Lord of the Iron Mountains, Reboot (closed)

[haremfaery]

The Lady looked out of her wagon at the bleak scene. She had never known there were so many shades of gray. Her new home. Her body might live here till the end of her days, but her heart would remain in the Southlands. Forever.

She sniffed a little but refused to cry. Her escort of northerners had done little to hide their sneers at what they saw as southern weakness. She refused to give them any more reasons to chuckle behind her back.

~~~~~
​

Lady Woodmere, Katherine informally, was a most unusual choice to become the Iron Lord's bride. It had been 100 years or more an Iron Lord had requested a Southern bride. Old books had been consulted immediately when the scout arrived with the request. The escort arrived a few weeks later expecting to load the bride, her dowry, and what belongings she required and return north. That was not to be the case.

The old protocols said that a highborn girl was always chosen. Unmarried and virginal, all eligible girls were presented to the King and Council of the Southlands for a choice to be made. Usually it was the youngest daughter of some minor noble without the clout to have his child passed by. Or a noble with some other reason who wished to divest himself of a troublesome offspring. Whatever, it was a choice of a girl least likely to be missed. However, some years before the Sweat had struck. And not just for a season. It returned every year taking the lives of infants, the elderly, and the infirm. So many children were lost highborn and low.

When word came that the Iron Lord required a bride, the nobles went into a flurry of apprehension. There was no roster of eligible girls to choose from. The few there were could be called eligible by only the widest of definitions. The nobles thought it unconscionable to send a child to be the bride of such a man--if he were a man at all. Rumors of the Iron Lord abounded.

Since contact with the north was limited and only through a series of traders who never made the entire journey themselves, rumors were rife. The purpose of the Iron Lord was to protect the passes and keep out the barbarians and beasts who lived in the far wastes. Some said he was a beast himself. Some said he was an immortal sorcerer who required a bride for the dark spells that kept him alive. Some said that just like in the south, Iron Lord was a title passed from father to son, or to whomever claimed it by right of might. That faction saw no need to honor old agreements and thought the escort should be sent packing. Particularly since there was not a single eligible girl to send. The king vetoed that. He was an honourable man. And would abide by the old agreements.

However, there was only one highborn girl close to being eligible. Sophia Riverill was 14. Her father, Lord Riverill refused. At most, he thought the envoy should be turned away and to return when Sophia was of a proper age. The Iron Lord's messenger refused to return empty handed. he must bring back a bride.

The nobles argued for and against Riveril. The King made threats on both sides. Finally when the king realized the northerners would not budge until they had a bride, he spoke to Riverill. The only way Sophia would not be sent was if she were no longer a noble. That meant, all Riverill lands, holdings, monies, and household items would be forfeit. Lord Riverill and his family would be paupers. His lands divided among the other nobles. Riverill asked for time to come to grips with losing his daughter. If he acquiesed, he wanted assurances that his beloved Sophia would not be taken to wife until she reached a proper marriagable age even if she was taken immediately north. The northern spokesman could give no guarentees since this was something never encountered. It would be however the Iron Lord willed.

When Katherine heard, she went privately to the King and the Council. She would go in place of her younger sister. She would not allow her sister to go nor would she see her family brought to ruin.

"She is a woman married!"

"Her husband is dead. A widow may marry again."

"She is too old."

"She is fine and healthy and still plenty young enough to birth many children."

"And she is highborn..."

"What if the Iron King refuses to accept her?"

"If he does, the envoy can return with her and we will have to send Sophia, but It would be at least a year for all this back and forth."

The King had great reason to accept Katherine's offer. There was no Woodmere heir. Her husband's lands would go back to the crown to do with as he liked.

~~~~~​

Katherine tucked a stray lock of her red-gold hair behind her ear as she peered out of the wagon. It was so unlike the Southlands. She tried to find something of beauty in what she was seeing, but all was cold and forbidding.

The escort had been dismayed to have stayed so long. Autumn would be setting in to the North. The scout went on ahead to report the delay. Lady Woodmere rode in a well-appointed wagon with a few of her most necessary things, and straggling behind moving as swiftly as possble were wagons with clothing, supplied and her meagre dowry. Since this was a second marriage, the king felt the Iron Lord should be pleased he received any dowry at all. It was mainly what was left of her dowry after her marriage of four years.

It seemed to Katherine that every few days she required another blanket, a warmer jacket, another scarf. Sitting in the wagon didn't help. She begged to be allowed to ride, she brought her favorite mare and a fine stallion for her new husband. Riding would make her warmer. But the Captain of the Guard would not allow anything that might cause her harm.

So she sat in the wagon. The farther north they went the fewer the inns where they could stop and spend the night until they had to stay what could be described as small traders' lodges. She had brought no ladies-in-waiting, no handmaids or body servants. She could not see making anyone else join her in exile to the strange harsh land that would be her new home. The discomfort of the trip was making her long to reach the castle and the comfort of a blazing fire and soft bed.

The mountains loomed like a thundercloud taking up the view ahead. They rode through gates and to the castle. It was as dark and forbidding as the mountains.

