she mock-huffed, running her fingers through her hair. "Mm, I should braid this up…"

"No, leave it loose," and he smiled at the confused expression on her face. "It makes you more impressive."

There was a short pause as Claire digested this.

"I'm not sure that was a compliment," and she laughed when Skye huffed. "but okay."

From her backpack, Claire produced an old brush that had been her Grandma April's—she had been Grandpa Max's wife—and split her hair into two parts, pulling them over the shoulder to work out the tangles.

"I should start braiding this at night," she muttered to herself not for the first time. "Or just cut it again…"

"Perish the thought," Skye shook a finger at her as he went through the clothes, trying to find something… not pastel. "I like seeing your hair."

"Yeah, you like sleeping on it too."

"I do not sleep on it," he snorted.

"Oh?" And Claire raised an eyebrow at him, lips curving in a teasing smile. "I beg to differ, and I'm the one it's attached to. So nyah."

And she stuck out her tongue. Skye stuck his out in response, and the farmer burst into giggles. Sixteen years, and they were still a pair of ridiculous goofballs when the mood took them.

Claire flipped the long blonde locks back over her shoulder, placing the brush on the nightstand next to the bed. If they were going to be here a while, it wouldn't hurt to leave things lying around to feel a little more… home-like, right? Then she joined Skye at the closet.

"Oh just grab something," she teased him, gently poking his ribs. "It won't matter, you know."

"Yes, yes," he chuckled. "Still…"

Claire shook her head, reached in and grabbed the first outfit that came to hand. The clothing itself was nice, pure silk and the finest of satins for the gauzy overcoat, but the colors…

She just shook her head and started pulling things on. The pants were a pale amber, the over-dress was sleeveless, split at the seam up to the hip to allow for freedom of movement, and descended almost to the hem of the pants. It was a pastel pink, not one of Claire's favorite colors—she much preferred her pinks darker, much more vivid. And the translucent coat with it's tightly cuffed sleeves was silver-grey, descending to her knees. She tied a pale green belt around the dress, and inspected herself in the freestanding mirror next to the wardrobe with a frown.

"I feel like I should be walking out of some story-book fairy tale," she muttered a touch sourly. "Only my hair's the wrong shade for it…"

The bright gold of Claire's hair overpowered the paler colors, washing them out even more. Skye chuckled, leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Soon enough it will look fine," he smiled at her. "Though that is an interesting piece of information. I never knew Laurie could do that."

The farmer grinned despite herself.

"You've never paid that much attention to their clothes either," Claire replied. "I, on the other hand, made most of them. I recall quite clearly which colors I used. So when new colors started showing up I got curious."

"You mean you got annoyed."

"…okay, fine yes."

Claire had been annoyed. Not because the colors were different, but because she hadn't been able to figure out how they were changing! It had bothered her for several months until she'd finally caught Lauren at it.

The girl had been a little panicked, thinking her mother was upset with her, but Claire had only laughed and been quite relieved. Better to change the colors with magic than with dyes after all, especially considering Laurie had only been ten.

"And I guess it wasn't really relevant at the time, I mean she was only just starting her lessons in magic," the blonde shook her head in amusement. "To be honest, once I figured it out, I filed it away and forgot about it unless I needed her help in the sewing room."

Skye adjusted the fall of his overcoat—he had been dressing while Claire had been speaking—and waved a finger at his wife in mock-reproof. She just gave him a wry grin, flicking a dark teal hair tie in his direction. He tied his hair back just as the door separating their room from the children's was knocked on.

"It's safe," they chorused, grinning at each other.

The door was promptly flung open and the PJ'd kids tumbled in. The stopped short upon seeing the clothes their parents were wearing, blinking.

"Raid the closet," and Skye slid the other half open for them. "We've been invited to have breakfast with my Mother and likely my siblings as well."

"But it's all… pastel," Lauren grimaced.

"So change it," Claire chuckled. "Please change it."

The fifteen-year-old girl thought for a minute, then grinned at her mother. She didn't often admit it, but Laurie was very fond of her quirky ability, and used it as often as she could get away with it.

Skye stepped aside, motioning for Lauren to do what she did best, and the girl reached out, touching fabric. It was like a wave, Skye noted. The colors changed, darkening, or brightening their way out of pastel, running together in the oddest of combinations and even changing to another color all together.

It even affected what he and Claire were wearing, to his surprise and her abject relief.

