Frieda - The Second Vow Ch. 01

"Well, try all you want 'cause I'm still doing it to this day."

This amused the both of them.

"You want to tell us what's on your mind though, dear?" asked Marianne, with a warm smile on her face.

Frieda leant on the handle of her plough, prompting her parents to do so as well.

"So... I met someone last night at the ball," started Frieda, "at the time I didn't know this, but he's a Lord. And you know me, I speak pretty freely, and so when the conversation leaned towards Lords and Ladies..."

"Uh oh," remarked Merten, chuckling.

"Yeah, I know. But the thing is... he didn't seem to care? In fact, I had thought I made a fool of myself, and at the market this morning, I saw him again."

Marianne and Merten didn't want to interrupt their daughter — but they wondered where this was going.

"And... I gotta say, he's intrigued me. We spoke again at the market and even though it was brief, he... ugh, how do I explain this?"

"It's okay, Frieda, take your time — we're here to listen," reassured Merten.

"Well... he spoke to me like a normal person. Even his Lady, too. It might've only been a simple conversation, but it felt completely different from any I've had before."

"I can tell that this Lord has had quite the effect on you," began Merten, pausing for a moment to make sure his words were chosen thoughtfully, "I can understand why you feel the way that you do, because even though the two of you have had only brief interactions, it's already miles ahead of your usual interactions with everyone else."

Frieda nodded in acknowledgement, knowing that her father wasn't finished just yet.

"But dear, I must urge you to be cautious in your thoughts of this Lord — you mentioned he has a Lady already, didn't you?"

"Yeah, he does... but that's why I'm having such a hard time deciding on something..."

A curious look appeared on both of her parents' faces.

"This particular Lord invited me to an event that happens later this week — some sort of thing called the 'Harmony Hunt' where most of the village compete in hunting and then have a big feast afterwards."

"W-hold on," interjected Marianne, "he invited you?"

"Uh, yeah?" answered Frieda, slightly confused.

Her parents glanced at each other before her mother spoke again.

"You know how you've always steered away from any talk of customs and things like that when it came to Lords and Ladies? Well, this is one you're going to want to hear."

"Okay..." Frieda was a little unsettled now.

"People of nobility can take as many spouses as they want. Generally, when they are interested in taking another, they will invite them to have dinner at their estate."

Frieda had no idea. This was quite a shock to her as she thought that there was no way Lino would invite her to the Harmony Hunt for that reason? They barely know each other! Her mind flashed back to when Korine extended her hand to her — even then she didn't know what the custom was.

"Maybe you should've listened to us around these customs, huh?" quipped Merten after seeing the shocked look on his daughter's face.

"B-but, this isn't a dinner, or rather, he didn't directly invite me for dinner? There's a feast afterwards, sure, but it's the hunt itself that he invited me to!" replied Frieda, a little bit frantic.

"You might be right, Frieda, but... maybe keep that in mind, yeah?" suggested Marianne.

Frieda looked at the ground for a moment — her mind now racing. Looking up with a determined stare at her parents, she now wanted to know everything. Customs, sayings, traditions — all of it. All things regarding Lords and Ladies.

"Maybe it would be best for me to know these things now," requested Frieda.

A smile appeared on both of her parents' faces, although her father's was just a little bit snarky, which Frieda caught.

"Don't even start, dad," retorted Frieda.

Putting a hand up as if to say "alright, I won't", Merten backed away slightly, but still smirking. He found the irony quite amusing, and a little unexpected from his strong willed daughter. This Lord must have been something to change her opinion just like that. Merten did admit though, that this was probably the first substantial meeting that Frieda had with a Lord — every other time was when she was younger and those were only brief as they came to collect taxes or visit shortly. Even then he remembered that Frieda would escape outside or into her room.

"Right, well now's probably not the time, so let's finish up here and then we can talk over lunch, how about that?" suggested Marianne.

Frieda nodded, and the three of them went back to work as the morning sun headed for the afternoon.