Katherine was stiff and cold. She was weary from the long journey. She would have liked a long hot bath and a change of clothing ebfore meeting her husband-to-be but the Captain of the Guards said their arrival was announced and the Iron Lord awaited her in the Great Hall.

Katherine straightened her clothing and the fur-lined cloak one of the soldiers had given her. She was covered from head to toe in layers of silk and brocade. Her red-gold hair was covered, but the turquoise of her veil brought out the color of her eyes. Blue like the summer sky. Her skin was still sunkissed from the southern summer.

She felt self-conscious as she took the long walk through the great hall to make an obeisance to the Iron Lord. The floor was cold and she was sure her dress would not be soiled from kneeling where so many feet had tramped in their thick-soled boots. She knelt before him and looked up. She felt small and insignificant and he loomed large in front of her. "My lord. Greetings from King Dayen of the Southlands. The king sends his deepest gratitude for keeping the northern borders safe. I am honored to be in the presence of such a mighty warrior." She dipped her head then looked up at him again. His eyes were as gray as the clouds around the mountains.

 

[jax_carnor]

Dravos stood up on the ramparts of the castle wall, the cool autumn breeze blowing stiffly through his brown hair. He had watched as her procession came up the mountain pass and wound its way up to the castle. His advisors had told him it was time to request a new bride from the south, they had gone far to long with out having been reminded of what the arraignment was between them and where the true power lay. They protected their lands with their sweat and blood, their men died defending the passes from the barbarians and bandits that would seek to work their way down into their lands.

Dravos had heard about the beauty of the women from the south, their tan skin and varied hair color. The women of the north were pale and all seemed to have lighter hair color. Their piercing blue eyes and stubborn constitution made them able to survive and thrive in this harsh climate.

He had learned well how to navigate the court here in the Stone Pass. His father had taught him how to rule with a grip as firm as the rock that the mountain was made up of. He had been good at he had learned to have some more tact than his father had. He learned that using persuasion was almost as effective as the blade.

He made his way to the great hall, he had requested that she meet him there for their first formal encounter. He wanted to make sure that she was going to be worthy of him and be able to handle her duties in the court.

He watched as she came in, his gray eyes followed her as she walked in. He could see the trepidation and fear in her face. He was very taken with her blond-red hair, that was something that was seldom seen here in the north.

"I trust that your journey was pleasant" he said as he left her in a kneeling position. "I'm sure King Dayen was all to happy to send you" he said as he recalled some of the less desirable women the South had sent. "I hope you will be able to fulfill your duties here" he said.

He waived his hand "The steward will show you to your room" he said "Go and rest, I will call for you later"

 

[haremfaery]

The Iron Lord showed his power over her by not lifting her up when she knelt before him or even telling her to rise. She knew from her journey here that the Northerners thought little of her people.

She looked up at Davros. "The journey was uneventful, my lord. We in the south are always happy to renew our alliance with the Iron Lord. You will find me a most competent chatelaine." She was not some silly girl barely of age. She had run the Woodmere estate, kept the accounts, managed the servants. Although the way Dravos looked her over, it seemed those were not the duties he was thinking of. She had been wedded and bedded, she knew what was expected of a wife. And Dravos was not unhandsome if he would but smile. Perhaps she would have affection for him in time.

"Thank you, my lord. I should like to present the marriage gifts I have brought."

Katherine knew the delegation had not been happy with the amount of her dowry. Having been married for four years, much of it had been used already. She did have the stallion for him, shirts she had sewn and embroidered herself, and a few other items as personal gifts for him. She expected he would consider all but the horse to be frippery. There were wagons with casks of wine and mead, and others with fruits and foodstuffs fro the south that would augment the wedding feast. She could not imagine how they could grow anything here.

~~~~~​

Her rooms were rather plain but braziers had been set out to augment the blazing fireplace. A small brass tub sat before the fire filled with steaming water. At least someone had a thought to her comfort.

A woman introduced herself as Elsa. She would be her lady-in-waiting. She helped Katherine with her clothing commenting on the strangness of it. Katherine settled into the hot bath and sighed feeling warm for the first time in weeks.

She tried striking up a concersaton with Elsa, but the woman was as taciturn as the men in the envoy. She learned little new about her husband-to-be and his people.

Elsa began unpacking while her mistress bathed. She laid out clothing she thought would be appropriate, that is warm, when she would go down to dinner.

"Is there a woman who does sugaring? Or threading? I am afraid that I was unable to depilitate during the journey. I feel like a monkey." She stroked the soft hair under her arms that had grown in, not to mention the hair on her legs and between them.

"I do not know what that is, milady. Are you saying that you remove your body hair? How strange."

"So your men don't mind women looking like monkeys?"

Elsa shrugged. "Men have hair on their bodies. Women have hair on their bodies. Why would you remove it?"

"I suppose it is just another way that we differ from the north."

Finally Katherine was able to have a conversation with Elsa. The spoke more about their differences while Katherine perfumed herself then put on fresh clothes. She say with her slippered toes practically in the fire waiting for her next meeting with the Iron Lord. She would need sturdier shoes, perhaps the boots she wore when riding or walking outside would keep her feet warmer indoors. She sighed and wondered what her sister was doing.