A family reunion and feast

Vel strode into the dining hall at the front of the Andros party, his rightful position now that he was officially lord of the family. At his side and arm in arm with him was the lady of the house, Lady Rienne. She would hold that position until her son took a wife. As far as Vel was concerned, he already had of course. Indeed had taken multiple wives including his mother, but that wasn’t something they could reveal. Not yet.

Despite their guests arriving earlier than expected, House Hothemer had put on a feast worthy of a visit from the empress herself. The long wooden table was heavily laden with everything one might expect to find at a true Vashkai celebration. As the mouth-watering scent of the bounty of Western Aluv and the Northern Sea filled his nose, Vel had to **** himself to maintain his steady pace. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until this very moment but, satisfying all seven of his wives had clearly worked up an appetite.

There were platters stacked high with meat of all kinds: Beef, pork, poultry, mutton, venison, and more were all cooked to perfection. Dishes full of just about anything one could pull out of the northern sea: cod, herring, oysters, mussels, and many others. A variety of flatbreads, both hard and soft, ever a staple of Vashkai cooking. And last but not least, the thing that many a Vashkai mother had told her children was responsible for making their people so big and strong. Blood. Blood sausage, blood pies, and of course blood gravy. Vel knew his uncle had a taste for the stuff, but the Lower Heartland palates of most members of House Andros weren’t particularly thrilled by the iron taste of blood. Vel was quite partial to the pies, but the gravy made him gag.

No matter what one thought of certain dishes on offer though, there was no denying that it was an impressive feast. Vel wished Rose and Jeane could be there for it. Having not yet had a private chat with Kal, he and Lady Rienne hadn’t been able to inform him about anything. As such, Rose would be eating with the other servants and Jeane with the guards. Only family was to be present for this dinner. Family and the servants doing the actual serving, of course.

The entire Hothemer contingent was already in attendance. Vel’s eyes first fell on two gorgeous young women in matching dresses who could only be his cousins.

Showing the same lack of regard for propriety as their father, the beautiful twins let out excited squeals and ran forward. They each threw themselves at one of the two leading Andros figures, one hugging Vel and the other Lady Rienne.

“Gooods, it’s so good to see you, Velas! I’ve been soooo excited! Mother was saying ho-“

Vel, slightly taken aback but not displeased, hugged his cousin back as she continued to happily prattle. While her behavior was a reminder that she was younger even than Ella, barely 18, her outward appearance was a clear indication that she was an adult now. Her sister, who was treating Lady Rienne to the same treatment Vel was getting, had likewise grown into a gorgeous woman. He felt himself stiffen in his trousers, but only briefly. The joy of this familial reunion was far stronger than any lust he was feeling.

He smiled down at his cute cousin, full of the genuine love and warmth he was feeling. Her words stuttered to a halt as she blushed deeply, but she returned his smile without looking away. Something so simple from him seemed enough to really fluster her. He wondered which girl she was.

“I am happy to see you too, dear Cousin. Overjoyed, even. But do you mind telling me if you’re Naina or Rina?”

Still blushing but regaining some of her bubbly exuberance, his cousin laughed.

“Oh, yes, of course, sorry. I’m such a ditz sometimes. I’m Inaina!”

Vel, feeling a bit bold, moved one hand up to gently cup her cheek. “Well, it is a pleasure to see you again, Inaina.”

He leaned his head just a bit closer and whispered the last part, not wanting anyone else to hear.

“Especially now that you’ve grown even more beautiful. I honestly didn’t think that was possible.”

If she had been blushing earlier, Vel wasn’t even sure what to say about her current coloration. She really was beet red. He thought he’d heard a hitch in her breathing too.

Her sister quickly came to her rescue though, pulling her away from Vel and pushing her towards Lady Rienne.

“Nainaaaa, I want to say hello to Velas toooo! And you need to say hello to Auntie Riri!”

Before he knew it, Vel was hugging and being hugged by the next twin. She looked indistinguishable from her sister, but at least now he knew this was Aurina.