For Claire, the amber pants shifted to a dark green. Pale pink darkened into magenta, silver darkened to a storm-grey hue. The tight cuffs and belt became a sharp, contrasting orange.

In Skye's case, the silver vanished from his pants, changing to a light brown. His overcoat became a brilliant shade of sapphire blue, and his tunic changed to mach the color of leaves in the summer, a bright vibrant green. His belt shifted to match the teal hair tie, which was the only thing that hadn't changed.

"Man," Jamie blinked, looking at the closet. "It's like someone went and threw buckets of dye in there!"

Laurie reached out and whacked her twin upside the head. He just grinned, letting her.

"I left some little-kid clothes pastel," she panted, wiping her forehead. "Cause Meri would look cute in it. But everything else is much better now, don't you think?"

The closet was a mix of bright and dark colors, a rainbow all on its own, barely a pastel shade in sight. Claire applauded her daughter's handiwork, and Skye gave her an approving smile.

"Better hurry, we have only fifteen minutes until we have to leave for breakfast," the prince noted.

This prompted a quick grab of clothing—Claire pulled out some from the drawers for her youngest—and the girls retreated back to the former junk room to get dressed.

"We're going to be a walking rainbow," Jamie joked as the door closed.

It actually wasn't that far off for a description. Robes, high collars and gauzes abounded as they traversed the halls, Skye in the lead. The brilliant colors and confidence that the family exhumed—saying quite clearly that they would continue to flaunt customs because they were not theirs—attracted all kinds of attention from passing servants to patrolling guards.

Those without robes and sashes had a hard time keeping grins from their faces. The guards managed it by their many years of training but lesser servants found themselves having to stop their chores momentarily to have a good chuckle.

Jamie had to admit that he wasn't too fond of the attention. Since he was the only one in the family with the straight silver hair of his father, he was the one that everyone assumed was the best of the best. Occasionally his hand would come up to rub the bright orange overcoat in a nervous gesture, and he did his best to keep from meeting anyone's eyes.

Lauren was downright pleased with her handiwork, even if she wasn't too fond of the clothes themselves. She would much rather have been in her favorite jeans and jacket instead of this fancy get-up.

Alan was actually rather sulky. Sure the clothes were cool, but they were fancy clothes. Fancy clothes were hard to play in, and tended to tear when one least expected it. And he just didn't like them in general, if something got torn it would be worse here because the clothes weren't his.

Mirei was ecstatic. She loved playing fancy dress-up. To her, this was nothing more than a game, a chance to pretend that she was royalty too. She was practically skipping through the halls, swirling the bright clothes around her gleefully.

Meri… was uncertain. They were not her usual clothes, and she didn't want anything to happen to them. Ruining borrowed clothing was Bad, and because of this she had begged Claire to carry her.

Claire and Skye, by mutual agreement, were ignoring the onlookers, hands intertwined. Claire was actually looking forward to another chance to talk with Queen Tsukiko, outside of her court. She doubted that there would be less condensation—she was only mortal after all, and she expected it—but there was still a slight chance of maybe making her acknowledge Skye's choice.

The door they arrived at was of the same pale golden wood as the rest of the doors in Tranquility Palace, carved with vines and fruits in almost lifelike detail. Skye knocked once, then pushed the door open without waiting for an answer.

As they walked in, nine pairs of eyes locked onto them. Mirei quietly closed the door behind them, and silence fell.

There was a pained look on Tsukiko's face as she looked at Skye.

"Sora, what are you wearing?" she sighed.

"Color," he replied blandly. "Courtesy of my eldest daughter Lauren."

Laurie gave a faint wave, flushing a little under the sudden scrutiny.

"At least the magic is strong," the queen murmured, flicking a faintly annoyed glance at Claire. "I guess some mortals do have the capability of standing aside for their betters."

Claire gave her a sweet, sharp smile, and said nothing. Tsukiko raised a silver eyebrow, as though surprised.

"Nothing to say little mortal? Was your defiance last night nothing more than a fool's gamble to win admiration of the court?"

"Until my name is used, I see no reason to give you a response," was the sharp reply. "Courtesy for courtesy Madam."

There was a burst of giggles, quickly muffled, from the youngest silver-haired female in the room. Skye had to stifle a grin of his own, but his eyes glittered with suppressed amusement.

"Mortals are so ponderous," the queen sighed. "You insist on attempting to take me on in my court, but will not give me that same sharp tongue in privacy? What a weak soul…"

"I have nothing worth saying," Claire shrugged lightly, "to someone who believes that she is always correct."