**

A few hours had passed, and back inside Marianne was preparing lunch as Frieda and Merten sat on the dining table. After teaching Frieda about Lords and Ladies — the customs, how to address them, expected behaviours, etc., their discussion shifted to "what ifs" — if Lino, in fact, did invite Frieda over to his estate to be a potential second wife.

Frieda was, of course, still in strong disbelief that this was the case, however, she entertained the conversation just in case. With her mind being quite rattled lately, the thought of this got her contemplating deeper, making her ponder the discussion more than she usually would. And this is what she did. She did so out on her late afternoon hunt, during dinner, in the bath, while she read before bed — she knew that this was going to give her a sleepless night.

That evening, she put her book down, leaned against the headboard of her bed and turned her gaze towards her lit candle. She felt that she may have heightened the situation in her mind more than it actually was, but she wanted to prepare for the possibility. However, was this what she really wanted? To be the second wife? To leave her life behind on her parents' farm? Leave her parents entirely? Frieda practically had no experience when it came to any sort of romantic relationship — should this kind be her first?

Her thoughts dove deeper, prompting her to toss her book aside and blow out her candle. She tucked herself underneath her blanket, stared at the ceiling and asked herself again, did she really want this? Reflecting on her life up until this point, it wasn't exactly monotonous, but something like this has never happened to her before — her life had been so routine that almost anything unexpected could've happened for her to consider seriously, let alone this.

Frieda let out an exasperated sigh. All of this could've been for nought. She reminded herself that they had literally only met twice, but... their connection seemed so genuine and quick right off the get go — her mind kept on playing scenario after scenario about the "what ifs" constantly. God she was conflicted. What was she to do in the morning?

"I'll just go to this Harmony Hunt and see how it goes — no expectations, nothing at all," she thought to herself.

Frieda awoke to the sound of rain hitting the roof — it was morning. Amazingly, she found a few hours of sleep, but it was by no means restful. Lino occupied every corner of her mind — from the moment she lay down last night, in her dreams, and the moment she opened up her blue eyes this very morning. She felt obsessed. She was groggy, her eyes heavy as she lay there. Frieda even felt like bursting into tears, it was overwhelming, and frustratingly so.

She steadied her breathing and took long deep breaths to compose herself — "gotta keep it together" she thought. The auburn blonde slowly got out of bed, freshened up and got dressed. Donning a pale yellow dress today and a dark grey cloak to shelter herself from the rain. Out in the living area her parents were sipping on tea and eating bread for breakfast.

"You're going to show face then?" queried Merten, seeing his daughter all geared up to go out in the wet weather.

"Yeah. I'm going to try and not have any expectations or anything, just... go with it," stated Frieda, but even she could hear that her own words lacked confidence.

Her parents shared a pensive look, thinking about the change their young daughter has undergone in just the past few days. It was so out of character for her, and they couldn't figure out if it was a good thing or not — they hoped that it was the former. Frieda tied her cloak up tight and patted herself down, before she walked over to the table her parents sat at, grabbed a bit of bread and headed for the door.

"Alright, I'm off — wish me luck," said Frieda as she stepped out.

"Okay dear, best behaviour!" yelled Marianne as the front door shut.

It was a strange feeling in their household — there were definitely mixed feelings about Frieda potentially becoming the second wife to Lino, but again, it could be that all of this was for nothing, and that Lino's invitation wasn't actually for that.

Frieda trudged along her usual path towards the morning market as the rain wasn't letting up for a second. Her boots were quickly gathering a thick coat of mud, and as she approached her destination, she took shelter under a stallholder's awning. Using her hands to hold her hood in place, she looked around the market for Lino and Korine, scanning with her blue eyes.

Understandably so, the market wasn't as full of people today as it was yesterday, but the Lord and Lady were nowhere to be seen yet. She decided that she needed to brave the rain, and began to walk through the market peering at the people standing at each stall, but everyone had their hoods up which made it difficult for her to recognise if it was Lino or Korine.

"Frieda!" called out a soothing voice.

Turning her head, Frieda spotted Korine. Even with her hood covering most of her face, she was still a sight to behold with her adorably freckled cheeks. Her smile was so friendly as she walked towards Frieda, who couldn't help but return one as well.

