Loyalty in Unity

[ImpossibleGirl]

June had quickly finished polishing her sword, somewhat pleased with how well the polish worked, and somewhat disappointed. She was used to spending longer working on her sword, and the repetitive action was soothing and mind numbing to her. She liked it.


Letting out a soft sigh, she sheathed it and put it back in her bags, staring at them for a moment before realizing she would have to unpack them sooner or later. And when she did, she would have to share a chest or dresser with Barrin... Another sigh left her lips then as she rolled her eyes. Great.


Glancing over at the bed, her eyes narrowed as she noticed Barrin was taking up most of the space. And while she was small, she did like to stretch out a lot during her sleep. "Hey. Move over." she said as she came up to the bed, poking at his shoulder just to make sure he'd move. She was trying her best to remain passive and neutral, but her words still came out through clenched teeth and her muscles were tense with irritation. She didn't want to share a bed with him. It just made her feel so uncomfortable. They weren't that close at all, and only people who were married or lovers or possibly siblings usually shared a bed. They were absolutely none of those things! Sure, they were to be married soon... but still! It was severely uncomfortable!

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin turned his head to glare at her for a second before rolling over to the other side, accidentally getting tangled up in the blankets along the way. After a second of swearing, he managed to get out of them and shove them in her direction.


This was going to be a tough night to get through. He could only imagine what would happen if she found him anywhere close to her body in the morning and he was not looking forward to sharing his bed with anyone. He was a rather large person and she rather small. Barrin was half-worried that he would end up crushing her under his weight.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June rose an eyebrow up at him as he glared at her, huffing irritably at him in reply. "Well excuse me for wanting some room to sleep." she managed out in a strained voice, watching in amusement as he wrestled with the blankets. Okay, that was somewhat funny.


Smirking slightly as he finally managed to shove the blankets in her direction, June scooted in, making sure to stay as far away from him as possible. Turning her back to him, June settled in on her pillow, pulling the covers up to her chin and glaring at the wall in thought. Her muscles were tense and she was trying desperately not to move, afraid she'd accidentally touch him were she to actually relax. But she needed to, if she were to get some sleep.


Letting out a quiet sigh, June tried to relax her leg some, shifting it a little and trying to stretch it out some. This being the first time she had ever shared a bed with someone, she was not prepared for how close he actually was, and ended up accidentally brushing his leg with hers. Gritting her teeth in irritation June yanked it back, exhaling harshly through her nose and trying her best not to blush. This was hard. This was very hard, and very uncomfortable. She wasn't sure she could do this.... Honestly, she was about half a second away from shoving him off the bed and demanding he sleep on the floor. She had never been so close to a man outside her family -- besides when she was sparring -- and it was seriously making her a nervous wreck. And not in the good way.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin was about to fall asleep when he heard rustling and felt something brush against his leg. He almost groaned out loud when he felt her move suddenly again, as if trying to put space between them.


Great.


It seemed that June was highly uncomfortable with their proximity and the fact that they were sharing a bed. Part of Barrin wanted to demand her to stop fidgeting and just go with it. Another part of him remembered that he was supposed to be a gentleman and this marriage was actually supposed to work. Though, since June didn't even seem able to sleep next to him, he highly doubted the marriage would.


Groaning, he decided to actually live up to the term "gentleman" for once in his life. If she was uncomfortable, he'd have to respect that. As irritating as she could be, Barrin didn't want her to get a bad impression about his family and Vanguard as a whole. People here respected each other's desires and boundaries. They'd have to sort it out before the wedding, sure, but until then, he could deal with the floor.


He swung his feet off the bed and shoved himself off of it, going to the trunk and pulling out an extra blanket before sitting down in front of the fireplace and spreading it out, flopping down on to the rug and turning so he was facing the flickering flames.


He was sure his shoulder would hurt from the hard wood in the morning.


June had better be grateful.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June couldn't relax. No matter what she tried, she couldn't get herself to relax. How could she, when she was being forced to share a bed with someone she didn't even know? It was stressful and uncomfortable for her. Honestly, she wasn't sure how this marriage was actually going to work. Not when she couldn't even sleep next to him she was so uncomfortable.


Hearing a groan and feeling the bed shift, June turned over to glare at him, however it was wiped off her face when she saw him standing and grabbing an extra blanket out of the chest. Blinking at him as he made himself comfortable on the floor, June merely stared at his back for a moment. He... was sleeping on the floor? Well, he had obviously noticed she was uncomfortable, if that was the case, but why was he sleeping on the floor..? She expected him to just snap at her, not actually do something... nice.


...It was weird.


Huffing slightly, she decided she couldn't just let him sleep like that on the floor. He'd be extremely sore in the morning, and then she'd never hear the end of it. Besides, since he was actually acting a little bit like a gentleman, she could act a little nicer as well.


