The Price of Virtue

[Viverescribere]

A soft squeal of delight disrupted the quiet that surrounded manicured gardens of a pristine castle. The shriek was soon followed by a bout of laughter, a fit of giggles, which was carried along on the breeze. It was a warm autumn's day, nearing supper time, with the garden's greenery in the last of it's prime before the cold settled into strip it bare. It was the perfect time to take one last opportunity to create some mischief.

Liliana Bhaltar held her dress skirts a little higher above her ankles as she ran, her servant's boots crunching on the gravel that was laid for the paths in the small-bush maze that lead to the water fountain. Loose tendrils of hair framed her face and brushed her neck, having become free from her cap to keep it all tied back. She threw a look over her shoulder to see where her pursuer was, only the shriek again at seeing how close he was to catching her. She paused, at the fountain after reaching the centre, to spin on the ball of her foot and send a hand crashing into the water to splash him in hopes of distracting him and giving her some time to get space between them so she could hide.

Eventually she came to a stop behind a tall, domed bush, panting softly. Liliana tucked some of the strands of hair back under her cap during her momentary breather, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She peered around the one side, trying to see where her best friend was.

"Ferdinand... where are you...?" She called, walking slowly around the one side of the bush. She bit her lower lip as she grinned, heart pounding with the adrenaline of their cat-and-mouse game. "You haven't tagged me yet... so I guess that means I'm the winner for today-!"

 

[Viverescribere]

Liliana was frantic when she arrived home, putting her purchases away safely in the wardrobe that she and Charlotte shared to then peer inside. Surely she had to have a nicer dress that she could wear, and a cleaner pair of shoes. She couldn't go to the castle not looking somewhat respectable. Eventually, Lily resigned to the fact that she would look out of place in the castle regardless of what she wore, yet still changed into her nicest dress - not that she had a lot of choice. Charlotte came home just as she was in the middle of frantically scrubbing her battered boots with an old torn handkerchief, just in time for Liliana to explain where she would be and not to wait up for her.

Of course Charlotte was dubious, suspicious and concerned for the girl she had come to consider a sister in their time sharing the room. They looked out for each other as they had no one else to look out for them. They had grown to be family in that way, and it was just as Liliana liked it.

After convincing the other girl all was well, Liliana pulled on her newly scrubbed boots and ran her hands over her dress. She had released her hair from it's braid, allowing to to fall in waves over her shoulders, but covered all with her cloak and hood. Bidding her friend a goodnight, she escaped into the cooling night air, a hand raised to keep her hood up and her head lowered to avoid any street dwellers from getting the wrong idea.

Eventually she reached the gates and looked up to see him there, waiting already for her. Lily smiled softly, approaching him and lowering her hood as she did so. "I'm sorry I took so long... I-I... didn't know what to wear." She admitted sheepishly, "Have you been waiting long?"

 

[moffnat]

Ferdinand was pleased to see her, even moreso by the state of her. Liliana had truly grown into her beauty. Her hair was luscious and long, and her eyes sparkled under the starlight. "No," he said with a little smile. "I haven't been waiting long at all." Which was a lie. He'd arrived just before the sun dipped below the mountains, wondering if she'd get there early.

Ferdinand stepped forward and offered his arm, as he would to any lady. "I'll walk you to the gates. I have asked the chefs to make a meal for us. I hope that's acceptable?"

 

[Viverescribere]

Her eyebrow raised and she tilted her head slightly as she looked at him, studying him. His smile was just the same, warm and comforting, and his face was so much more defined, chiselled and strong. "I see something never change, you still can't lie to me Ferdinand." Lily teased, smiling as she fiddled with some material of her cloak. "I'm sorry for keepin' you waitin'."

Lily hesitated as he offered his arm, biting at her lower lip. She was no lady, and no noblemen should ever extend an arm to a peasant. Even if they were long-lost friends. But it was Ferdinand, her Ferdie. She couldn't turn him down. So she stepped forward and delicately rested her hand on his elbow, "Acceptable? Ferdie, it's too much. I don't want a fuss made over me. What will your mother think?" Lily asked, glancing up to him, "I don't want you gettin' into any trouble with your father when he gets back."