“Hello Cousin Velas, it’s great to see you again. I’ve missed you a loooot!”

Just as he remembered. Rina was cute and excitable too, but a bit more in control of herself than her sister. Was she still a bit less shy too? Back when they’d been kids with crushes on him, Aurina had more often than not been the one brave enough to ask him to spend time with them while Inaina blushed behind her. There was a surefire way to find out. He gave her a big and loving smile as well.

“I’ve missed you too, Rina. A great deal at that.”

She did blush but didn’t seem as flustered as her sister had been. Like he had just moments earlier, he leaned in a bit closer to whisper.

“You know, it shouldn’t have been possible for you to grow even more beautiful, but you somehow have. It makes me even happier to see you again.”

Clearly, her confidence had its limits. She went every bit as red as Naina had, and Vel felt a little shudder pass through her. He suppressed a satisfied grin.

Inaina returned the earlier favor, rescuing Aurina by pulling her away to greet Vel’s sisters. Vel caught Lady Rienne’s eye, and his mother gave him a knowing smirk. Ever observant, she had clearly caught some of what had gone down.

Behind them excited greetings were exchanged, though Vel got the sense the twins showed a bit more enthusiasm in greeting Ella and Adi than they did the two older sisters.

He didn’t get much time to dwell on that, though, as his mother once again linked arms with him and took a deep breath.

“I guess we have to get through this.”

Vel was only briefly confused, as he spotted his aunt leaning on a table edge, next in line to be greeted. Lady Fionne Hothemer looked, Vel silently admitted to himself, really fucking good. She was wearing a tight-fitting dress uniform that Vel didn’t recognize, but he knew she’d served as a command officer on warships. This was likely a naval dress uniform then, but it wasn’t in the colors of the Aluvian navies, neither West nor East. He supposed solving the mystery of the uniform could wait, greetings were in order.

His aunt was giving him a charming, but to Vel’s eyes slightly cocky, smile as he approached her.

So far with his uncle’s family everything had been easy as formalities were disregarded, but interactions between nobles were actually quite complex. He was definitely of a higher status than Lady Fionne Hothemer, who technically didn’t hold the title of lady at all. She was not the female head of the Hothemer house, that was Kal’s wife, nor was she married and thus wasn’t the head of any other house. Vel was the head of a house now, and the male head of one at that. Even had she been a lady he would have stood above her in the complicated hierarchy of imperial nobles. But she was also his aunt, and they were in the lands of her house. All of that factored into how it would be appropriate for Vel to greet her. Depending on how high a rank she held in whatever fleet she was currently serving in, that might matter too.

As such, Vel decided to play it safe and err on the side of deference and humility. He came to a halt two steps away from Lady Fionne and gave a bow that was neither particularly deep nor particularly shallow. Had she not been family, coming closer than three steps might have been considered inappropriate. But family she was, estranged or not.

“My warmest greetings, Aunt Fionne, it is a pleasure to see my Lady Aunt again after so long.”

His aunt made a bit of a face.

“Aunt Fionne? Tsk, so formal. At least you didn't call me Lady Admiral or some such nonsense. Please, dear nephew, Auntie or Fi will do.”

Vel’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the title of admiral, something Fionne didn’t fail to notice.

“Oh, did you not know? Well, well, I see my sister hasn’t kept you up to date on what your aunt has been up to. What a shame.”

Her tone was slightly playful throughout it all, perhaps even flirty, but warning bells were going off in Vel’s mind. He got the sense she was toying with him. He cautiously reached for her mind, figuring that much would be safe, even if she had been trained like her sister.

His tentative look showed he had been right to be cautious, she had clearly received training. Her membrane wasn’t as formidable as that of Lady Rienne, but it was opaque, giving nothing away. He knew fracture could clear that up, but this wasn’t the right time for that. He’d get to work on his aunt at some point. Perhaps with advice from his mother, who probably had some ideas about angles he could play.

“I suppose there will be plenty of time to fill you in later, Dear.”

