R'sath, Tower of Starlight - Part 8 - A Royal Wedding

The weeks immediately following Ahsch's first meeting with Avery were rather busy. Ariin and Dahil got to meet the royal, with... mixed reactions. Ariin and Ahsch's betrothed got along rather well, especially after Avery flirted with the hrafthi girl about two minutes after meeting her. Between those two and his familiar, Ahsch resigned himself to a life full of jabs and teasing. On the other hand, Dahil went into the meeting with a good amount of caution and concern - and for entirely understandable reasons, given she was meeting the woman her son would be marrying. While there wasn't outright hostility, the two did not seem to click very well; on reflection, Ahsch remembered that Avery's stepmother maybe being involved in her little brother's **** probably led to some tension there - as he had put it to Michlas, "mommy issues" - so it was hardly a surprise that she was relatively cold towards his mother. That only seemed to put Dahil on edge, which simply spiraled; Ahsch was quick to end the meeting and reconvene with his mother as soon as he could to explain his betrothed's circumstances.

That conversation didn't happen until the following day, however, as Ahsch was led this way and that throughout R'sath and even out into the Capitol on a variety of errands. He had a wedding to prepare for, after all, and clothes needed to be tailored (for himself and his family), etiquette learned, decorations chosen, the ceremony practiced, guests invited, and so on.

When he did finally have the time to speak with his mother, and had explained the reasons for Avery's behavior, Dahil had thought for a long moment, then asked that he bring her to his bride. They went to the Odestag suites, met Avery, and Ahsch was kicked out while the two women spoke for over an hour. When they emerged, Ahsch was relieved by the much more amicable stance they had towards each other, though Avery still seemed awkward.

The hrafthi was just grateful that Avery was footing the bill - he had stopped counting when the cost for everything had breached four digits and had pointedly avoided asking about it after the first time making sure his bride was okay with paying for everything.

Ahsch sent invitations to the rest of his family via courier, and it was about a month later, in the days leading up to the wedding itself, that they arrived. Waiting to greet them as they disembarked from the carriage they had hired from Sarvas to the Capitol, he noticed Avery go through a dozen different emotions upon seeing his dozen little sisters, before coming to a stop on something... soft. There was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes, and he reached out and held her hand. She stiffened, glanced over at him, then resolutely returned her attention to his approaching family, an almost invisible pout on her face. While he didn't cheat by using Heart Sight, Ahsch did noticed that the tips of her ears were a little darker than usual.

As expected, the wild, unrefined royal got along well with Ahsch's small-town, active, and usually energetic sisters. While she interacted with the older ten in her usual crass, joking manner, something changed when it came to the littlest of the sisters, Sola and Luna. Avery approached them in a way that reminded Ahsch of himself and Ariin, even though her actual behavior was quite different - with a lot more physical showing-off and swinging and carrying involved - the energy behind it was... sisterly. Like a big sister.

After all, they weren't that far off from her brother's age when he had...

Comparatively, Ahsch's parents and Avery had a much more neutral relationship. She got along well enough with Noeh, and the hrafthi boy knew his mother had spoken with the other family mothers in vague terms about his bride's situation, as the four other women were pleasant while giving her distance. An invitation for the royal to make the first move, something Ahsch thought he could see her considering, though he wasn't sure - Avery was rather guarded around the adults of his family, despite being polite.

It was another week after his family's arrival that the wedding was held. While not nearly as massive an affair as many royals would have organized, there was still an intimidating audience, including at least one member of every other royal family, the majority of House Odestag-affiliated commoners, and the entire ruling family.

Most importantly to Ahsch, however, was that Kirasiel Celes was the officiant for the wedding. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing - he knew it for sure wasn't a neutral thing - was up in the air. Her expression was schooled, her voice even, and her attention seemed focused on the ceremony and nothing more. Chancing a glance with Heart Sight revealed nothing, an enchantment of some kind - the first he'd ever encountered - disrupting his view of the royal brat's emotions.

It was only at the end, upon her proclamation, "I now present the Lord...s Odestag. You may now kiss!" that Ahsch caught a flash of some emotion in her eye. A brief spike of... anger? Jealousy? Desire? Whatever it was, it was gone too quick for the hrafthi to tell what it was, and he was otherwise occupied as Avery, after a moment of hesitation - and the telltale darkening of her ear tips - leaned in a planted a passionate, aggressive kiss on her husband. After being caught off-guard for a second, he returned it with just as much ****, his hands lightly resting on her hips.

During the reception afterwards, the newly-minted Lord Odestag generally remained quiet as his wife, the Lord Odestag navigated the procession of political well-wishers and socialites with her usual lazy confidence, a wine glass hanging comfortably in her hand. After a few minutes' hesitation - and some pressure from his familiar and sister - he finally sighed and leaned over while they were between guests, fulfilling an agreement he had made with his Thralls before the wedding. "If you don't mind, Ariin and Mahat are eager to include you in something."

With a raised pierced eyebrow, she nodded, and the trio recast Daydreamweave, Ahsch extending the targets to include his new wife.

We've already said it in person, but congratulations, sister-in-law, Ariin said.

Now we can give your husband the teasing he deserves anytime and anywhere, Mahat added.

Avery's eyes widened slightly. This is... a really weird telepathy spell, she finally said.

The other two girls laughed. While it does take some getting used to, it is far more useful than any old telepathy spell, Ariin said before sending a fantasy of herself, naked and tied up, with her brother, sister-in-Thralldom, and sister-in-law all used their cocks to stuff her completely full.

An eager, hungry look came to Avery's eyes. Fuck, you're right, this is amazing, she agreed.

Now that they had a distraction, the evening progressed much more easily for the newlyweds, the boring procession of royals mere interruptions to the far more interesting conversations that the four had. Ahsch was somewhat surprised by his wife's quick acclimatization to the daydreaming nature of Daydreamweave, as she was able to quickly learn how to suppress the dis-focusing effects of using the spell at will, something that the other three had struggled - and still did - to accomplish. Maybe her years in court have something to do with it, he considered.

As the reception began to wind down, a serious sense came to the Daydreamweave. When you two are in private, your husband has some things to tell you, Mahat said.

Avery shot the hrafthi a curious look, which only sharpened when he made an expression of some guilt. A tiny note of suspicion crossed her face, though it was muted when Ariin added, Don't worry overmuch, it isn't anything necessarily bad, just... secret. Important ones that you should know. The quiet that came to the Daydreamweave was not a comfortable one, and Ahsch was relieved when the reception finally ended, and he and his new wife were able to leave and return to the Odestag suites - now their suites.

Once there, Avery led the way directly to the study, silently poured herself a glass of scotch, glanced at her new husband, then poured a second glass. Giving it to him, she then went and sat in one of the chairs, slouched against one armrest with a boot on the other, her other leg stretched in front of the latter armrest. "So... secrets?" she asked after a sip.

Ahsch stared at the drink for a long moment, taking a deep breath. Then he downed half the liquor, met his wife's eyes, and said...