"Lino will be thrilled that you showed up," said Korine, "he's just over there at that stall, shall we walk over?"

Frieda's mind flashed back to the conversation she had with her parents about how to address Lords and Ladies — would it be weird for her to just... suddenly respond correctly to Korine after yesterday's antics? Screw it, she thought.

"Uh, yes, my Lady," said Frieda awkwardly.

Korine was slightly taken aback, but impressed.

"I see you've done some homework, which I do appreciate," observed Korine, "but you're okay — you can call me Korine. Yesterday... well, I guess I got accustomed to being addressed a certain way, that's all."

"Oh, okay — I do apologise though, I didn't mean any disrespect-"

"Hey," interrupted Korine, "like I said, you're okay, Frieda."

Korine smiled at Frieda and looked up at her blue eyes with her own deep brown hues. This made Frieda's heart skip — Korine was such a sweetheart. Was she also thrilled that Frieda had turned up? If Frieda was to become a sister wife to Korine, what was in it for her? She wanted to ask these questions, but couldn't exactly picture when would be a good time to ask.

As the two neared the stall where Lino was, Frieda couldn't help but notice just how much shorter Korine was compared to her. She guessed that the shorter woman was definitely at about chest height to her. She was so petite, yet her butt was most definitely bigger than Frieda's. She tried not to gawk too much, but because of their height difference, and the fact that Korine had her hood up, Frieda could look on without being obvious.

"Well, well," said a voice nearby — it was Lino's, "you made it."

The two women took shelter under the stall's awning, and Frieda put on a polite smile. She wasn't sure how genuine it might've looked as she was still unsure about all of this, and was contemplating her next words.

"You know, I've been doing the same things for most of my life," began Frieda, "I do enjoy my simple life with my parents, yes, but... I guess sometimes I also wish for something more. I can't lie, you have both intrigued me."

Lino and Korine were delighted to hear these words coming from Frieda — they smiled at each other before turning back to the gingery blonde.

"We're both intrigued by you, too, Frieda," stated Lino, "I'm really glad you showed up."

The three exchanged endearing glances, and Frieda felt much better about her decision, now.

"Well, look, let's not stand here in the rain, why don't we head over to our carriage and discuss?"

That seemed like a sound decision, and the three quickly headed for Lino's carriage which was luckily nearby. The carriage was under a larger awning, keeping the driver and the horses dry. Stepping inside, there were two seats on either side of the carriage, which meant Frieda faced Lino and Korine. The interior had patterns along the edges of the ceiling in the Lord and Lady's classic colours of black and deep purple. The seats were very comfy to sit on and the floor was carpeted, but it was quite cosy with everyone's knees almost touching. Frieda felt bad that her muddy boots had made a mess all over it.

"Don't worry about the carpet, Frieda," assured Korine as she noticed, "it's easy to clean — besides, our boots are muddy, too!"

Frieda acknowledged this and wanted to get down to business.

"So, when does the Harmony Hunt start? You mentioned later this week?" enquired Frieda.

"Officially tomorrow," replied Lino, "hopefully the weather holds up, otherwise we will have to postpone the event. Now, I may have left out a bit of crucial information..."

Frieda slightly cocked an eyebrow.

"As you know, the Harmony Hunt is held at my estate, but it isn't exactly... close to your town here."

"Well, how far away is it?" questioned Frieda, slightly concerned.

"Just over half a day by carriage."

Frieda flashed back to the conversation with her parents again, about a Lord "inviting" a potential second wife to their estate. Over half a day? If Frieda was about to leave at this very moment, she would have to spend the night at his estate. Or at least, that's what she figured — there was no way she'd stay at an inn by herself. In any case, perhaps she and her parents' suspicions were correct - were Lino's intentions really about taking her as a potential second wife?!

"I realise that it's quite the blunder on my part, but I hope that this doesn't change your decision," said Lino, a little bit worried.

"That's okay," said Frieda, "I mean, I assumed as much..." Frieda seemed a little unsure, but it was only because she was anticipating what Lino might say next.

"That's a relief," exhaled Lino, "well, we did plan to leave very shortly, but I understand if you need a bit more time, or if it's much too soon?"