"Child, consider yourself warned," Tsukiko's grey eyes narrowed just slightly. "You are not wedded to my son unless I say, and you are not building up my goodwill."

The biting smile was back, as Claire shifted Meredith from one arm to the other.

"It will be a sad day in the hells when I require your regard," she informed the queen. Several pairs of eyes widened in shock. "My husband has chosen, and that is all that I require. Your word? Un. Im. Por. Tant."

Shock reigned the room for several minutes.

"Well, I suppose I should expect that from a woman with no class," the Queen sniffed. "These children are tainted as well, from being of her blood. Sora, I really must insist…"

Before Claire could say anything, Meri said it first.

"Don't you talk bad about Mommy!" the child demanded from Claire's arms. "She's lots nicer than you are!"

"Yeah," Alan piped up. "I thought Grandma's were supposed to be friendly!"

"Apparently not," Jamie snorted, "considering how she's treating us."

"Tainted?!" Lauren fumed. "Cripes lady, we at least know enough to have fun! This place is such a downer, I'll be surprised if you even have any festivals!"

"You're just mad that Momma keeps getting the upper hand," Mirei chimed in, propping her hands on her hips.

Again, silence, this time radiating of Tsukiko's disapproval. On this, the Queen would not budge, Skye knew, regardless of the proof pushed into her face. Even without her robes on—which Claire had noticed that no one in the room was wearing—the Queen was a stubborn woman.

"As amusing as this all is," drawled one of the young men in the room, drawing the attention of his mother. "I would like to get the chance to meet such a formidable lady.."

Reluctantly the Queen backed down, retreating to a throne-like chair in the center of the room, next to a low table filled with food. Skye let out a faint sigh of relief, and turned to the young man that had once been his youngest brother Kaemon.

Kaemon gave Skye the faintest of sympathetic smiles, lifting his cane slightly. Claire noticed that his right arm was missing from the elbow down, and couldn't quite prevent herself from staring. This was interrupted by a black and gold blur flinging herself at Skye in a formidable hug.

"Eldest brother! How good of you to return home!"

Skye laughed, patting the young woman gingerly on the head as she released him. Claire had to admit, she was impressed with her looks. Silver hair hung to her waist in curly ringlets, framing a delicate, heart-shaped face, and dark grey eyes. She hadn't expected the black either, which this Princess wore from top to toe. Well, almost; white boots peeped out from under the black skirt.

Gold trimmed the long black jacket over a silver-specked black dress, and Claire mentally raised her eyebrows as she attempted to figure how much it would cost to make such an outfit. Skye's voice pulled her back to the present.

"Yukiko, you're prettier than ever," he complimented. "Pulled any jokes lately?"

Princess Yukiko released him, and winked one grey eye lightly, then turned and offered a friendly smile to Claire, who was clearly taken aback.

"Forgive my Mother, she is very set in her ways. My name is Yukiko, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Claire blinked a couple more times, then slowly grinned. This was much better.

"I'm Claire. This little one is Meredith, or Meri for short," Meri started at Yukiko, then hid her face in her mother's shoulder, prompting laughter from all assembled. "These two are Alan and Mirei," the younger twins waved, Mirei grinning widely. "And my older pair are Lauren and James."

"Jamie," he corrected instantly, "preferably."

"It is lovely to meet all of you," Yukiko curtsied. "Please, come join us."

Claire flicked a glance at Skye, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. As one, they moved over to the rest of the assembled PoM, Meri occasionally peeking up from Claire's shoulder undeniably shy.

There weren't any chairs, but there was a plethora of comfortable cushions, and one couch, which Kaemon occupied. Not that Claire could blame him, she had a feeling that the cane was anything but ornamental.

"You found yourself quite a spitfire, Eldest Brother" Kaemon said, smiling warmly. "I did not think there was any who could equal out Lady Mother in her moods, but apparently I never thought to look upon the Earth."

Claire blushed a little bit, and rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. Skye chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Claire that is my brother Kaemon. He is usually in residence at the Rain Palace with his lady wife and daughter," and here Skye smiled in amusement at his brother, "who I hear is quite the lady as well."

Kaemon chuckled.

"Forgive me for not rising Lady Claire," and Kaemon's blue eyes darkened slightly. "However I was badly injured many years ago, and I cannot stand for a long period of time."

"Don't worry about it," she said quickly. "And really, just Claire is fine. As your mother said, I don't have class."

