marlowemuses | Fools in Love, for gentry

"Thank you," Laurent said, kissing Gansey's cheek and getting dressed. He stretched, often stealing glances over at Gansey as they both got dressed. "Shall we go be princes?" Laurent asked, with a wry smirk. He would of course prefer to spend the day lounging or adventuring with Gansey again, but the kingdom's needs came first.

Stealing a kiss to tide him over, Laurent wound their fingers together. "I love you," he said, eyes starry with affection. "Let's go find out what your mother has decided for our fate."

"We had to at some point," he grinned as he smoothed down the clothes he'd dragged onto his body, making himself look proper. "It was only a matter of time before reality caught up to us." Really, he preferred the constant sex and frolicking in the woods.

When Laurent wound their fingers together Gansey gave him an affectionate squeeze. "I hope you'll still love me after you hear what my mother has in store," he chuckled, stealing just one more kiss for the road.

Leading the way to the private dining area, the Queen was already sitting at the table when they walked in, looking her usual ruddy and lovely self. "My darlings!" she said, delighted to have the company at breakfast. "I see you got my note. There's much to tell you about."

Gansey grinned and flagged down one of the maids, asking her to bring a cup of tea for him and some coffee for Laurent. "Good morning, mother," he greeted after, pulling out Laurent's chair for him and then taking the seat beside.

"I expect we'll be blown away by all your plans."

"Good morning, your highness," Laurent said, all warmth and friendliness to the Queen. "I hope you'll forgive our absence from court these past days. Richard has been touring me around your beautiful castle and kingdom."

Polite and unguarded, Laurent clasped Gansey's hand, being charming and playful, though his playfulness was entirely innocent while they were in the Queen's company.

"Is there a date for the wedding?" Laurent asked, knowing that both kingdoms would be impatient to have the matter secured. No matter what the personal feelings of the princes in question, the treaty was a fragile thing until the wedding was finalized, and there were plenty of persons who would benefit from the alliance being dissolved.

To say nothing of Laurent's own impatience on the matter. The sooner he belonged to Gansey, the better.

The Queen waved her hand back and forth, "Oh, it's nothing to worry about. You're getting to know one another, as you should. We all understand."

Gansey smiled, stuffing a piece of muffin in his mouth with his free hand as he reclined in his chair. The maid brought them their hot drinks.

She continued, "As it happens, I've called you here to detail how the next two years will go. It's a very important time. Starting, of course, with the wedding. The date is two weeks from now. We're all very eager to have the alliance set, and the sooner the better. Everything is fast underway. It'll be in the grand church, which is in the center of the capitol. I don't suppose Richard showed you it? Probably not, he's never been heavily invested in our faith."

Buttering a slice of toast, she took a bite and Gansey shot Laurent a look, eyebrow raised and shoulders shrugged. There were better things to do than go stare at a church.

"We'll have the rehearsal here, of course. The ceremony will lead to a parade through the capitol with a meet and greet with all our people, leading to the banquet hall here where we'll hold the reception with the lords and ladies. The invitations have already been sent. Of course, my dear, your family will have a seat of honor, with us. Then you're arranged for your two week honeymoon at Castle Cove—it's a lovely place along the sea—followed by a visit to each of our major towns and cities to introduce yourself to the people as the official consort.

Once that's done you'll both return here and Richard will begin formal lessons for inheriting the crown from his father, and we'll discuss adoption."

At adoption, Gansey choked on his muffin piece. The Queen looked at him, "Dear, don't interrupt. Of course you're going to adopt. I want grandchildren sooner rather than later, and how do you expect to care for a baby when you're king? You won't. So you'll have to do it before you inherit, obviously. I won't have my grandchildren raised by the servants. That's not our way." Turning to Laurent, she shot him a dazzling smile, "You understand, don't you, my dear?"

Laurent arched one perfect golden brow at the Queen's calm statement that she was going to detail their next two years. He had the utmost respect for the Queen, well-earned, and was happy to defer to her in arranging their social schedule, but Laurent wasn't about to have his entire life dictated by his mother-in-law.

All the fuss of the rehearsal and banquet sounded exhausting, but also necessary. The honeymoon was at the castle Gansey had mentioned, which would have been Laurent's choice, and he likewise was pleased by the tour of the country.

He hadn't yet begun to eat, not after that I've called you here to detail how the next two years will go, so he had nothing to choke on. As she spoke, Laurent calmly added a lump of sugar to his coffee, and some cream.

"I'm certain that Richard and I would be delighted to begin discussing our plans for adoption at that time," Laurent said, happy to promise that much. Discuss. Not enact. And there absolutely would not be any babies. He stirred his coffee with a delicate spoon, returning her smile cordially. "Richard and I would want to be sure we could dedicate adequate attention to the matter, and we would of course want to handle those arrangements ourselves."