So taking two of the extra pillows on the bed, she threw them at him, one landing behind his back and one atop his shoulder. "I don't want you complaining all day tomorrow because your back hurts because of me. It'd be annoying." she said with a small sigh. "And... thanks..." she mumbled, glancing at him before her eyes darted away once more, and she quickly turned on her side, resting her head on the last pillow remaining on the bed. She was able to relax this time, and stretched out her limbs, a couple pops echoing through the room as she did, which caused her to let out a relieved sigh.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin jolted as he felt the pillows hit him. He rolled around and shoved one under his head before placing another one under his shoulder so he wouldn't be too pained in the morning.


Hearing her thanks, he smirked.


"You're welcome," he said calmly, trying to keep a monotone.


He yawned slightly before shutting his eyes, hoping to actually get some sleep for once.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

Snuggling into her pillow, June pulled the covers up to her chin, feeling a little more at ease once she heard his reply. The fact that she didn't have to worry about someone else sleeping beside her also helped tremendously too though.


Shutting her eyes, June focused on the sound of the crackling fire and hoped to get some sleep, thinking that perhaps, Barrin wasn't so bad...


Eventually, she did manage to enter a deep, dreamless sleep, despite the stressful events that took place earlier that day.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin woke up much too early. His shoulder still ached, even though it had been on a pillow, and he had somehow rolled onto his back. The hard wood had support, but it made his back ache from lying down on something so stiff for so long. He staggered to his feet, groaning and cracking his sore joints. His shoulder protested, still warming up from lying down so still on such a hard surface.


Barrin stumbled over to the chest and pulled out a change of clothes. Since June appeared to be asleep, he simply yanked off his shirt and pants before pulling on a clean pair of pantaloons, struggling due to aching muscles and a knot between his shoulders from sleeping on the floor.


He was never doing that again.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

Unlike Barrin, June had slept surprisingly peacefully, and was currently settled in the very middle of the bed, sprawled out across the bed. A rather loud bout of fumbling in the room woke her however, and June groaned softly in her sleep, not used to being woken up so early. Just what was going on...?


Having forgotten that she was not alone in the room, June blearily opened her eyes as she tried to figure out what was going on. Once her eyes focused, they flicked around the unfamiliar room, before resting on Barrin.


Barrin, who was currently pulling on some pantaloons. Barrin, who was also currently half dressed.


Her eyes widened at the sight as she realized where she was and why she was here, and she blushed miserably, letting out a surprised noise somewhere between a yelp and a squeal, before quickly turning her back to him and burrowing under the covers. "What the hell?! Can't you change in the washroom idiot?!" she said a little louder than normal, however it was gentler than a yell. Perhaps she was acting harsher than she should have been, considering where he slept last night, but June couldn't help it. That was not a sight she was expecting first thing in the morning.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin turned to glare at her before tying up his pants and shrugging on his shirt, stretching his arms up over his head to help release the tension. "We're going to be married," he said dully, "might as well get used to it."


He yawned and cracked his back, wincing at the popping sounds. "God," he muttered, rubbing his spine as it loosened up. "Alright, I hope you're comfortable now because I don't think I can sleep on the floor every single day."

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June pouted at that, still not looking at him as she glared at the wall. "I don't care. I can get used to it later on. Not on my second day here." she muttered stubbornly, refusing to listen to his logic. She waited a moment as she heard him fumbling with his clothes, and when he started cracking his back she flicked her eyes cautiously over to him, before turning around once more when she realized he was done changing.


Oh. Right. He slept on the floor last night.


Her blush left at that and her shoulders relaxed, letting out a soft sigh. Okay, so even she felt a little bit bad about that... "Yeah, I'll be fine tonight." She would have to be, because not even she could make him sleep on the floor just because she was a bit uncomfortable. "Thanks for that." she added, glancing up at him with a very small, sheepish smile. A very, very small one... but a smile nonetheless.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"You're welcome," Barrin said lightly, taking note of her small smile. At least that was a step. "You can change in the washroom if you like, but I'm going down to see if there's any breakfast."


He would rather not be trapped with her the entire day again and hurried out of the room, descending the steps and arriving at the bottom in time to smell pastries baking in the kitchen. He made a bee-line for the round-table room; June was going to be a regular here. There was no need to act like she was a guest anymore.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

Nodding, June let out a small sigh once he left, stretching out her arms and legs. A few pops were heard, however that usually happened when she woke up and it was hardly uncomfortable. Sliding out of bed, she went to her bags and pulled out her brush and a simple soft blue dress. After brushing her hair and getting dressed, June finished getting ready and went downstairs as well.


