Blueberry Pie #20, Creamsicle #7, Cherry Chocolate Chip #11 + Gummy Bunnies: A Wedding and a Bet
Author: lady_leia_solo
Story: The Mondian Chronicles (Archive/Index)
Title: A Wedding and a Bet
Challenge: Blueberry Pie #20: at the altar, Creamsicle #7: youth, Cherry Chocolate Chip #11: approval
Toppings: Gummy Bunnies (Loyal from 100_situations and Yellow from 100_tales)
Word Count: 952
Summary: She wouldn't have you, she's a virtuous woman dedicated now to her husband.
Rating: PG for implied situations
Notes: This piece takes place in 1125 AW. Louise is the mother of Thomas, Gilles, and Jeanne. Jeanne is newly married to Henri I. Lord Sohmes (Alexandre) is a lord from Sudme and good friends with the Caulmonts (He shares a name with the Count of Sudme, Alexandre de Caulmont). Cosette is twenty one in this, while Lord Sohmes in fifty two.
The chapel was quiet as the bride and groom stood before the priest.
“In the Holy Name of Bronde and Her Holiness, Ambroise, we are gathered here today to join together, Alexandre of the Family Sohmes and Cosette of the Family Puchot.”
The priest turned the page before looking up at the couple.
“Who gives away their holy daughter?” He asked.
Cosette's father: Claude, the Marquis of Estogne, stepped forward. He smiled at his daughter prompting her to smile shyly in return.
“I give away my holy daughter,” Claude said.
“And who receives the holy daughter?”
Alexandre looked at Cosette. “I receive the holy daughter.”
They both turned back toward the priest. He motioned for them to bend. They did and he lowered a silver chain with the holy triangle over both their heads.
“In the Name of the Holy Father, the Holy Mother, and the Holy Son, I do declare you, Alexandre of Family Sohmes and Cosette of Family Puchot to be man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Alexandre smiled and pressed a chaste kiss against his new wife's lips.
***
“The new Lady Sohmes is beautiful,” Gilles said to his brother as they watched the new couple greet their guests.
Thomas looked over. “She's alright. Her face is too wide.”
Gilles didn't say anything just watched the bride for a little while more. He turned to his brother. “Speaking of marriage, when are you getting married, brother?”
Thomas looked up at him. A rare smile crossed his face. “I wasn't planning on it anytime soon.”
“I heard Father talking about your impending marriage with mother though.”
Thomas shook his head. “You must have misheard or maybe father is going senile? I have too much going on to get married.”
Gilles nodded and was quiet. He looked back over at the bride. The yellow gown she wore made her hair look bright. She had beautiful hair, he thought with approval. He had always been fond of red hair.
“You sure do seem to like the Lady Sohmes,” Thomas said without looking up.
“What do you mean?”
“You keep watching her. You're not supposed to look at a man's wife the way you are now, brother.”
Gilles grinned. “Perhaps she'll have me? Lord Sohmes can't possibly fulfill her needs. He wants an heir. Maybe I'll father the child for him.”
“The Lady Sohmes is known for her virtue and her undying loyalty. She'd never have you.”
Gilles glared at his brother's dark head. Thomas always put him down. He hadn't been planning on seducing the man's wife. But now that Thomas said he couldn't, he felt the urge to prove him wrong.
“You never know, brother.”
Thomas finally looked up from the paper he was reading.
“Do you want to make a bet?”
“A bet? From you brother? I thought only heathens believed in stuff like that.”
“That's gambling,” Thomas said standing up. “A friendly little bet never hurt anyone.”
Gilles stared at his brother. He willed him to look away, but they'd been playing this game for years. He'd never look away.
“Deal,” Gilles said holding out his hand. Thomas shook it.
“What do you wager?”
“I'll wager you two thousand gold livres.”
“That's a lot of money, brother. Are you sure?”
Gilles grinned. “Are you afraid of losing?”