He turned his cordial smile toward Gansey, as though just making idle breakfast conversation. "Is Helen working on those grandchildren?"

Edited 2016-10-28 04:41 (UTC)

Between talk of babies and being referred to as Richard so frequently, Gansey was beginning to feel rather exhausted. But he could play the game just as well as anyone else, even if he'd rather go muck out the stables or scrub all the toilets in the castle. The smile he returned to Laurent was just as cordial as he took a sip of his tea to wash down some of that muffin that had gotten stuck in his windpipe, "I don't know. I expect that she should, given that she's been married for some time now. A year, as a matter of fact."

The Queen smiled in return, taking a sip of her own coffee. "Oh, never you two mind Helen. She's not the heir to the throne. We must assure that our line will continue. Plus, the people will want to see the royal family continue to blossom. It's also a matter of morale."

"Her children could be in line," Gansey smiled, "considering that they're still related to us. Laurent, what would you like for breakfast today? I recommend the eggs and ham."

Laurent relaxed at Gansey's charming sass, glad that Gansey was on his side and that they had the capacity to challenge the Queen's will. He gave Gansey's hand a squeeze. "Eggs and ham would be lovely, thank you."

Letting go of Gansey's hand, Laurent sipped at his coffee, willing to negotiate how much they obeyed and how much they balked. "I know almost nothing about the orphanage systems of the Raven Kingdom. Once we return from our honeymoon, I'd like to get involved with that. It breaks my heart that there are children in the world without loving homes."

He didn't yet mention his idea of starting a school in the castle for orphans and training them to diplomacy and politics, so that they could choose an heir from the orphans and provide the rest with whatever careers they chose. But he wanted it established that he was actively interested in adoption, and to curtail any idea of them "adopting" a baby with political connections, which would otherwise still have access to a perfectly privileged life, which happened frequently in Vere. Same sex couples would "adopt" a cousin's youngest child, securely keeping the wealth in the family. Laurent found it disgraceful.

"But all of that can wait until after the wedding. We'll be busy enough until then. Have you decided on a color scheme for the wedding?"

Gansey flagged one of the maids and told her what they would like for breakfast, as well as some chocolate stuffed croissants, because he thought Laurent might like them. Bowing, she hurried off to tell the cook, leaving the Queen and the young men to discuss the wedding.

At the mention of the orphanages, Gansey smiled, utterly charmed and besotted by his fiance as he spoke. It was plain for all to see; he rested his chin on his hand and watched Laurent with soft eyes as he spoke. The Queen's eyes darted between the two of them with mirth. Her expression probably read something along the lines of: Goodness, my son is such a sap. Though she was pleased to hear that Laurent would like to get involved in such things. It was good for their land, and it was good in the public eye.

"Of course," the Queen answered, willing to let the discussion of adoption settle for now. "As you probably have learned, green is our main color. And we've decided to pair it with gold." She took another sip of her coffee. "There are some things I would like your input on, however. Nothing serious. Simply a few things that are a matter of taste. While it is a political affair, that doesn't mean that it can't involve some of your preferences."

Gansey glanced at his mother, eyebrow raised, "Oh?"

The Queen nodded. "A choice of flowers, for the decorations. If you would like an open coach or a closed coach for the parade through the capitol. Shall we let free birds or butterflies when you leave the church? Those kinds of things. Ah, and..." She fixed her gaze on Laurent, "Richard has already expressed the desire to me to give you the family ring as well as one of his own. You'll give him a band in return—you should think about what you would like to do for that."

"White flowers, predominantly," Laurent requested. "I'm fond of lilies. Open coach, unless it rains. We'll want to be as visible as possible, especially then. Butterflies, if we must."

His food came and he picked up one of the croissants, tearing off small pieces and nibbling at them as they discussed the details. "I assumed as much, regarding the ring. I've already made arrangements for it. Do you want us both in matching green and gold? We might be most striking if you put Richard in green and gold and me in white and gold. Perhaps an emerald earring for me and a diamond for him."

"That sounds lovely," the Queen answered, only raising an eyebrow at the mention of earrings. It wasn't odd for Laurent considering he had a piercing, but Gansey did not. But the Queen wasn't about to ask if her son was going to suck it up and get a piercing—he enjoyed being contrary, and if she expressed any kind of approval, he might decide not to do what he wanted. "You'll both look very handsome."

Gansey smiled, taking a bite of one of the croissants himself. "I'm in agreement with everything Laurent suggested. I'm fond of lilies, too." Turning his face toward his fiance, "I think it would be nice to add a bit of Vere, as well. What about if we collect some of those flowers you'd mentioned and adorn the coach with them? The kids would love catching them."