 

[moffnat]

Ferdinand only chuckled. "My mother spends most of her days knitting. Even if she did discover us, our relationship is strong. She would never tell my father. Besides," he said with a sigh, "the only real punishment my father can offer is to disown me, which he can't afford to do, as I am his only son. I like to think that offers me some protection." Ferdinand no longer feared him.

Without a single ounce of fear or shame, Ferdinand led Lily through the great wooden doors of Aegir castle. A servant rushed to take his coat, but stopped in his tracks at the sight of a peasant on the heir's arm. Ferdinand only offered a smile and nod before leading Lily into the grand dining room, boasting fine paintings and tapestries of near royal quality and a long wooden table. "I hope you like duck," he said to her. "If not, I'll have something else made."

 

[Viverescribere]

Liliana hesitated at the servant's clear surprise at the sight of her standing alongside Ferdinand as if she belonged there, causing her to clear her throat and avert her gaze in her awkwardness. In her mind, she wondered if that could have been her after all these years, if things had not gone the way they did. Would she be the one collecting his cloak on his return home? Or would she be in the kitchen now, helping to cook his evening meal? There were so many unanswered questions, ones that she would never have the answer too.

Her gaze wandered over the walls once she felt comfortable enough to raise her eyes, having handed over her own cloak - the action felt incredibly wrong, like she should have kept it with her instead of seeming to pretend that she was more than she was. It seemed like nothing had changed, and a small smile pulled at the corners of her lips as they entered the dining room. She could remember their countless laps ran around that table, him chasing her pretending to be a mighty beast - her throwing herself under the table, giggling as she used it to protect herself.

"I must admit... I'm not sure I've ever tried it." Lily replied, voice sounding far away with her memories. She released his arm, walking over to the table and lightly grazing the surface with her fingertips. Eyes drifted to the tapestries and paintings, appreciating them a little more now than she did when she was a child. "How is your mother doing now? Is she well?" She asked, tearing her gaze away and reminding herself to focus on the present. She had liked his mother, a lot more than his father.

 

[moffnat]

"As well as can be expected," said Ferdinand, pulling out a chair for Liliana. The topic of his mother made her frown. "We are close, but due to my father's cruel treatment of her, she remains somewhat anxious about social interaction beyond the family. She mostly keeps to her room unless needed. I try to visit as often as I can." He motioned to the chair for Lily to sit, just beside his place at the head of the table. "Please, have a seat. I'll go check on dinner shortly."

It all felt so domestic to him. So right. Ferdinand, ever the romantic, found himself unable to imagine having dinners with anyone other than her, despite his looming arranged engagement. Could it be possible...?

 

[Viverescribere]

"He never got better...?" Lily asked, eyebrows furrowing although she wasn't surprised. He had always been a horrid man, one undeserving of his title and of the family that he had. She hesitated at his gesture to sit, casting a final glance to the tapestry she was admiring before moving to sit as he instructed. "You were both always too good for that man." She freely admitted as she made herself as comfortable as she allowed. Liliana half expected his father to come crashing in through the entryway at any moment, for him to grab her as fiercely as the day he removed her from the castle, and kick her out.

"She probably won't remember me... but give her my best, will you? I-- I liked her, while I was here. She always used to let me take some of the chocolate whenever Cook made a cake." She smiled fondly at the memory, glancing up to him. Her gaze ran over him, taking the time to drink him in again. He had certainly become handsome, growing into his strength and physique. He was quite the impressive Duke-to-be, but Lily knew she couldn't allow herself to become lost within those childish daydreams. The daydreams of them becoming acquainted again, of potentially developing feelings and even falling in love. That could never happen. They came from two completely different worlds, a fact that had been drilled into her the moment she landed flat on her back at the hand of his father.

