Heaven Can't Wait ۞ Baldwin IV

XI - Archbishop

Maybe it was too much to ask to be adjusted in any measure after only four days since the court made her stay definitive. No matter the similarities between the palace and her home, this would still be far away from being considered the same kind of haven.

But the atmosphere had been calm so far and it definitely helped absorb the new world around her better, at last. Even that very same morning, on what was the date of her birth, remained largely uneventful, as she was already being reigned in and confined to the palace with the watchful eyes of every knight and guard at all times.

Valentia only wished she had the opportunity to go out into the city again with the liberty and low notoriety that was fleeing her, and reassess what little that she missed last time. She barely knew the city she was to co-rule from. It simply did not sit right with her. Then again, was any of it, truly?

With the wedding less than a week away, the dress was thankfully apparently coming along nicely already. A battalion of seamstresses worked day and night on it. To accelerate the process, they had taken a ready-made gown as a base and adjusted it to the measures they took. The rest would be built upon it, but Lluna was not allowed to see it for some reason. She did however witness the stiffness in their fingers whenever she crossed paths with them during their breaks.

More and more nobles arrived from their distant corners of the kingdom and beyond. Eastern emissaries were entering the city one by one, some Armenian Cilicians closely connected to Baudouin. They had been on their way after having received invitations weeks in advance, way before Lluna was to arrive, and way before there was any actual confirmation that things would proceed. The bride received them with the utmost respect for it. Their effort to make such a journey deserved nothing less, as she now could understand what long-distance traveling entailed.

For this reason, not many more foreigners were to come, not just for the wedding, anyway. Those who were appearing, had been sent because a trip to the Kingdom of Jerusalem never was a waste. Therefore these emissaries had their own dealings to attend to. Under the rare circumstances of a leper being wed, it seemed the odd event should not be missed anyway.

Everything about their garbs sparkled, especially when in the sunlight, as if with the intention to blind one. Their shiny fabrics portrayed scenes and were armored over their cloaks by sturdy golden tablions with multicolored gems embedded and encased on grids. There was a certain allure in this striking and rather intimidating regalia. Something classical and enduring.

Sibylle continued to help out each time she thought of something significant. She would drop little pieces of information, hoping her little daughter Alis would not be picking them up and repeating them like gossip around the court. Even though all she could still do in the early stages of speech was incoherent mimicking, some of these words had the potential to be sensitive.

Fernando visited with Altair a few times more, providing Baudouinet relief from his studies. Not that the boy thought he needed such distractions, sometimes becoming overwhelmed at the sudden large number of playmates disrupting his routine. Yet, one could see the enjoyment during these times of leisure, as soon as his studious focus lifted and he loosened up.

Droplets of water splashed on the shallow water below, where Lluna dabbled her hands and feet, first refreshing her face, then gently scrubbing her fingers in between the toes.

The coldness of the changing season started to become noticeable in the temperature of the water, even with the sun on its zenith raining down its best effort of warmth. Safiyyah did not mind the harsh contrast, or found the fun it provided to outweigh it.

With the quietness and solitude—only 'disturbed' by Diana flipping pages, Safiyyah's messy splashing, and the presence of guards keeping watch—at times it very nearly felt like nothing had changed. If she once again did not pay attention to these details that differed from home. Mainly, the obvious five crosses with the larger one in the center, billowing with the reminder of distance. The reminder of a home in cinders. And the body of a relative, possibly never having been put to rest appropriately.