The Queen looked interested. "It would be an excellent show if we added some Veretian touches," she agreed with a smile. "How are weddings in Vere, my dear? I've not had the pleasure of attending one before."

"Elaborate and expensive," Laurent answered. "The more elaborate, the better." Often blatantly sexual, as well, but Laurent thought that was best left out of his description. "I would gladly forego most Veretian customs for the ceremony. Veretian accents for the wardrobe and the carriage, perhaps? A few Veretian specialties for food, and candies. Veretians love their candies, and a good confectioner can create the most fanciful creations, which we could distribute to the people."

He smiled at Gansey in return, letting their knees brush beneath the table. It was fun to be able to plan this with him.

"I like the sound of that," Gansey grinned, sliding his foot up Laurent's calf in response to their knees brushing. "Fanciful candies? I'd like to try some of those. They sound like something the people would adore."

The Queen nodded, helping herself to some more toast. "It will be a day of grand celebration for the people. We like to involve them as much as possible. When I married Richard's father, we made flower crowns by the great fountain and gave paper lanterns to the children. We set them off into the sky that night. It was beautiful."

Gansey rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip, looking like he wanted to say something else but deciding against it. He wasn't going to ask Laurent if he'd feed him candies in front of his mother. That was a question he'd save for later.

"What of the wedding night suite?" he asked before popping the spoon in his mouth to suck on.

"That will be for you two to decide," the Queen promptly answered. "Traditionally, the couple will select where they'd like to spend their wedding night together. Any place within the capitol. You don't have to stay in the castle."

"We'll discuss it," Laurent promised, taking a few more bites. "We also still need to decide which suite of rooms within the castle we'd like, once we're married. I've already expressed to Richard that while I find his room incredibly charming, it isn't the sort of place where a married couple could live." He gave Gansey a wry smile, intending to use the information to help assure the Queen that, see, Laurent was a steadying influence on Gansey. Persuading him into more sensible living arrangements. "We were going to look at some of the available suites this evening, if we have time."

No harm, he thought, in putting the idea in the Queen's head, especially if the situation was as Gansey had described. If they were lucky, the Queen might put the idea to Helen before they had the chance.

Gansey gave a short nod of his head to confirm Laurent's words.

"Maybe I'll actually take up falconry," he said cheerfully, "since that's what I originally planned on using that room for. That'll be interesting, don't you think?"

The Queen was torn between being pleased that her son was going to move into an actual suite, and distressed that he was planning on taking up breeding dangerous birds of prey. Chucking, she pat her cheek with her hand, "Eccentric as always, Richard. I do think it's a good idea for you to choose a suite to move into."

"We want Helen's," Gansey said bluntly, not bothering to beat around the bush.

The Queen shrugged, "Oh, I'm sure that won't be a problem. She doesn't live here anymore anyway. If anything, I can convince her to be generous."

Gansey grinned and sipped his tea again. Clearly, there was a favorite.

Laurent's brows wrinkled slightly at the suggestion of falconry. He was confident he could dissuade Gansey from that, and he rather liked the idea of keeping the tower just as it was. A study. A sanctuary.

He was surprised and amused by how easily Gansey secured Helen's suite, and how shamelessly. "I appreciate that," Laurent said, pressing his lips together briefly to contain his smirk.

"May we be excused?" he asked, setting his empty cup aside. "We have business to attend. I'm grateful for your time spent with us, and all the work you're doing to prepare for our wedding."

"Of course," the Queen said, nodding her head in approval. "I'm sure there's much you'd like to take care of. We'll be in touch, of course, about anything else that might come up."

Gansey stood and pulled Laurent's chair out for him so that he might stand as well, "It's been a delight, mother. As usual. I'll be taking care of those feuds around the city today so we won't be back until late."

Sliding his hand into Laurent's and giving it a squeeze, "Though, we'll be visiting Butternut first. She must be close to giving birth. Any day now." Then Laurent would have a horse to raise, again.

"Let's go."

Laurent still didn't have the heart to tell Gansey that he'd never raised a horse in his life, and intended to leave most of the business squarely in the hands of the professionals. It was sweet, and Gansey was so proud of it.

Squeezing Gansey's hand in return, Laurent tugged him into a run, ducking through corridors holding hands as they sped down to the stables, young and full of energy. He was laughing as they tumbled in through the stable doors, letting go of Gansey's hand so that they could enter Butternut's stall.

Kneeling by the horse's side, Laurent offered his hand so that she could recognize his scent, and then he petted her nose, murmuring gently to her.

