Vidkun Trost:Queen of a Heart

“I think he was more impressed with you,” Valeria replied. “And with me only by extension. Dress me up however you will and call me a princess, I'm still more suited to their kind,” she inclines her head toward Amric and Mael, who are helping move some firewood, “than nobles."

“I know,” she adds. “You will change all that, and turn me into a proper lady. I fear that will prove a greater challenge than the current task at hand.”

Vidkun took her in his arms and gently kissed her. "One can change, and become a noble." He kissed her again, and smiled. "Yet one can also become and be noble. A much better course of action for a beautiful princess."

Releasing her partially and starting to walk a little away from the others, Vidkun reveled in the fading sunlight as it capped the tree topped hills and darkened the dale. The gentle breeze wafted hearth smoke towards them and the pangs of hunger for a real meal, cooked over a real fire, in a real home, bit at him deeply. He pulled her tightly to him in comfort.

"When you searched for criminals in Thieve's Wood you learned skills to do your work well. You became a hunter and that suited you. Being a noble is really the same. By accepting me as husband you are now noble. What will you do? That is what makes your nobility count for something. Wearing a dress is part of the hunt, not the end of the chase. Listening to squabbles over this territory marker or that one is not what being a noble is about."

He took a moment to look over the growing wood pile and past it to the trail coming up to the house. "This is a wonderful place, is it not? A good family, the Clans bound together through codes of behavior and bonds of honor. Being a noble means keeping everyone productive so things like taxes and troops can be paid for while at the same time leaving well enough alone so that people can grow under good leadership. Growth is good, even if it is not exactly how you would guide things."