"Married to our brother you do," another young man nodded slightly purple eyes flashing with humor, and a tiny hint of jealousy. "It makes you a Princess in your own right."

"That's Daisuke," Skye nodded at him. "The one I intend to nominate to the council tomorrow."

There was a brief pause, and several eyes widened.

"Nominate?"

Claire rubbed her ringing ears, wincing slightly. Skye did as well, then grinned faintly.

"I have my life down on Earth," he informed the room at large. "I like it down there. I intend to abdicate and give the throne to you Dai."

"But… why?" this came from a young man with dark green eyes. He was dressed in a militarial fashion with close fitting close, and there was a glitter of chain-mail that had not been used in a fight. "There is so much unrest, and the people were expecting their long-lost Prince…"

"Because there is something more important than the throne Akio," Skye interrupted. "Something, and several someones that I will not abandon."

Claire couldn't keep from smiling warmly, a faintly pleased blush crossing her face. Jamie and Lauren just grinned, Alan and Mirei shared confused looks, then shrugged. It was Dad, who could figure him out some days.

"In truth, I'm only here until the council accepts the decision," and now Skye grimaced. "Are they still ponderously slow?"

"They're the council," Daisuke shrugged. "I don't think they know the meaning of 'decide quickly.' Even for us."

"As well they should not," Tsukiko interjected, frowning at them. "Many decisions would be made in foolish haste, ones which we cannot afford."

There was an underlying tone to her words, of severe disapproval. Skye abdicating had clearly not been what she had expected, even after the words Claire had spoken in the throne room.

"As you say," and Daisuke bowed to his mother in respect.

"At minimum they will take six month to decide," another male grumbled, sea-green eyes—similar enough to Skye's that Claire blinked—flicking across the room to the group then away. "And til then you have to at least act the part Eldest Brother."

"Toshihiro," Yukiko scolded. "Sora knows his duties!"

Skye cleared his throat, but Toshihiro simply huffed in annoyance, turning away and folding his arms sulkily.

"Toshi resents the fact that Sora was given permission to leave," and Claire jumped as a brown clad Princess stepped away from the bookshelf. "He harbors a great deal of resentment against our Eldest Brother."

Somehow, the blonde found herself situated on the floor between Kaemon's couch and the amber-eyed, brown clad Princess, without quite knowing when she had moved over, or sat down on the plump purple cushion.

It was clear however, that the words had been meant for the blonde alone, said so quietly that only Kaemon, who was next closest, could hear them.

"Not all of us bear him resentment," the crippled Prince murmured, taking care to keep out of the argument brewing between Toshihiro, Daisuke, Skye and Yukiko. "But Daisuke and Toshihiro… yes, they hold a bit of animosity. Also, allow me to introduce Hotaru, my elder sister."

Hotaru nodded to Claire, and gave her a tiny, shy smile. It put her in mind of Mary, and how she had been before becoming a famous author and leaving the island and the library.

"The other two children in the room, are the youngest of the family," and Kaemon pointed with his cane to a young boy with bright orange eyes who had engaged Mirei and Alan in conversation. "That is Yue. And…"

The youngest Princess wandered up to Claire and Meredith, reached out, and poked the smallest child in the shoulder. Hesitantly, Meri unburied her face from Claire's shoulder, to meet a pair of bright green eyes.

"Hi!" the girl exclaimed. "I'm Hoshiko! Come play?"

Claire chuckled, releasing Meredith. Mismatched eyes stared uncertainly, and she jumped when Hoshiko grabbed her hand and started to pull her away. Instantly she wriggled free and flung herself at her mother, hiding behind her.

"…that would be Hoshi," Kaemon chuckled at his little sister's bewilderment. "The youngest of the brood. She's never been very shy."

"Well, Meri is very shy," Claire smiled a little at Hoshi. "But I'm certain she'll want to play later, okay?"

Green eyes turned thoughtful—surprisingly so for one as young as Hoshi—then the child darted away, returning seconds later with several stuffed dolls.

"We can play here!" she said in delight. "Please?"

Kaemon, Hotaru, and Claire all smiled. Meredith peered out from behind her mother's hair, and slowly edged out. She didn't much care for strangers, but according to Papa, these were family too… and they did look like him…

Hoshi offered Meri a stuffed cat doll, green eyes bright and friendly. After a minute the child accepted the gift and sat down to play with her age-mate.

