“We must always have courage.” she added softly. In the two days they had been apart, Ella had been trying to do the exact same thing. Two days may seem like nothing to some, but after spending every day together, the days felt like years without teasing over breakfast or stolen kisses in doorways. Their in-castle honeymoon had been cut upsettingly short, and with no Prince around to handle matters of state, the responsibility was thrust upon Ella’s shoulders. It wasn’t that she minded, of course she didn’t, but the fact she didn’t have much idea what she was doing. Although she had finally started to get the hang of things, she had to admit that she was glad to be free from the stress of royal life, even if it was only for a little while.
She sighed softly, shooting him a watery smile. “I suppose if everyone is safe and accounted for, we should have hope that things stay that way. But on the bright side,” she mused, grinning cheekily as she swung their arms back and forth playfully, “I suppose this is quite like one long honeymoon, isn’t it?” She quickly fell into step with him, keeping up with his long strides. She would have to get used to her new surroundings, but she supposed she could worry about that later.
“Of course I’m going to like it, my love. You’ll be living there.” She felt her cheeks redden at his words. There was something about him that made her feel giddy, the feeling only heightened by the feeling of his hand in hers. She felt like a child on Christmas as they strolled past house after house, each one as quaint as the last. Tears pricked at the edges of her eyes as she stood in front of her house. It reminded her of her childhood home, surrounded by a green lawn, the air fragrant with flowers.
She wished her parents were here. She wished they could see this, meet Tristan. She’s sure they’d both love him ( though not as much as her, as that would be impossible. ) She felt his hand in hers and she felt herself being grounded. She blinked away her tears and squeezed his hand, nodding firmly up at him. “Always.”
“And kindness,” Tristan added almost without even thinking. He knew what those words meant to Ella, to them both really. The biggest comfort Tristan had after being snatched away from home was the fact that Ella was there to see them through it, ruling suited her better than even him sometimes. There was a kindness and a feeling that seemed to follow with her, like no problem anyone ever brought her was too big or two small, perhaps that was why she was so beloved by their subjects. He thoughts fell to what the palace would be without the two of them there to warm it, the thought left him cold. He immediately felt sorry for the captain who was likely trying to hold the pieces together while the two of them were absent.
Tris laughed gently as she played with their hands “That’s a good way to look at it,” he smiled. “we might as well try and enjoy ourselves, considering we weren’t going to have one before,” He had been willing to sacrifice it of course, what with the wedding and the coronation, duty had to come first. Still there was a private, selfish part of him who had wished for that time with Ella, time as just a husband to give them the time to figure out just what marriage meant for the two of them.
“That’s a good point,” he grinned, watching the other’s face with an overwhelming feeling of joy Everything between them was still so new, the thought of being able to make her smile like that for the rest of their lives made his head spin. “Did I do a good job?” he asked playfully as they stood in front of the gate. He hoped she liked it, Tristan wasn’t sure how long they were going to be here so he wanted to make sure she was comfortable. “I was thinking we could get some more flowers to brighten things up,”
When he was sure she was comfortable Tristan lead her forward, making sure to keep an eye on her face to make sure she was comfortable. He then unlocked the door with the key he had been given and taking a few steps forward into the house, before turning to look at her once more. “welcome to our new home,” he replied with a grin “If I knew you were getting her I would have tidied up a little bit,”