As soon as he mentioned breakfast, food was once again the only thing she could thing of, and was also the only thing getting her out of bed. Had it not been for the rumbling in her stomach, she likely would have stayed in bed for a few more hours, just to avoid acknowledging the day. Smelling the pastries cooking as well, June sighed softly as her stomach rumbled, eager to bite into whatever that delicious smelling food was.


Ducking her head into the room they ate at last night, June saw it was empty and frowned, before looking around. She didn't think that was where they usually ate, since Barrin had showed her around the castle yesterday. But it had been so rushed and hurried she couldn't remember everything properly. But she knew it was around here somewhere... It was close to the kitchen at least. She remembered that much.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

There was the sound of feet and a woman rounded the corner, looking slightly tired. She paused when she saw June by the door. "Oh," she said lightly, "hello. I don't believe we've met formally before. My name is Auria," she said, touching her chest gently. "You must be June. Is my brother-in-law being troublesome yet?"


There was a certain twinkle in her eye that seemed to reflect Galene's own sense of mischief.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June turned around as she heard footsteps, blinking up at the woman who approached her. Ah, she was the one with the cute little babies last night, if June wasn't mistaken. June smiled as she introduced herself, glad to be meeting her acquaintance. She had been wanting to meet the other members of the family whom she hadn't been formally introduced to yet.


"It's nice to meet you." she smiled, before chuckling at her added comment. "You could say that, yes." she chuckled. While she didn't want to come off as rude or like she was bashing her brother-in-law, she wasn't going to be dishonest either. "You have two little ones, right? I saw them last night at dinner. They're adorable." she chuckled, having always had a soft spot for little children. Not that she was going to admit or tell anyone that, of course. She had a reputation to uphold.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"Ah yes, Irene and Ivan," Auria said with a fondness in her voice. She chuckled. "They're both a handful. I'm sure you can relate to some degree. Barrin seems to be quiet the handful himself."


She glanced around. "Are you looking for something? The dining room, perhaps? It is a very large castle. It's easy to get lost. I can show you if you'd like."


She sighed. "The mornings are some of the only time when the babes don't kick up a fuss so I prefer the quiet."

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

Irene and Ivan, huh? She would have to remember that. Laughing lightly at her comment, June nodded slightly. "Honestly. It's like I'm dealing with a five year old." she chuckled in amusement, glad to be talking to someone other than Barrin for once. And to be able to talk about Barrin with someone else as well. "But I'm sure he thinks the exact same thing about me." she added with a small smile and a light chuckle. June wasn't ignorant, she knew she could be ridiculously stubborn at times, and slightly unreasonable. And while she always tried to justify her actions, she still knew she could be hard to deal with sometimes. Her father had let her know that many times back in Etaleth.


"Ah yes." Suddenly reminded of why she was standing in the middle of hallway, June smiled sheepishly up at the older woman. "I was, actually. I smelled the food cooking, but I just can't get to it. It's so frustrating.." she joked with a quiet chuckle.


"Mm, I bet. Having two around the same age.. Seems tiring." Her mother used to say there were times she wanted to scream from how troublesome her and her younger brother had been. And they were a year apart. "Are they twins?" she asked Auria, tilting her head to the side in an inquisitive manner. They had looked that way last night at least, although she could be wrong.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"Yup, twins," Auria sighed. "I'm fairly sure I broke Nartai's hand during the labor," she added, scrunching up her nose, "and informed him that we were never having children again. I think I hurt him bad enough that he agreed," she added, snorting a bit.


She led June towards the room with a round-table. Barrin was already eating something there and looked up when they entered. "Oh hey," he said.


"Hello Barrin," Auria said, arching an eyebrow at her brother-in-law before sitting down. The table was covered in fresh fruits and pastries as well as various steaming bowls of oats. Auria took a few strawberries for herself before piling on some of the steaming oats and mixing the fruit through it.


"So," she said, turning to June, "what have you seen so far?"

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

Laughing lightly at her comment, June smirked slightly in amusement at that. Thank goodness she didn't have to worry about that for some time now. Wait... she was to be married to Barrin soon... was she expected to have kids sooner or later too?


The thought made her shudder slightly as a wave of nausea hit her. 'Lets not think about that right now...'


Following Auria to the dining room, June arched an eyebrow up at seeing Barrin as well, however she accompanied it with a small glare. She had almost gotten lost in the large castle, and she was blaming him for his rush job of a tour.


She remained mute however, and went to piling up her plate with food. She took one of each kind of pastry, some strawberries, grapes, blueberries , and other fresh fruits, and also a bowl of that. Sitting down across from Barrin, -- she was not sitting next to him again -- June mixed in a few blueberries and strawberries with her oats, however dug into the cheese danish first, letting out a small sigh. She loved pastries. They were her favorite type of sweets.


