The Dream Oath

Chapter 5.4

The next morning, Maria reflected on the likely changes in her routine. She and Ralse had attended supper together last night. He'd tried to make pleasant conversation with her, but her heart wasn't in it. She'd been as courteous as she could, but she didn't know what he wanted or expected of her now that her husband had returned home.

The objective idea of having a husband didn't distress her, but the living reality kept her on edge. She would eventually have to deal with the wifely part of her position, but not yet. At least he seemed a reasonably kind man and was trying to do good for her people. Gwen had practically barricaded their door last night before she and her maids went to bed. She pretended not to see in case she had to claim ignorance of her maid's doings.

Either way, the precaution proved unnecessary. Maria rose to attend the duties June dutifully prepared for her every morning. There were fewer since Ralse would handle the castle business now. Instead, she found herself with little to do and no company except Gwen and June. Maybe it would be nice once spring came and there were other women at court for her to spend time with. She wished Edgar joy in whatever marriage inevitably came his way. The poor man had never lost his temper with her despite her ignorance in most areas. She had taken his patience for granted until yesterday.

Lost in thought, she stopped just before bumping into a handsomely muscled red brocade chest.

"Well met, my dear," Ralse raised her hand to his lips while her brain caught up to where she was.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," Maria caught herself, "I was lost in thought."

"So I see. Would you do me the honor of assisting me today? I could use your insight" Maria took her husbands arm her mind helpfully pointing out that this muscled arm was attached to the torso she'd just been admiring before realizing the owner. While her heart protested the thought, her rationale insisted that finding one's husband handsome was surely a good thing.

Ralse kept her at his side all day. Then the next, and all of the subsequent ones until it simply became habit for her to join him for an early breakfast in his rooms. The servants never wondered where the monarch's were. If you knew where one was, the other was immediately nearby.

Fall faded into winter as Ralse asked more and more of Maria in terms of her responsibility. They wouldn't starve this winter, but they'd have to keep up the effort to survive the next.

The castle staff was slowly starting to fill out. Maria supposed that people from the countryside were hit the hardest and chose to move to the city where they could takes jobs in the castle and surrounding city. The number of new faces seemed to overwhelm the number of familiar ones.

The castle walls were still the same familiar friends, but the faces, the lifeblood, of the stone body turned it into something different. Her family's castle was gone.