Her carriage finally stopped at the castle, and Farran spotted the welcoming entourage already gathered for her arrival. She could identify King Kai Tuccillo and his wife, Queen Savanna, by their crowns, but until she got close enough to see the details of the Knot, she couldn't quickly identify all the rest gathered. Unlike in Taroton, where the families would be readily identified by their prominent colour, here the fashion was a riot of colours with only the Knots a consistent variable between. And it wasn't until she spotted the Sash she'd made by hand that she realized the man to King Kai's right was Duke Vellan Dorland, as promised. He wasn't as tall as the other men clustered around, but he had much of the same look in features as they did. The Dorland Duchy was close cousins to King Kai and his brothers; the Dowager Queen was sister to the late Duke Dorland, and is Vellan's aunt. Vellan himself had long, slightly wavy auburn hair, and smiled with broad excitement as Farran stepped out of the carriage. She was being given a great honour by the Royal Family's greeting, and she knew to curtsey low in gratitude. 
It should have been a serious, diplomatic event; Farran had been briefed by Alaric and the Diplomatic Bureau about how important her conduct would be as part of the Exchange, and she was ready to walk on political eggshells if necessary. Instead, Farran's polite curtsey spurred an unexpected response.
"Oh, none of that is necessary, please; we're all but family already," King Kai Tuccillo waved aside all formality and kissed each of Farran's cheeks in Cadorian greeting. 
"As your Majesty says," she could only agree, not wanting to cause problems upon arrival. "I can only deeply thank you for accepting my inclusion in this Exchange."
"Your fervor and eloquence convinced my Duke, after that curiosity compelled me to mee my cousin's m'eudail. And I feel assured as this Exchange is building permanent connections between our two Kingdoms, especially seeing the Knot on your shoulder to pair the Sash on Vellan's." Farran wasn't given a chance to reply to that as the King himself persisted in introductions, "my Queen, Savanna, and our daughters, Nia, Nora, and little Viviana." The two elder Princesses were only around 12 and 9, but the youngest was still a toddler, maybe 3 years old. "These two are my brothers, Prince Royal Quinn, his wife Princess Royal Consort Myla, and their son Matias," this little one was around 6. "My other brother present it Prince Royal Zander, but his fiancé General Ulises is on duty and couldn't attend. Likewise, my youngest brother, Prince Royal Levi, is absent due to his own impending marriage to your Queen Akiyama."
Suddenly the contents of Vellan's letter about his cousin made a lot more sense. 
"Kai, put the poor man out of his misery and let him welcome his Lady already," Queen Savanna spoke with loving indulgence in her gentle tone.
"Yes my love," the King seemed shamelessly obedient to his wife, gesturing for Vellan to step forwards. "And this is my cousin, Duke Vellan Dorland, who has been impatiently awaiting you."
Before Farran could try to curtsey to the Duke who'd become her friend via letters, he walked up to her and surprised her by dipping her back, off balance, and kissing her right on the mouth instead of on the cheeks like everyone else had. She grabbed onto his jacket and the pinned Sash she'd sent him for balance, too shocked to react more than to blush a brilliant red once he stood her upright again.
"When you sent me a marriage Sash and told me to try and destroy it, I was beyond surprised at your boldness. When I couldn't even singe it with my fire magic, I realized that as crazy as it seemed, maybe accepting your proposal was exactly what I should do. And given your eagerness to come to Cador and embrace its ways as your own, my King was convinced to allow it as his own brother was part of the Exchange. With our marriage here in Cador, and Prince Royal Levi's marriage to Queen Akiyama in Taroton, our two Kingdoms are bonded closer than ever," Farran gave a lovely smile to hide the panic surging through her at his words.