34 - Alaric's Wedding

                                        

                                              
Six months after the Marriage Season began in the Capital, and the Briggs family had officially had an unexpected windfall of success in marriage matches. Alaric was about to marry Aayina Ram and make her Aayina Briggs, his future Countess and a woman he'd trust to call him out of his own head. Blair looked to be in a long Courtship with Earl Wignell, and Alaric had made peace with his best friend, Clayton, romancing his little sister; she'd make a decent Countess despite her façade of detesting socialization. Calvin hadn't made any obvious changes to his relationship with Danilo, but Alaric wondered if that'd change soon; neither man stood to inherit so they would be Lords Briggs-Polumenta together. Derbie would become Lord Ruma-Briggs, supporting Lady Ban's higher ranked Marquis family. Edwina was marrying her Lord Daro, becoming Lady Briggs-Korolenko before she headed off to the university. And little Gavin had been privately married by the Queen, their young Sikali-Briggs family already set to flourish in the Capital. 
But today was his wedding day, the Taroton tradition simple and holding ancient roots. Before a couple can wed, they submit a Letter of Marriage to the Queen, via the Diplomatic Bureau; if their marriage was approved, they receive a signed marriage license from the Queen. On the wedding day, the Couple prick their ring fingertip and place the blood on the deal. After that, they are considered wed. Alaric knew it was different for the common class, they simply started to live together and were considered wed, but he didn't have to worry about that practice today.
Along with his siblings, Alaric's wedding day was also shared with one of Aayina's; Deepa was marrying Borka Polumenta and becoming Lady Ram-Polumenta. Four weddings were being hosted at once, each couple given a private area to complete their blooding while a great feat awaited them for after; all respective families were in attendance for the feast, of course. With three Briggs getting wed, that meant three Suitor families, and then the additional family for Deepa's Suitor Borka. It was just short of a Social Event, thankfully the Queen's own marriage to the Cadorian Prince Royal, Levi, helped keep the gossip columns too full to waste space speculating about his family.
Queen Akiyama was only 30, coronated by her own mother, Dowager Queen Ebina, at 20 years old. In the last ten years, their young Queen had skillfully molded Taroton into a modern, thriving Kingdom, but had made no indication of who she was as a woman. No lovers, no friends, only a rumoured half-sister who was her unknown Heir. She'd established her Expeditions to other nations, and they as a Kingdom were already seeing a ten-fold of benefits returning for it. Resources, workers, talents and skills, innovations...Alaric was aware of it as the interim Count Briggs; their coastal Countship guaranteeing participation in international trade. But he'd still been surprised by the Queen choosing to wed the Cadorian Prince Royal to help cement the alliance with their closest neighbors. Aesthetically, Alaric could see how the man was attractive; he had a rugged handsomeness, red hair, and clear green eyes so bright they felt inhuman. And given the Cadorian fashion of skin bearing menswear, he had quite the popularity amongst those attracted to men's clavicles, but outside of that Alaric knew almost nothing of the man who was now the Prince Consort. 
But his seal next to Queen Akiyama's on his wedding licence was elegant and official.
"Why am I not surprised to find you frowning at our marriage licences?" Aayina's voice pulled him out of his bemused mental meanderings. "You're determined to act the old man even though you're younger than I am."
"I'm not acting, nor even angry, just trying to adjust my brain to the idea of so many marriages happening so close together; I feel like we're on the precipice of some great change," Alaric couldn't put his messy thoughts into clean expressions, but still Aayina seemed to understand. 
"You are about to become my husband, that is quite the change," she teased, seeming more at ease with it all than he felt. 
"I'm excited to marry you, I look forwards to being husband and wife; I'm just trying to convince myself this is all real," he looked at her, the scarlet of his family suiting the rich reddish brown tones of her skin.