Lying wide awake in the canopy bed in his room, Erik waited for the first light of morning to peek through his open window. Normally, he would have taken the opportunity to sleep an hour or two longer, especially after the rough couple of days he’d just had. But his mind simply refused to let him rest any more.

A fitful night of sleep as well as waking up before the sun were just the right ingredients for a foul mood. And one of the only things that helped soothe one of his foul moods was checking things off his list of things to do. The singular problem with that was the fact that he had to wait for others to be awake to accomplish anything on his list.

He ran through them again.

Select a new horse from the stable.

Assign personal guards for Karissa.

Make sure the infirmary is resupplied. 

Ensure the watchmen are compensated for the extra shifts.

Get Karissa new underskirts.

Visit the injured in the infirmary.

Ask the seamstress to sew another cape onto his armor.

Have a new greave made.

Plan a wedding celebration.

And that was just from the last two days. There were still all of the things he had yet to accomplish before leaving the keep to meet up with Karissa. 

Visit Jourma to take stock of the orchards.

Attend the Spring Festival.

Officiate the breaking ground ceremony on the last day of the festival.

Granted the last two items had set dates and couldn’t have been done before. But they still needed doing, and therefore still took up space on his list.

A sliver of sunlight from the open window finally made an appearance, and Erik hopped out of bed and quickly donned a clean shirt as well as his more comfortable, around-the-keep boots. The Duke left his room and made his way to the study, rolling up the voluminous sleeves so that they were out of his way. Sounds echoing down the long corridors told him that the cooks were beginning their own preparations in the kitchens. 

A few turns brought him directly to the study. Upon opening the heavy wooden door, he was greeted by tall bookshelves that lined the stone walls, filled with volume after volume of ledgers and the historical records of Hallel. A large oak desk occupied the far end of the room, with a single comfortable chair sitting behind it. The red velvet curtains along the wall were drawn shut, preventing the morning rays from spilling in.

Erik crossed the room and grasped the curtains, pulling them aside to allow the growing sunlight to bathe the study in bright light. A clear view of the empty courtyard and the arched entrance to the keep could be seen. He liked being able to glance up to see anyone that was coming or going. Then the Duke sat down at the desk and, taking a few sheets of parchment out of a drawer and dipping his quill into the black inkpot, he set to work.

First, a note to Benedict to select two knights as suitable guards for his new wife after the Kyleon guards returned home.

Second, a letter to the merchants’ guild in town to resupply the infirmary.

Third, a letter to the head watchman, detailing his orders to double the men on duty for every shift for the next fortnight, along with a generous increase in pay for each man.

Fourth, a letter to the resident seamstress with instructions to sew another cape into his armor.

Fifth, a letter to the town armorer to craft a replacement greave for his left arm.

The Duke set down his quill pen and sat back in his chair, placing the fifth letter on top of the other four on the corner of his desk. Duncan would be coming by soon to collect his daily messages. Erik looked back out the window, now seeing knights and servants walking across the courtyard to their various duties. He ran through what was left on his list.

Visit Jourma to take stock of the orchards.

Attend the Spring Festival.

Officiate the Breaking Ground Ceremony on the last day of the festival.

Select a new horse from the stable.

Get Karissa new underskirts.

Visit the injured in the infirmary.

Plan a wedding celebration.

The first three were not urgent. Erik could go to the stable later in the day to select a new steed, and he didn’t foresee himself needing a horse right away, so that item could also be left for now as well.

The Duke had told himself he could ask someone else to get the underskirts, but in all honesty he didn’t know who. The seamstress might know of a good supplier in town, but he would still have to ask. Would she be suspicious of him asking where to buy women’s undergarments? He could always ask one of the maids. After all, they had helped him select some items for his new wife already. But it was still embarrassing to ask.

He still didn’t think it would be a good idea to go to the infirmary again so soon. Julianna needed time to come to grips with his marriage. 

I still need to come to grips with my marriage… 

This turned his thoughts to the last item on his list.

Plan a wedding celebration.

Erik had never planned a celebration before. Others had always done it. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember if he had ever even been invited to a wedding. He was sure that it was much different than a festival or a victory party. He and Karissa were already married legally, so there was no need to have someone marry them officially. 

What are you supposed to do at a wedding when the two people don’t actually need to be married?

There was a soft knock at the door.

“What is it?” Erik called.

“Your Grace,” came Duncan’s voice. “May I come in?”

“Yes, come in,” the Duke answered.

Duncan opened the door and came into the study, carrying a plate of eggs with a slice of leftover ham and buttered toast. The thin, bald man had his signature cheery expression on his face, which Erik always appreciated.

“I was surprised to find you already awake, Your Grace. I thought you might be hungry,” the steward said, coming forward and placing the food on the desk.

“I have much to do today,” Erik explained. “And thank you.” He took the fork and began to eat the warm food. Duncan nodded, then picked up the stack of letters, going through them one by one. After the last one he looked back up at the Duke and nodded again.

“Very good, Your Grace. Will there be anything else this morning?”

“No, that is all. Oh, Duncan, did the nurse ever come yesterday? For the lady’s maid?”

“No, a nurse could not be spared, but Julianna did come a little later in the evening.” Erik almost choked on his eggs. “Your Grace, are you alright!?” Duncan exclaimed, coming around the desk to, rather forcefully, pound Erik’s back while the Duke coughed to clear his airway.

“Did-did you say that Julianna came?” Erik croaked out once he had somewhat recovered.

“Yes, I was surprised to see her myself, but she just said all of the nurses were occupied.” Erik pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out another cough. “Is there something wrong, Your Grace?” Duncan asked. 

Erik sighed. “I hope not…” What if she said something to Karissa about our history? Erik  suddenly stood up from the desk, heading to the door. “I need to find Lady Karissa.”

‘Your Grace, you won’t need to look for long,” Duncan said, pointing out the window. Erik followed his finger and saw the former princess walking across the courtyard. 

She was wearing a dark blue dress this time, which hugged her thin waist and then flowed outward to the ground. Her auburn hair, which he had only seen braided down her back thus far, was bouncing freely in delicate, loose waves. He watched as she stepped through the keep entrance, turning onto the road towards the town. By herself.

“What is she…?” Erik did not finish his sentence, just flew out of the study and down the corridor, determined to catch up with her and explain everything outright. And to see where exactly she was going.