His aunt stepped closer to him, closing the gap Vel had left. The top of her head barely reached his mouth, and she seemed very aware of that.

“My, my, you sure have grown up, Velas.”

That cheeky smile returned as she looked up at him, the fingers of one hand toying with the sleeve of his doublet. Vel felt his mother step up behind and slightly beside him. Fionne’s attention remained firmly on him though. He knew Lady Rienne wanted to step in, but he sent her a quick mental command to wait. His aunt’s fingers travelled from his sleeve to his chest, playing with his collar now.

“If I had known my nephew had grown into such a big and handsome man, I would have made a greater effort to visit.”

Still smiling, she went up on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek. Then, with one last wink at him, she finally turned to her sister.

While his mother and aunt exchanged very frosty but outwardly polite greetings, Vel finally made his way to greet his uncle and other aunt.

From Uncle Kal he got the expected second hug, and they both gave each other warm grins. He really did love his uncle.

To Kal’s wife, the Lady Maerwynn Hothemer, Vel decided to show as much deference as he could without going too far. His uncle’s wife was, if not beautiful, then definitely a handsome woman. Not Vel’s type, but she was a good person, and he knew Kal loved her dearly.

Gently taking her hand in his, he gave a deep bow and briefly pressed his forehead to her knuckles before gently touching his lips to them. That was a gesture that showed both respect and familial affection, and Vel could see his uncle’s approving smile in the corner of his eye as he straightened back up.

“It gladdens my heart to see you again, Aunt Maerwynn, we have all missed you so.”

Ka’s wife smiled at him, and while it was warm and genuine, Vel thought he saw a tinge of sadness in it. Perhaps she had heard the words Vel hadn’t spoken. It gladdens my heart to se you again in such good health. Or maybe he was reading too much into it.

“My heart rejoices to see you again as well, Velas. And please, call me Auntie or Wynn, will you? Kal and I see you almost as our own son, such formality simply won’t do.”

Vel did his very best to keep sadness out of his own smile as he replied.

“Of course, Auntie. And thank you.”

Vel really was touched by her words, and while he wasn’t as close to her as he was Uncle Kal, he did love her. She was a good person and a great aunt. He gently let go of her hand, trying not to dwell on how frail it had felt as he stepped aside to let his mother greet the lord and lady of the house.

Aunt Maerwynn and Uncle Kalran’s marriage had been as arranged as all noble marriages, especially ones that involve a hand as coveted as the prime heir of House Hothemer. Despite that though, the couple had quickly found themselves in love. And from what Vel gathered it had not been the kind of love that often slowly grew between such partners as the years went by. No, the way people told it, the two had been lovestruck fools within a week of the wedding night.

Sadly, their marriage had not been without its challenges. Being who they were, the pressure to produce an heir was great. And while they had tried, Lady Maerwynn had only carried a single pregnancy to term, the twins. All those miscarriages and all that stress had taken a toll on her in both body and mind. Her once sleek black hair had thinned and paled and she had grown noticeably frailer, prone to bouts of weakness, and susceptible to dark moods. Lord Kalran’s love for her had never wavered though, and he had refused to divorce her even after over a decade without a son. It was also whispered that he had refused to get her with child again after Inaina and Aurina out of fear for her health, insisting she take precautions against pregnancy. Those were just rumors, but Vel knew his uncle, and had no trouble believing them.

After everyone had finally greeted everyone, they were seated in the way that rank and status demanded. Vel found himself next to his mother and across from Dina. His oldest sister was not wearing her chain, at least not visibly. Vel had asked her to refrain from wearing it for now, to avoid raising questions, an idea she hadn’t been fond of. Adi had come up with the suggestions to wear a smaller one around her thigh where it would be out of sight, but Dina still hadn’t been convinced. That was until Vel said he found the thought of a delicate chain around her muscular thigh hot, that had changed everything. She smiled at him from across the table as she caught his eye, as if she knew what he was thinking about. Vel was a lucky man.