 

[moffnat]

"Perhaps you will see her," Ferdinand said with a warm smile. Not many offered kindness to his mother, but Lily always did. That fact alone made him appreciate her more. "She comes out of her room more and more now that Father is away. I think she dearly misses Hilda, which contributes to her sorrows. My father married her off at only seventeen to Duke Gloucester, who is far older. I do not know if they're happy, but my mother hated the match. It was a point of contention between them for many months."

Ferdinand didn't get the chance to check on dinner. Before Liliana could reply, Cook, the man who'd tended to the kitchens for over three decades, entered with a tray in his hands. A tray he nearly dropped at the sight of Lily.

"No," he gasped. "Could it be? Lord Ferdinand, 'ave you brought Lily back to us?"

 

[Viverescribere]

A heat spread within her chest at the mention of Hilda's match to such an older gentleman, not one from embarrassment but rather of anger for the young girl. She didn't know Hilda as well, admittedly, however that didn't mean that Lily didn't interact with the young girl from time to time while she was at that castle. "Poor Hilda, I can't imagine what that must be like for her. And your mother... it can't be easy bein' separated from her only daughter." Her brow furrowed at the thought.

It was one of the benefits, Lily supposed, one of the few freedoms that she had in her position. Being in the poor social class she was, at least she had some sort of say in who she married. She didn't have to be wed off for the sake of money or land or power, or just to try and hush over disagreements.

Her gaze studied him, a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach, "Are you--"

She was interrupted by the entrance of Cook, her expression lighting up at the sight of a familiar face. "Cook!" She smiled warmly, standing from her chair. She reached out to take the older man's hand once the tray was set down. "You ain't changed a bit. How are you? How is your family doin'?"

 

[moffnat]

"Very good, Lily, very good," said Cook with a big smile. "Look at ye, all grown up. You look like yer mother, y'do. I got a grandson your age. Want me to see about findin' you a good man?" He laughed; the comment was made in jest, as Cook was always known to play matchmaker among the servants. Many happy marriages had been set though his advice. "Only if you come back to work for Lord Ferdie. He's payin' us good, he is. My grandbabies are all eatin' full meals again."

Ferdinand would have refused such praise if he'd been paying attention. Instead, he'd begun setting the table so Cook didn't have to, making sure the plates of food and silverware and wine were all in their rightful place. Lily was more important to him than his intended or any lady noble he'd ever been forced to entertain. She deserved what they'd gotten, and more.

 

[Viverescribere]

Lily's cheeks warmed at the compliment and that same heat of embarrassment continued into her ears at his offer to find her a suitable match. However she laughed off his comments, raising a hand to fondly cup his cheek the way she would have done with a grandfather. "You silly buggar, still up to your old tricks I see." She teased, even remembering these ways when she was a child.

"That's... wonderful." She said softly, her smile still in place and she turned her head to look over her shoulder to Ferdinand. It came as a surprise, as she didn't expect him to be able to put such a kind thing in place with his father still breathing. However, this was Ferdinand... her Ferdie. He had always put the interest of others first.

"I'm working as a seamstress now, Cookie. I already have somethin'... although it would be wonderful to see your lovely face again every day." She then teased, looking back to the older man and trying to move on from the topic. She didn't need Ferdinand to think she was struggling, nor did she want him to feel any sort of pressure from Cook's words, even if they were in jest. It wasn't exactly as if things ended amicably the last time she was under employment in the castle.

She took Cook's hands, smiling again as she squeezed them, "It was nice to see you again, Cook. Tell your wife I said hello, it's been too long."

 

[moffnat]

"I will, Lily. She'll be pleased to hear from ya. Real pleased." Cook kissed her hands amiably, bowed to Ferdinand, and left with more spring in his step than Ferdie had seen in a long while.

"You made him a very happy man," teased Ferdinand as he sat at the head of the table. "Are you ready to eat? It smells so wonderful, I almost feel bad for waiting." He poured Liliana some wine, rich enough for royalty. "Tell me all about your job as a seamstress. I want to know everything."

 

[Viverescribere]

Lily watched as he left, smiling fondly as she brushed her hands over her hips absently. At Ferdinand's voice, she brought herself out of her thoughts and focused back on the present. "Ah yes, sorry." She felt her cheeks warm again and she took her seat at the table. The smell coming from the meal was divine, and Lily wasn't sure the last time she smelt something so good. "This is too much, Ferdie."