Turning to look at Auria, June swallowed before speaking. "Just the barracks." she mumbled slightly as she took another bite, remembering the conversation with the Queen from last night. That had not been pleasant... And she did not want a repeat of that anytime soon.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Auria glanced between the newly-forced-together couple and figured it wasn't her place to say anything. Barrin was digging into a bowl of steamed oats with cinnamon and milk mixed in.


"Oh? You're very good with a sword, then?" she asked, eating a piece of her breakfast. "It seems that most people in Vanguard are."


"We haven't lost that habit," Barrin said into his food.


"Very true," Auria agreed. "We believe that those who can stand are those who can fight. Strength is important as is the mind, for you cannot fight if you cannot see and realize what your opponent is doing."


Barrin grunted his agreement.


"You should come with me to the ports," Auria said suddenly, her eyes lighting up. "If, of course, Barrin wasn't planning on it."


"You can do it," Barrin said quickly, receiving a smack on the shoulder for it.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

Nodding slightly at Auria's question, June munched at her breakfeast, her eyes flicking between Auria and Barrin as they spoke. Vanguard sounded very... strong and unified. It was certainly different here than in Etaleth.


But... she did agree with Auria's statement. Strength of the mind was as important as physical strength, and anyone that was physically able to fight, should.


After a moment of deliberation, J June nodded thoughtfully, deciding she did agree with that. "I respect that. And I agree." It sounded a little harsher than she would have liked, but she agreed with the point of it. Plus, she didn't know Vanguard yet, so it wasn't her place to judge.


As Auria invited her to go the ports with her, June smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'd love to." Barrin's quick reply made her roll her eyes however, shooting the man a glare as she dig into bowl of steamed oats. She was half tempted to flick a blueberry at him, however managed to control herself. She did smirk cheekily however when Auria smacked him on the shoulder though, cramming a bite of oats and berries in her mouth.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin grunted when he was hit, looking slightly perturbed. "Which side are you on?" he muttered.


"The polite one," Auria responded, scooping up more of her oats and eating them. "So," she said, turning back to June, "is there anything you want to see down at the ports? I like watching all the business go by. You know, you'll never find another place quiet as busy as the ports during midday, when all the stalls are open and all the ships are coming in. The smell leaves much to be desired but you can find anything, from books to dried fruits from across the sea. There's also things like pets. Some people bring cats aboard to eat mice and sometimes sell a few librarians some in order to keep the mice out of our libraries. Sometimes there's dogs that the farmers buy to shoo away the wolves from their flocks."

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June's smirk only grew as she watched their exchange, a quiet chuckle leaving her lips despite her best efforts to squash it. Ha! That's what he got for being... annoying...


Okay, even June had to admit that was a weak excuse.


Swallowing a bite of food, her eyes flicked over to Auria as she described what the ports were like. They didn't sound too different than the one's at Etaleth. "Looking at the books and fruits sound nice." she answered thoughtfully, before taking a bite of her steamed oats and berries. They would definitely have different literature than Etaleth, and June hoped she could maybe find a good read. "I used to visit the ports some in Etaleth, just so I could be near all that water out there. It can be... freeing I guess, once you get past the hustle and bustle of it all. And the smell." she chuckled lightheartedly.


June remembered sitting on the docks for at most an hour, just staring out at the waters horizon. She daydreamed about swimming all the way out there more than once, as unrealistic as that was.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Auria laughed. "Ah yes, the smell can be quite something. I find it easy to get used to. If you are to be married into Vanguard, you'll find yourself around the king a lot. His duties involve going around the entire kingdom to speak with the commoners on issues, so you might want to get acquainted with the place. There are many regions and it is an overall very busy kingdom. The ports will be a good place to start. Finish up and meet me out front; I need to check up on the babies."


With that, she stood up, glanced at Barrin and said, "Don't make a fuss," and left.


Barrin shoved a piece of toast into his mouth with a slightly irritated look on his face.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June nodded, finishing off the rest of her steamed oats. She had yet to talk to the king, however she had to admit, she was a little excited to see the whole kingdom. This was her first time to Vanguard, so she was eager to see what it was really like here, despite the fact that she was being forced to marry into the foreign kingdom. The thought of exploring a new land just excited her.


"Alright." June smiled, that smile turning into a grin at Auria's parting comment to Barrin. Finishing up her breakfast quick enough, June stood and went to meet Auria out front, but not before swiping a pastry off Barrin's plate as she passed by, just to mess with him. What could she say, the prince was fun to mess with. Plus, he owed her for that half-piece of ham last night.


"Don't wait up." she said, raising an eyebrow up at him with a smirk, biting into the breakfast treat as she left. Unlike the day before, a small bounce was in her step as she went to meet Auria out front, happy to be exploring the kingdom without the annoying prince for once.