Gansey grinned and leaned and draped himself across the side of the stall when Laurent kneeled by Butternut's side. The horse was very, very pregnant, comfortable in a pile of hay and clearly pleased to see them. She sniffed his hand and huffed, closing her eyes when her nose was pet.

"She's fond of you," Gansey said, wearing a loving smile as he watched his fiance treat his horse so gently. "Understandably so. You're amazing." The horse huffed again, as though agreeing.

Seeing Laurent kneeling in the hay made Gansey laugh. "I'm reminded of our little scenario," he teased. "You know, the one where I push you into a pile of hay and have my way with you?"

"Shh!" Laurent said, laughing and covering Butternut's ears with his hand. "We're not alone."

She lifted her head, confused but tolerant of this odd human nonsense.

Laurent kissed her nose, then winked at Gansey, happy and playful. "I think we should plan ahead for that, though. Make sure that the actual stable grooms know not to interrupt."

Gansey laughed, "Oh, Butternut's been around the stables a time or two. She knows how it goes."

Kneeling down beside Laurent, Gansey pressed an adoring kiss to Butternut's nose as well. "I know. It would be a bit awkward if we were caught, wouldn't it?" More than a bit. "That would get around the castle faster than we could get our trousers on." Smiling at Laurent, he leaned in to steal a kiss from his fiance.

"While we're running around solving problems today, we should take a look at places where we can hole up after the reception is over. Unless you'd like to stay in the castle?"

"I trust your judgement on that. I'm happy to be surprised, or we can tour places, if you'd like." Laurent shrugged, petting Butternut for a few more minutes and then getting up. He reached for Gansey's hand, giving it a squeeze and pulling him to his feet. "Shall we go get to work?"

Winking at Butternut, Laurent pulled Gansey close for a kiss, lingering for a moment because he didn't want to let go.

Gansey hummed into the kiss, lingering on Laurent's lips as he considered getting to work. "I guess we must," he chuckled, smoothing his fingers through his fiance's lovely hair.

"Let's take my coach today, shall we? Much as I'd love to take the horses, they wouldn't do well in the city." Leading the way out of the stables and toward where they'd catch his coach, he gave Laurent a vague idea of how they'd handle the day.

"We'll tackle the feud between the farms first, and then move onto the feud between the farms and the smiths. Then move onto the issue with the marriage arrangement and meet with the merchants that would like to trade with us. I expect by the time we're done with that, it'll be time for dinner. Are you sure you want to tag along? It'll be boring."

"I suppose I could spend the day napping instead, and then continue my affair with the stable groom," Laurent said, slipping his hand around Gansey's waist as they walked. "Or I could stay with the man I love and help him to do his job."

Kissing Gansey's cheek, he smiled. "I'm not leaving your side. I'm looking forward to this, Gansey. You're not the only one who has been trained to rule. This is exactly where I want to be."

Gansey smiled, absolutely besotted with Laurent all over again. The man was a marvel. Smart, kind, passionate, clever, and dedicated... Gansey's heart swelled with affection. To think, this man was going to be his husband. Their wedding was only two weeks away yet it couldn't come quickly enough.

"I'm glad. I feel the best when you're at my side."

The men were already setting his coach up, raising the royal flags and making sure everything was tidy for its use. Gansey didn't normally take it. It was green with brown trim, handsome, lined with velvet and padded seats. He held out his hand so that he could help Laurent inside and then hopped in after his lover.

It took just about as long as Gansey had anticipated. The feuds took a while to settle because all parties were stubborn, and it turned out that some of the merchants wanted to trade in hallucinogens and other supposed medical pills. The marriage arrangement had to be dissolved because of an issue. By the time they returned to the castle and fell asleep, Gansey was bone exhausted, too tired to initiate lovemaking or anything of the sort once his back hit the bed.

He only woke the next morning when a servant knocked on the door to the tower, saying that a package had arrived for him. Giving Laurent a quizzical look, he dragged himself out of bed to collect. It was a long, rectangular thing.

"Is this yours?"

"Yes," Laurent said, sitting up with a grin. The package was the size and weight of a large jewelry box or a small chest, with the heft and solidity of wood. "Open it. It's for you."

He shifted to sit cross-legged on the bed, grinning with excitement.

The brown paper and string fell away easily, revealing a beautifully made wooden box of fawn-colored wood. There was no clasp, no lock, nothing, but the different patterns in the wood grain made it somewhat clear that the whole thing was a puzzle box.

"I told the craftsman that I wanted something that would take you three days to solve," Laurent said, with a wry smirk. "You've got two weeks."

All he knew about it was what he'd commissioned, from the boxmaker and the jeweler. At the very heart of the puzzle box would be a gold ring, which was inscribed on the inside with I love you in Laurent's handwriting, or the nearest approximation that the jeweler could get from the note Laurent had given him.

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