Page 12 of Quest of Fools

"Let's go with hats, where we can also get gloves and a few of your necessaries, like purse and wallet."

"What in the world am I going to do with all this stuff I have never needed to carry around before?"Warf asked.

Marian laughed as he hooked their arms together and led him down the street.Though he'd only been doing it a couple of days, Warf was already strangely fond of the gesture.If Marian was bothered that he didn't reach Warf's shoulder, he made no visible show of it."You're a gentleman now, my dear.You will need to carry coin and notes aplenty with you, the medallion that grants you entrance to restricted portions of the palace, keys for the house, my private warehouse, and of course, everyone carries the usual trinkets with them, like sweets, tobacco…"

Every time Warf thought he was gaining footing in his new life, the rug was pulled out again.Even the tiniest things came with drastic changes."Dare I ask how many pairs of gloves I'll need?"He had no idea on the clothes, save for 'a lot,' and Marian had insisted on six pairs of shoes, not including boots that he said would be commissioned elsewhere.

The glove shop smelled of leather, silk, and beeswax as they stepped inside, and was pleasantly warm.As in every other shop, Marian immediately took control of things, rattling off needs and requests that only barely made sense to Warf, and some of which made no sense, before he was swept off for measurements and shown various samples.

By the time they finished all of that, he was ready for an afternoon nap himself, and he only got to enjoy such a thing perhaps once a year, when the rare combination of temple day and well-behaved children fell upon him.

Instead, they stopped at a street cart for roasted chestnuts and beer before carrying on into a jewelry shop, where Warf nearly fainted at the sums Marian casually spent on jewelry and the silly accoutrements he insisted were absolutely necessary.

Warf couldn't deny he was more than a little fond of his watch: silver with peonies on the cover, Karla's favorite flower, and silver numbers on a mother of pearl faceplate.There was a silver chain to affix it to his fancy new clothes when he got them, and then Marian insisted on buying him a watch fob as a gift: an oval-shaped locket with the letter 'W' on the front.The first letter of his name.Warf had seen it before, though nowhere near as prettily as this.

When they were back on the street once more, Warf said, "Thank you, Marian, for everything.You didn't have to buy me all this stuff."

Marian frowned."I'm not buying it—we'rebuying it.My money is yours.It'sours."

Warf's brows rose."We're not married yet.You could very well come to dislike me in the next three months."

"No, I couldn't!"Marian replied, not quite shouting the words, but speaking with such fierceness.His face flushed, and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck."This will probably sound quite silly, which is why I wasn't going to ever say it aloud, but… I saw you not long before the tournament began in earnest, after all the whittling down.You were with your children, sharing food you'd brought them from the tents.You looked so happy, and your children even happier, and after that I kept a particular eye on you.Eventually, I spoke with the tournament officials and said that if I could have a specific request, if you were not already spoken for, then I should like to be your prize."He winced and looked down."Sounds even sillier out loud than I had feared."

Warf had never heard anything so far from silly in his life."I… you really watched me the whole time?"

"Yes, yes I did," Marian said with a laugh, finally looking up again."Sounds horrible, doesn't it?"

"No," Warf said firmly."I won't let you think that.No one has ever regarded me so highly.They look at me to assess how many barrels I can move by myself, or if I'm going to cause trouble in their bar, if I'll lose my temper if someone tells me something I don't want to hear.People areafraidof me."

"Then they're fools."Marian took Warf's hands, staring at them before looking up again."You make me feel so small, but in a comforting way.I know you'll be there when I need you.I've already seen how much you care, how hard you will work for what matters to you.I could use that sort of commitment in my life.So… whatever happened yesterday, I promise you, she means nothing to me.She was a friend, once.Now she's only a mistake.I am right where I want to be."

Warf freed one of his hands to rest it against the side of Marian's face, stroking his soft skin with his thumb."As am I, so please worry no further.Nobody winds up in miserable situations like this on purpose unless they are the ones causing the problems, because they thrive on the chaos they create.You really don't strike me as the 'cause chaos' sort."

Marian covered the hand resting against his face."No, I grew up in that sort of crafted chaos.I moved out primarily to escape it.The only chaos I want to deal with is three children wound up on too many sweets."

Chuckling, Warf withdrew and said, "I promise, you don't want that sort of chaos, either.So where are we going next?"

"I have, alas, saved the most arduous task for last, because it will take the longest."

Warf eyed him warily.

Marian laughed and tugged him along."Come along, time to get you measured and pick out the clothes you'd like."

"How much clothing does one person really need?"

"You'll know soon enough."Marian grinned, and they continued on down the street, into a shop with a green and blue awning and a window filled with all manner of beautiful clothes.

"Lord Willow, good afternoon.The fabrics you purchased just arrived."The man who'd spoken smiled as he bustled over to them, dismissing the two women he'd been speaking with at the counter."Beautiful selections, as always.Is this who we will be dressing?"

Marian beamed and tugged Warf slightly forward."Yes, Master Kent.This is my fiancé by Right of Tournament, Master Warf."

"Congratulations, Champion," Kent said with a bow."Right this way, we'll get you measured, and then I'll bring out catalogues and samples."

Warf had never been measured for clothing by anyone except his mother and Karla.Between the two, when he'd tailored and repaired his own clothes, he'd simply matched the new items to the old, adjusting as necessary.

Being measured by strangers was something else again; they were far more particular and thorough, and therefore took much, much longer about it.When they finally released him, it was only to sit with Marian and look through stacks of pictures to pick out the styles he wanted for each of the fabrics they'd picked out.Most of which Warf couldn't even remember.Kent handed Marian a sheet of paper that, by their comments had a list of said purchases, but that didn't really do Warf any good.

Thankfully, there were also swatches, and by the time it was growing dark, Marian seemed satisfied with their decisions, which Warf had mostly left to him, as he'd never owned more than two pairs of breeches, three shirts, and a single jacket in his life.

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