"N-no, that's... it makes sense. If the Harmony Hunt begins tomorrow, I want to be there for it, rather than arriving later."

"Perfect, in that case, why don't we drop you off at your home, and then have a second carriage pick you up? Just so you're not in the same one as us for the lengthy ride?"

"That sounds like a good plan."

With that, Lino punched the wall behind him a couple times, signalling for the driver to set off — how he knew where he was going was a mystery to Frieda, but she didn't question it.

Frieda noticed that Korine seemed to be very quiet - either that, or she was used to having Lino speak for her, which wasn't a bad thing. Frieda supposed it made sense for their dynamic, but she was curious as to what type of woman Korine really was. The other thing that was still on her mind though, was the fact that Lino hadn't "invited" her yet. However, just as she was thinking this, and as if Lino knew, he spoke,

"So... since we'll be arriving late evening, you're probably wondering where you'd be staying..."

"...it crossed my mind, yes."

"I'm sure you'll be famished after a long ride. We would be honoured if you would join us for dinner. And... if you're comfortable with it, we'd love for you to stay the night at my estate. You'd have the... Alius Suite."

There it was. The "Alius Suite" — that was what Frieda was waiting to hear — in fact, because she was anticipating it so much, it felt a little weird to actually hear it come out of Lino's mouth. She didn't even know that such a thing existed less than 24 hours ago. Her mother's words replayed in her mind;

"Most Lords have estates large enough for multiple bedrooms, one of them in particular being called the "Alius Suite". It's essentially like a code, or discreet way, to ask if a woman would like to potentially become their second or even third wife — sometimes more. It's common knowledge Frieda, and is best learnt so you don't look like a fool."

"That... sounds lovely," was all that Frieda could muster — she was clearly nervous.

Both Lino and Korine were pleased to hear Frieda's answer. And at that moment, she felt the carriage stop. Lino pulled the curtain from a little window and peered outside.

"Well, we must be here — you don't live too far from town, huh?" said Lino.

Frieda hopped off the carriage after being told that another would come by to pick her up very shortly. She brushed most of the mud off of her shoes on the scraper just outside her front door, before she stepped inside, took off her hood and shook off a bit. Her parents were in the living area, her father reading a book, and her mother knitting.

"He invited me," announced Frieda, "to dinner, to stay the night and in the Alius Suite — all of it."

She felt a little frantic as she told her parents, who gave each other a look and immediately stopped what they were doing.

"And... and how do you feel about that, Frieda?" asked Marianne.

"Well I... I accepted the invitation," replied Frieda, "I mean, it's just to see, right? I may end up finding that I don't enjoy it — who knows?"

While Marianne and Merten agreed with their daughter's decision, it didn't make it any less comfortable for them. She challenged societal norms, and even though she was different from other girls, she was still capable and provided for her family. Despite all this, her parents knew that she had inner turmoil. It was how she coped. Frieda made a point, and stood by it, but she was still their daughter, and they knew her better than she might've tried to portray herself.

Sure, Frieda may stay the night and find that it isn't her thing, and she'd come right back home. But of course, there's the chance that she will like it and choose to be Lord Lino's second wife and Lady, meaning that she would leave their farm, and that would be another of their children moved on.

"I can't say that this is an easy thing to hear for us, dear," began Merten, "but keep a positive, open mind, yeah? I suspect that you will given your decision, but..."

"I know, dad," said Frieda softly, having calmed down a bit now, "I know I can be a bit stubborn-"

"A bit?" interrupted Marianne, chuckling.

The three found this amusing, laughing in unison — Frieda continued on,

"I don't know what it is about this Lord — even her Lady... but, they seem to have changed me. As much as it will sadden me to possibly leave you both, mum, dad. I feel like I have to do this. And I hope that this will be a good thing for me."

"We hope so, too, dear," said Marianne sweetly, "and if things don't turn out that way, well, we'll be here.

Frieda smiled affectionately at her mother. Marianne more than anyone wanted her daughter to find a connection with someone — never did she imagine that it would be this way, but it was something nonetheless.