Magnus
Lydia was beauiful. Even Prince Edwyn had agreed and his face and turned flush in shame as he looked at Magnus. He had only laughed and agreed that he was, in his eyes, the most beauiful woman in the great temple of the Fabian Faith on Bastion, and he could not agree with the prince more, nor did his friend have anything to apologize for.
The sights of the great temple of the Fabian Faith on Bastian were like none that Magnus had ever seen before. The old temple on Bloom likely outdid in before it had become little more than a ruins. Back when the Fabians had built it thousands of years ago.
Magnus had never allowed himself to believe that he would attend a royal wedding. Clan Underwood was noble born in little more than name only. When his mother died, he and his brother had been thankful for the handful of credits they inherited, and little else. Lands, titles, wealth, and reputation were things which they did not have.
It could be easy to forget at times. Growing up as a ward to the System-lord of Bloom he had been surrounded by wealth and splendor. They were always reminded that it was not their place though. It was one thing to seat in a lords hall in the north, and another to serve with the sons and daughters of lords in the Commonwealth Forces, and soemthing completely different to stand as a guest of a prince of the Commonwealth at a royal wedding of the king himself and surrounded by some of the greatest and most powerful lords of the Commonwealth.
Lydia fit in, her own father, System-lord of Dagport, Lord of Furia, and son of Edmund ‘Half King’ Wild made her one a member of one of the most powerful clans in the Commonwealth. If that wasn’t enough her aunt Isabel Wild was the powerful System-lord of the Seahold System. She, unlike Magnus fit in with the large crowd gathered in the temple to watch the events of the wedding.
Magnus tried not to let it bother him, but he always felt like he didn’t fit in. He wasn’t like his brother, no matter how much he tried. His brother had carved out his own father and was now the Thane of the Eight Systems in the northern half of the Commonwealth. Those systems which still held onto the ways of the Furse and their ancestors.
Magnus and his brother had always been reminded of their Furse ancestry, which he often found strange as most noble families were of Furse stock in some form or another. Some from thousands of years ago when the Old Blood arrived and conquered the worlds which would one day form the Commonwealth of Drala, and others, like Clan Underwood were more recent arrivals.
Magnus fought to prove he was every bit one of them as any of them, but he was often reminded he was not. His brother had embraced that difference and had become the face of the Eight Systems which swore loyalty to the King and Commonwealth in name, but stilled followed the ways of their ancestors who had arrived in the Dragon’s Head Nebula heathens of the Fabians Faith, but now much of them had converted.
Payton Underwood stood out more than Magnus. He looked to his brother often as he stood with other lords of the Eight Systems. His dress a clear display of the ancient Furse fashion which had become favorable in the northern systems. He didn’t stand out in that he didn’t look like he didn’t belong. He looked every bit a lord as any of the other lords in the great temple. Magnus was dressed in the fashion of the southern lords, in truth his clothes had selected from Prince Edwyn’s own wardrobe.
Magnus was grateful when the ceremony came to an end. When the lords and ladies of the realm began to leave the great temple behind the king and his new queen. He was more grateful when his brother came to them, and embraced him in a hug.
“Brother,” the Thane of the Eight Systems said with a cheerful voice. “I have missed you, and I would have never have thought I would see you here. You must come and drink with me and my men at this great little pub we found. You can tell me how you ended up here.”
“This is Prince Edwyn,” Magnus told his brother.
“Yes,” Payton replied with a short bow of his head, and a small crooked smile. “I know who he is. I hope you shall join us?”
“Of course,” the prince replied quickly, and Magnus spotted the smile which was quick to appear on his face.
“Great,” Payton said and turned his head to Lydia. “And I hope you will join us as well?” he asked her, his voice soft.
“It would be a pleasure no doubt to meet the famous brother of Magnus,” Lydia replied.
“Famous, Ha, I don’t know about that,” Payton said with a small laugh. “But brother is correct so at least half of what you said is true. I am Payton Underwood, It is a pleasure to meet you both,” he finished.
“Lydia,” she replied.
The pub was filled with lords, commons and everything in between. Payton laughed with ease as they shared drinks from around the table. It was the type of pub which Payton had often dragged him to on Bloom when he was much to young to be in such a place. It had always been an adventure with Payton and one he often enjoyed and regretted.