“No, but I don't want my brother to be a pauper. We have an image to uphold.”
Gilles stopped grinning. “I'm sure.”
Thomas nodded. “Then let's go introduce you to Lady Sohmes.”
***
Cosette was talking with the Countess of Sudme when she saw someone approach out of the corner of her eye.
The Countess smiled and waved.
“These are my sons,” Louise said placing a kiss on the dark haired man's cheek. She turned to the blonde man.
“This is my baby boy,” Louise said with fondness. “Gilles meet Lady Sohmes.”
Gilles turned toward Cosette. She smiled at him.
“My pleasure,” he said placing a kiss on her hand.
Cosette blushed as he continued to hold her hand after he had kissed it. She finally pulled it back and turned toward the Countess.
“I'm sorry your sister couldn't make it to the wedding,” Louise was saying to her elder son.
“I'm pleased that she even thought about coming, my lady,” Cosette said smiling at the older woman.
Louise smiled back. “She has new duties as queen, of course. But Lord Sohmes was like an uncle to her and she desperately wanted to be here.”
“That's quite alright,” Alexandre said coming back to them. “We'll visit her at court as soon as we can.”
“Maybe I could arrange for Lady Sohmes to be of service to my sister,” Gilles said.
“Yes, she'd like that,” Thomas said.
“I don't know,” Cosette said looking from Thomas to Gilles to Louise to Alexandre. “We just married and I'd love to see the country.”
Alexandre put his arm around her. “We'll have plenty of time to go to my estates. I think you'd love to be one of the Queen's ladies. I hear it's marvelous gathering place for the intelligent types.”
Cosette's eyes lit up immediately. “Really?”
“Yes,” Gilles said stepping forward. “Great thinkers flock to His Majesty's court and you'll have access to them.”
Cosette looked at her husband. He nodded before smiling slightly.
“Then I would love to accept the post,” Cosette said softly. “If Her Majesty would have me.”
Gilles smiled. He turned and saw Thomas staring at him, but then he stepped away.
“I'll speak with her soon.”
Story: The Mondian Chronicles (Archive/Index)
Title: A Wedding and a Bet
Challenge: Blueberry Pie #20: at the altar, Creamsicle #7: youth, Cherry Chocolate Chip #11: approval
Toppings: Gummy Bunnies (Loyal from 100_situations and Yellow from 100_tales)
Word Count: 952
Summary: She wouldn't have you, she's a virtuous woman dedicated now to her husband.
Rating: PG for implied situations
Notes: This piece takes place in 1125 AW. Louise is the mother of Thomas, Gilles, and Jeanne. Jeanne is newly married to Henri I. Lord Sohmes (Alexandre) is a lord from Sudme and good friends with the Caulmonts (He shares a name with the Count of Sudme, Alexandre de Caulmont). Cosette is twenty one in this, while Lord Sohmes in fifty two.
The chapel was quiet as the bride and groom stood before the priest.
“In the Holy Name of Bronde and Her Holiness, Ambroise, we are gathered here today to join together, Alexandre of the Family Sohmes and Cosette of the Family Puchot.”
The priest turned the page before looking up at the couple.
“Who gives away their holy daughter?” He asked.
Cosette's father: Claude, the Marquis of Estogne, stepped forward. He smiled at his daughter prompting her to smile shyly in return.
“I give away my holy daughter,” Claude said.
“And who receives the holy daughter?”
Alexandre looked at Cosette. “I receive the holy daughter.”
They both turned back toward the priest. He motioned for them to bend. They did and he lowered a silver chain with the holy triangle over both their heads.
“In the Name of the Holy Father, the Holy Mother, and the Holy Son, I do declare you, Alexandre of Family Sohmes and Cosette of Family Puchot to be man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Alexandre smiled and pressed a chaste kiss against his new wife's lips.
***
“The new Lady Sohmes is beautiful,” Gilles said to his brother as they watched the new couple greet their guests.