Claire glanced around as Hotaru retreated back to her corner—followed after a moment by an uncertain Lauren, who wanted to get a better look at the clothes. Akio and Jamie were involved in some sort of discussion, and Skye was still speaking—the argument had left with Toshihiro, who had just stormed out in frustration—with Daisuke and Yukiko.

"At a bit of a loss Lady Claire?" Kaemon smiled.

"Well… yes, actually," she shook her head ruefully. "I'm not really sure where to start…"

"Please, remain here," he nodded slightly. "I would like the chance to converse with you, outside of officiality and the robes. You must indeed be quite the lady to attract my eldest brother's attention."

Claire blushed, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"We mostly met because he was stealing from the Valley where I live," she admitted with a quiet laugh.

"Sora, thieving?"

This got the attention of the remaining siblings, who gravitated in Claire's direction. Her children knew the stories of their father's thefts, but they always loved listening to their mother tell the stories.

Even Queen Tsukiko was intrigued enough to slip closer. Skye coughed in embarrassment as his siblings stared at him, then turned back to Claire, pelting her with questions.

The blond spluttered with laughter, both at the look on her husband's face, and the looks of his siblings. And proceeded to tell the full story, which extended well beyond breakfast, and even through the lunch hour. Thankfully it was a rest day, so there was no court for anyone to leave for, and the meals were delivered right to the room.

Toshihiro returned after a while, and despite himself listened in as well. To hear of his 'oh so perfect' eldest brother committing crimes… it was something of a treat for him after the loss of the argument.

"So, what did you think?" Skye asked as they readied for bed.

"I think my voice is hoarse from all that talking," Claire croaked, gratefully changing into her pajamas. "You didn't tell them anything about your life on Earth?"

"I didn't think they'd be so interested…" he admitted. "And everything would have had to pass through a messenger first, so it would be secondhand information at the very best."

"What's Toshi's problem?" she asked after a long moment of silence, fingers deftly plaiting her hair. "It's almost like he hates you… I mean, Kae said that he and Dai resent you, but this seems worse…"

Skye chuckled, taking note of how quickly Claire had picked up their nicknames. It was nice to think that she could fit in just fine as long as several out-dated traditions were removed.

"I honestly do not know my love," he replied, hanging up the bright clothes. "Admittedly, we have never been on the best of terms, even when I was here. Part of it, as Kae says, stems from envy over the fact that I, as Eldest Son," and he made a face at the title, making Claire giggle, "was given a bye on my duties to roam the Earth, whereas when he made a similar request he was denied because he is the fourth son, and slated for marriage and alliance."

"That's kind of sad," the farmer tied off one braid and began to work on the other. "Wasn't there anything you could do?"

"I didn't hear about it until a long time later," he admitted, climbing onto the unnaturally soft bed. "So… no. Unfortunately. I think he would be much happier among the people of Earth instead of here, but trying to convince my mother of that is an uphill battle."

"Like her acceptance of me as your wife," she said dryly. "Though I expected that, all things considered."

He gave her a light tug, pulling her backwards. She went with the move, leaning her head against his shoulder as she continued to braid, and he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"In case you're wondering," Claire said tartly, after the minutes had passed in silence. "No, I don't doubt you. Idiot."

She felt him start as she tied off the second braid, then turned, reaching up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. His arms felt warm around her waist, and she nuzzled his neck lightly, once.

"How could I doubt you after all that you've given me?"

He let out a soft sigh, and she felt a subtle tension ease from his body. She thought about being offended, then just sighed, and smiled wryly.

"You're an idiot," she teased gently. "You tell me to take a long view on things sometimes, but when it comes down to it, you need to take a shorter view to see the obvious."

"Isn't that what I have you for?"

Startled, she looked up into his sea-green eyes. He was worried, worried that a place like this would intimidate her into someone he didn't recognize. They couldn't be together all hours of the day, and she would have no patience for court… but that didn't stop him from wanting to protect her in the only way he knew how.

She reached up, and lightly caressed his cheek, blue eyes soft with a look reserved only for him.

"They can't dominate me, and they can't change me," she said softly. "I'm not going to become some fancy lady because they tell me my marriage to you makes me a princess, and I'm certainly not going to abandon my home and farm for a bunch of PoM clones. Hear?"

"Again with the PoM?" his eyes were suspiciously bright, but he was smiling. "It make them sound like a type of dog."

She snickered, and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

He worries, and for good reason, but I refuse to let the place change who I am. I will act as myself. No person in the world can change that.