It did feel slightly overwhelming, everything that he was giving to her. She felt out of place, with him dressed so smartly and her best dress not even on par to what would probably be considered his worst. The elegance of the food, the silverware and now the richness of the wine being poured into a shining crystal glass. It was a far cry from the tin goblets and tin plates she was used to.

"There's not much to tell about seamstress work, Ferdie. I managed to get some work in a shop on the market street, I mostly fix tears and holes." She began, waiting for him to start eating - mostly because she wasn't sure what knife and fork to use first. "Sometimes I do women's fittings, so taking their measurements for dresses or coats. I'm building up to actually... making the clothes, I just need some more experience first before I can be trusted."

The first bite melted in her mouth, and she sighed softly just in pleasure at the taste. "How-- How about you? How have you been? Cook says... you've increased their pay? I'm assuming your father doesn't know." A small smile curled at her lips.

 

[moffnat]

Ferdinand was fascinated to hear about Liliana's seamstress life, as dull as it may seem to her. "That's wonderful!" he encouraged. "I'm sure your skill is exceptional. You shall have to make clothes for me someday. I would wear them proudly." Trademark goodness gleamed in his smile. "As for me, there isn't much to tell. I completed my education, started taking on some of my father's responsibilities, you know. Noble things." Ferdinand sighed. "It probably sounds very selfish of me to say this, but the burden can be heavy. And the things I saw in the square today, Lily. They bothered me to no end. How am I supposed to carry the weight of Aegir if the realities of its people have never been known to me? I cannot protect them if I don't know what they face."

 

[Viverescribere]

Her cheeks flushed softly at his unbridled excitement and suggestion to perhaps make clothes for him some day. Lily's eyes raised to meet his briefly, a warm and timid smile pulled at her lips. "I would be scared to work with such fine fabric. But perhaps I could some day, once I gain more experience." She didn't dare mention that it wasn't her place to make his clothes, she didn't dare ruin the light in his eyes.

"But at least you're learnin' how to manage these responsibilities slowly, you can begin to work out how best to juggle them all." Lily assured him, smiling gently to him. The smile flickered and faded at the mention of his experience in the square, slowly chewing on the mouthful she had just taken as she worked out what to say to him.

"I suppose the only way for you to learn is to continue doin' what you've done today. Although I would recommend not dressin' the way you have. I can get you some more... suitable clothes. Clothes that will allow you to blend in." Liliana offered, lowering her cutlery to take a sip of the wine. It was strong, the taste fruitful on her tongue. She chased it down with some of the water in the next glass. "Perhaps I could even accompany you, I wouldn't feel comfortable with you going around by yourself, not knowing... what it's truly like."

 

[moffnat]

"You would do that for me?" Ferdinand was truly appalled; the idea was wonderful, of course, but she owed him nothing. "I of course accept, but I hope you don't feel indebted to me, Lily. You do not have to do anything you don't wish to. It is because of me that..."

He couldn't continue his thought. Ferdinand's shoulders slumped as he felt the weight of old guilt, but he refused to succumb to it. "Forgive me. I would be honored and very appreciative if you would guide me around Aegir, not as a duke's son, but as a common man. I would even pay you for your time if necessary."

 

[Viverescribere]

"Don't do that, Ferdie. Don't do that to yourself." Lily answered immediately, knowing where he was going - or not wanting to go with the way he trailed off his sentence. "That wa'n't your fault. That wa'n't either of our faults. We were just kids, there wa'n't anythin' we could do about that. The only... the only person to blame is-- is your pa." She struggled to get the final sentence out, eyes darting to the doors that entered the dining room from the hallway and from the kitchen, as if the Duke himself would suddenly appear and rain down the same fury she experienced all those years ago.