Thomas looked over. “She's alright. Her face is too wide.”
Gilles didn't say anything just watched the bride for a little while more. He turned to his brother. “Speaking of marriage, when are you getting married, brother?”
Thomas looked up at him. A rare smile crossed his face. “I wasn't planning on it anytime soon.”
“I heard Father talking about your impending marriage with mother though.”
Thomas shook his head. “You must have misheard or maybe father is going senile? I have too much going on to get married.”
Gilles nodded and was quiet. He looked back over at the bride. The yellow gown she wore made her hair look bright. She had beautiful hair, he thought with approval. He had always been fond of red hair.
“You sure do seem to like the Lady Sohmes,” Thomas said without looking up.
“What do you mean?”
“You keep watching her. You're not supposed to look at a man's wife the way you are now, brother.”
Gilles grinned. “Perhaps she'll have me? Lord Sohmes can't possibly fulfill her needs. He wants an heir. Maybe I'll father the child for him.”
“The Lady Sohmes is known for her virtue and her undying loyalty. She'd never have you.”
Gilles glared at his brother's dark head. Thomas always put him down. He hadn't been planning on seducing the man's wife. But now that Thomas said he couldn't, he felt the urge to prove him wrong.
“You never know, brother.”
Thomas finally looked up from the paper he was reading.
“Do you want to make a bet?”
“A bet? From you brother? I thought only heathens believed in stuff like that.”
“That's gambling,” Thomas said standing up. “A friendly little bet never hurt anyone.”
Gilles stared at his brother. He willed him to look away, but they'd been playing this game for years. He'd never look away.
“Deal,” Gilles said holding out his hand. Thomas shook it.
“What do you wager?”
“I'll wager you two thousand gold livres.”
“That's a lot of money, brother. Are you sure?”
Gilles grinned. “Are you afraid of losing?”
“No, but I don't want my brother to be a pauper. We have an image to uphold.”
Gilles stopped grinning. “I'm sure.”
Thomas nodded. “Then let's go introduce you to Lady Sohmes.”
***
Cosette was talking with the Countess of Sudme when she saw someone approach out of the corner of her eye.
The Countess smiled and waved.
“These are my sons,” Louise said placing a kiss on the dark haired man's cheek. She turned to the blonde man.
“This is my baby boy,” Louise said with fondness. “Gilles meet Lady Sohmes.”
Gilles turned toward Cosette. She smiled at him.
“My pleasure,” he said placing a kiss on her hand.
Cosette blushed as he continued to hold her hand after he had kissed it. She finally pulled it back and turned toward the Countess.
“I'm sorry your sister couldn't make it to the wedding,” Louise was saying to her elder son.
“I'm pleased that she even thought about coming, my lady,” Cosette said smiling at the older woman.
Louise smiled back. “She has new duties as queen, of course. But Lord Sohmes was like an uncle to her and she desperately wanted to be here.”
“That's quite alright,” Alexandre said coming back to them. “We'll visit her at court as soon as we can.”
“Maybe I could arrange for Lady Sohmes to be of service to my sister,” Gilles said.
“Yes, she'd like that,” Thomas said.
“I don't know,” Cosette said looking from Thomas to Gilles to Louise to Alexandre. “We just married and I'd love to see the country.”
Alexandre put his arm around her. “We'll have plenty of time to go to my estates. I think you'd love to be one of the Queen's ladies. I hear it's marvelous gathering place for the intelligent types.”
Cosette's eyes lit up immediately. “Really?”
“Yes,” Gilles said stepping forward. “Great thinkers flock to His Majesty's court and you'll have access to them.”
Cosette looked at her husband. He nodded before smiling slightly.
“Then I would love to accept the post,” Cosette said softly. “If Her Majesty would have me.”
Gilles smiled. He turned and saw Thomas staring at him, but then he stepped away.
“I'll speak with her soon.”