'til death do us part

1

In his first life, he was a significant figure in the Fontaine Navy. In his second life, he wanted nothing to do with war and chose instead to be Chief of Justice. Both times ended with his death by the hands of the Hydro Archon. The first time, it was a careless accident. The second time, she was being manipulated by a Fatui Harbinger. 

Neuvillette did not want to die a third time dedicating his life to his country only to die by her hands. He didn't know why the wheels of fate had decided that he should be thrown into the past thrice, but one thing he knew was that despite being in the navy, or being a judge, he was always able to maintain his relationship with a certain duke in the north. 

Each letter exchanged between the two was carefully crafted. The duke's handwriting became more and more elegant while Neuvillette's formal exterior slowly withered away. Though the two had not exchanged significant amounts of letters yet, Neuvillette hoped that this man he knew would take the chance. His only regret over two lifetimes, was not being able to meet his pen pal face to face. 

After trial and error of writing his letter, he gathered what little he had and didn't wait for a reply. The journey to the north wasn't a pleasant one to make. Especially for someone who preferred a warmer climate. Nevertheless, it was safer there, since no one would dream of going that far just to have his head. 

"They have said it's always winter in the north..." Neuvillette shivered, stepping in the snow, "I had assumed it was hyperbolic." That assumption was incorrect. Losing his ability to feel his extremities, Neuvillette regretted not building funds for proper clothing. He was afraid, maybe, that if he waited long enough and got a reply, the reply would be 'no.'

Upon hearing howling in the distance, Neuvillette realized how dire his situation was. He could barely feel his fingers let alone hold a weapon. His hydro abilities would only freeze him more rather than help in a fight. 

"What a foolish way to die a third time..." he scolded himself. 

"When I received your letter, I thought it odd," a voice spoke from behind and Neuvillette realized he was being lifted off of the ground by a strong arm. "I can see now you're just outright insane." 

Neuvillette shifted to stare at the person holding him. It was clear he was strong, muscular even, with hair a mix of black and gray. 

"You should reconsider this offer of yours," he said, carrying Neuvillette back to the fortress. 

"I have exhausted all other options," Neuvillette shivered, losing consciousness. 

...

Neuvillette opened his eyes to find himself in a tub of warm water. His feet were being massaged by the same man who carried him back. 

"I don't have enough extra hands to waste on the likes of you. In any case, you had business with me from the start, yes?" 

Slowly connecting the dots, Neuvillette wagered a guess about this man's identity, "Wriothesley?" Connecting the dots further, he realized that he was giving off a horrible first impression sitting naked like this in a tub and being tended to by the man he sought to convince of his proposal. 

Shifting in the tub, Neuvillette sat up. Wriothesley released his grip on his foot with ease but then picked up his hand to massage that instead. "I apologize for this inconvenience. I neglected to prepare properly for the journey." 

"A man like you should have an entourage. Why come alone?" 

"A man like me?" Neuvillette didn't follow at first but his many years of interacting via letters came through. "I see, my clothes must've given off the impression that I'm a noble." He didn't realize himself that he chose an outfit most similar to his judge uniform in his past life upon leaving. 

"You're not?" Wriothesley stood up to move to the other side of the tub, picking up Neuvillette's other hand to massage. 

"No, no," he shook his head, "I've spent many years refining my actions and tastes to appear so." It wasn't a lie; he did indeed spend his entire first lifetime playing with nobles and even more time in his second perfecting the act. 

"If you're not here to marry me out of some noble-arranged marriage then what are you doing here?" 

"Marry you?" Neuvillette coughed, feeling the tips of his ears turn red. Must be the steam of the water getting to him. 

"Your letter was riddled with 'let's spend the rest of our lives together as partners' and 'I'll be loyal to only you'" Wriothesley frowned, raising an eyebrow slightly. There was no way that language wasn't intended for marriage but this noble-look-a-like was full of surprises thus far. 

"Allow me to explain," Neuvillette coughed to clear his throat. "I'm a dragon and as such I am able to enter a fealty contract with one person at a time until that person dies." 

"This is different from marriage, how?" Wriothesley leaned up against the tub, staring intensely into Neuvillette's eyes. 

"By contract I am to remain loyal to you; however, you don't necessarily need to remain loyal to me. Thus, it's different from marriage. In addition, there is nothing inherently romantic or sexual about fealty." 

"Then I'll sign one too," Wriothesley lifted his hand and cupped Neuvillette's face. He was warm despite being in-tune with cryo. 

"You're not a dragon. Even if I were to order you of something, you'd be able to refuse it." 

"I take my promises very seriously. I'm not a wishy-washy man who takes pride in having affairs." 

"Well then," Neuvillette stood up and grabbed the towel from the corner of his eye. It was large enough to be a blanket so he wrapped it around himself. Stepping out of the tub made him lose his balance. Wriothesley caught him. Astonished by how comfortable it felt to be in his arms, Neuvillette was tempted not to move. Building his resolve, he turned around, facing Wriothesley. 

"Your hand, please," Neuvillette requested, holding out his own. Slightly confused, Wriothesley placed his hand in his. "I apologize in advance, this may hurt," Neuvillette's mouth opened to reveal his sharp dragon teeth which he then brought to Wriothesley's hand, creating a scratch deep enough to bleed. He did the same for his own hand and then brought the two marks together, holding Wriothesley's hand tightly in his. 

"I, Neuvillette, swear fealty to Wriothesley, until death do us part." A soft glow came from their hands as the contract was set in place. 

"Then, I, Wriothesley, swear fealty to Neuvillette, until death do us part," Wriothesley repeated, bringing Neuvillette's hand to the back of his lips for a kiss. 

As if the dragon lord were smiling upon them in amusement, their hands glowed softly once more, and two symbols appeared. On the back of Neuvillette's hand, a wolf. On the back of Wriothesley's hand, a dragon. 

"This is unusual," Neuvillette stared at the wolf symbol. "I've never seen such a thing happen, nor have I read about this." 

"Then we are bonded." 

Neuvillette nodded. 

"I'm glad," Wriothesley grabbed both of Neuvillette's hands, smiling just a bit. "At first, I resolved to send you away no matter who you were but something about you feels familiar. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm pleased to have you as my husband." 

"It's truly not a marria-" 

Wriothesley wrapped his arm around Neuvillette's waist and pushed his body close. "Then I shall pray for the day when you come to think of it as one."