Lilianna lowered her cutlery again, clasping her hands together to rest on the edge of the table in front of her plate. She finished chewing her mouthful before focusing on him. "You needn't pay me, Ferdie. I'd consider it an insult if you offer to pay me again." She told him firmly, stubbornly. "We can start whenev'r you want. I'll come to the castle on the first mornin' to bring those clothes, then you can keep them and we can just meet somewhere in the village afterwards."

 

[moffnat]

Ferdinand's smile was soft, an expression reserved only for those he loved. "I shall accept your kind offer, then. You will have to tell me when you're ready, and I shall meet you as soon as possible. If tomorrow works, I am more than willing."

He ached to experience Aegir, to know the city he was soon to inherit so that he could ease the ailments that plagued its people. But most of all, he wanted to spend more time with Liliana before the inevitable day came when he could see her no more.

 

[Viverescribere]

Lily held onto his gaze, a smile of her own slowly growing to reflect his. That was until she found the moment too intimate, too improper. She lowered her gaze back to her food, clearing her throat softly, and she picked up her cutlery to continue with her meal. Maybe she could allow herself to hope, to believe that maybe they had a chance to pick up where they left off - allow that friendship to grow, minus the childish crush she had on him. Yet even in this short space of time, Lilianna wasn't sure that would be possible.

"Tomorrow mornin' we can go, I-- I hav'n't got work tomorrow. I'll come back in the mornin' with some clothes for you, they won't be pretty, but they will keep you hidden." She murmured eventually after battling her inner turmoil. Lily glanced back up and offered a quick smile, "I just can't promise that you'll like whatev'r it is you'll see tomorrow.

---

The next morning, Lily did as she promised. Although she was conflicted on whether to go through the front door or the servants entrance at the back of the castle. Eventually she decided on the latter, not wanting to deal with the surprise of the servant again like last night.

Knocking on the back door, she smiled pleasantly at the young servant girl that answered. "I've a delivery for Duke Ferdinand von Aegir. I-- I believe he's expectin' me. I'm not to give it to anyone else." She held up the brown-paper package she had brought with her, tied with coarse string. She had paid for the old pieces of clothing from the seamstress shop she worked at - not much, as the clothes did need patching up. Not that she would tell Ferdie.

Bewildered, the servant girl nodded and allowed her in, brow furrowed in confusion. "I'll fetch the Duke now. Stay here." Eyes ran up and down Lily almost with suspicion and she held in a small sigh. Instead she nodded and smiled pleasantly again.

Disappearing into the castle, the servant girl knocked on the door of the room she had been told Ferdinand could be found: "Sir? There's a young lady at the back door, says you be expecting her-- she's got a package. Do you want to see her? Or should I tell her you're busy?"

 

[moffnat]

Ferdinand had hardly slept. Though there was plenty of uncertainty, he'd been kept awake by the promise of his childhood dreams finally realized. A tour of Aegir. In all its sadness and beauty, Ferdinand would see everything. Experience everything. With Lily by his side, no less.

Ferdinand threw open the door the second he heard a knock. "Gerta!" he said with a big smile. "Yes, I was expecting this. Thank you." He accepted the package gratefully. "I'll be away until sunset. Would you please tell my mother I've gone training? I shall be back for supper." Without waiting for a reply, he shut his door once again to let Gerta deliver her news, eagerly tearing open Lily's parcel.

He changed in haste. Though the clothes were certainly lacking and easily among the poorest garments he'd ever adorned, Ferdinand was quite pleased. His skin was far too pale, his hands too soft and hair too kempt to pass as a servant, but it would have to do. He pulled back his flame-colored locks and tied them behind his head, as he had seen the merchants do the day before. Perhaps that would help.

Not wanting anyone of his household to see him in such attire, Ferdinand snuck out his bedroom window and climbed down the great vines that stretchd along the side of his estate. When he reached the ground, he jogged to his and Lily's meeting spot, leaving Freya behind for secrecy's sake.

"Lily," Ferdinand panted when he finally reached her. He rested his hands on his knees and took a few breaths. "Horses make distance feel so much shorter than it truly is, don't they? Please, tell me I'm well-dressed enough for our outing. If I have to run back and change again, I will surely be too slow to keep up with you."