Dealing with the book of love (cw/tw)

He was just waiting for the judge to say what he thought he would hear; That he would never let him marry his daughter and that would be the end of it. But then it was like a small opening appeared and he was just allowed to peek inside. A chance. The man’s face lit up as he listened to the conditions, nodding a little desperately in agreement to the terms.
“I will do that,” he said with certainty, unsure if he was supposed to run off now and start looking or ask whether he was allowed to stay. He wouldnt think so if the judge already knew how close the two were and especially with the chance that they would go somewhere where they could be alone. He nodded at the judge, “Thank you Sir;” he said quite politely before he made his exit. He knew he had to work hard, but he would do it for her.

His mind was so focused on achieving the goal that had been set that he had completely forgotten that she was waiting for him. He would have hated himself for ot, had she not caught up to him and made him stop. Her question made him shake his head. Couldnt she see that he was more than happy in this moment? “He gave me a chance to get his blessing the right way,” he said in a hopeful tone, grabbing her hand in his with a soft squeeze. “I should spend all the time I can on making sure you get the man you deserve,” he said seriously. He wasnt dismissing the fact that he wanted to spend the rest of his night with her, but he was so far behind these suitors that were just waiting for approval.

“Dont wait forever,” he said quite seriously because he felt like it needed to be said. As much as he hoped that he could reach his goal and gain her father’s blessing, he wasnt going to hold her back for eternity. He felt her soft lips on his cheek and a part of him wanted to steal just one last kiss, but he couldnt. He would use that urge as his driving motivation. “I’ll make sure to come by,” he said in a hopeful tone before he went off.

But his hopes would have been for nought. Learning to read and write was not quite as easy as he had thought. There were many times were he felt like he would go crazy if he had to look at another word and not recognize it. Most of the time because there was a letter in there that just didnt make sense to him. It had been a full year, he had counted the seasons. He had been granted his own farm where he managed the farmhands and he got quite a reputation for himself for his fairness and generosity towards his workers. He hadnt let go of his old ways and was often found out on the field showing his men just how it was done. He sent the woman he loved letters every week where he explained his progress and how dearly he missed her. The writing had started out to be someone else’s but soon the letters were written by himself, some words quite wrong but it was like the more he wrote, the better he got.
It was one day when he finally felt like he could present a proper ledger to the judge that he had learned that the old man had passed away. In all worry for the woman, he went to the judge’s house and knocked on the door. It had been quite a while since they last saw each other, so he could feel his stomach turn with excitement and worry alike.

He had been expecting to be greeted by a housekeeper or something else that seemed less alarming. The tall pale man looked much like her and he wondered why he was there. His question made him swallow before he realized he had been asked a question, "I'm simply a friend," he said before he introduced himself, though he doubted that she would have told anyone about him. His expression turned quite worried at the mention that she was ill. "Can you ask her if she'll see me?" he asked a little desperate, but that was because he worried what had happened to her.

He nodded at the warning but by the way it was sounding, he could already feel his heart ache with pain. He stood as the man left and seemed to just zone out now that he was left on his own. Had he been too busy with trying to meet her father's demands, that he had been blind to her needs? The man returned and he looked at him before he looked down for a moment. He exhaled deeply and followed the man into her bedchamber. When he saw her, his eyes started to sting as she looked quite unwell. He heard the man's whisper but he just walked to her as she reached out for him. He grabbed her hand tight and looked at her with pleading eyes, "I'm sorry," he mumbled, clutching her hand in his.

Even if she said it was alright, he didnt really think it was alright. He nodded when she spoke of good and bad days, hoping that she meant with that that this was something that would come to pass. He just couldnt think what would happen if he lost her before he could get the chance to make her happy, like he had promised. Her question made him sigh as he looked at their hands, "I've been waiting for the days to pass, thinking of you every day when I met uphills. I just kept thinking that I would be a step closer to you every night I slept," he explained before he carefully lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "Come to my farm. Let me show you what I've accomplished, and let me take care of you," he said quite seriously as he looked into her eyes.

"I was told not to suggest such things, but if you're well enough, then yes," he said with a nod, watching the spark in her eyes as a smile fell over his lips. He looked to her bedstand as she had a few papers, looking back at her as she spoke. "I'm sorry about your father," he said when he noticed how sad her expression turned. He knew that her father was quite dear to her and he had seemed to care a lot for her when he had been alive. "What does it say?" he asked, though he could read, he wasnt sure if he was allowed to in case there was something in it that was more personal.

He looked at the paper as she gave it to him, looking at it for a moment before he started to read the letter. His expression didnt seem to change much as he read but there was one part that made him frown. He finished it and sat for a moment as he thought to himself. He handed her back the letter and sighed. “I can meet almost all of the conditions... almost,” he said before he got a serious expression. “I dont want to steal the wealth that’s rightfully yours from you,” he said before he looked at their hands. “I can agree to it being in my name so that you are free to spend them yourself.” He said. He knew it was quite an odd stance to have and that no one could really know, but he really wasnt there to steal her money, only her heart. He got down on one knee as he kept holding her hand, “So there’s only one question for me to ask... will you marry me?” He asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

He had wanted to make it clear that he wasnt taking her money from her, though it may have been sounding like he hadnt met the criteria. His proposal wasnt exactly with a ring but he hadnt thought that he would be doing this now. Her tears made his heart hurt but as she got up, he got a little worried, wrapping his arms close around her as she fell into his embrace. “Then I’ll send for a priest.” He said in a happy tone, holding her close to him. “Do you want to come home with me?” He asked, just because he didnt want to leave her here to herself.

He nodded when she agreed, hugging her closer as he sighed to himself and felt so happy in this moment. His worry had gone away and he felt as if he was invincible as long as he could hold her in his arms and hold her tight. “You dont have to walk. I’ll carry you.” He said in a happy tone. “As long as I get you somewhere where I can make sure that you’ll be okay, I dont care how we’ll get there,” he said so certain that it would work out. He got up on his feet and looked at her before he sat her down on the bed. “Should I pack a bag for you?” He asked, rather wanting to do it for her than make her walk around.

He went to pack everything that she stated that she would need. He went to her drawer and grabbed a nightgown, making sure to handle it with care when he could feel how frail the fabric could be. He made sure she had everything before he placed the bag at the door. He went back to her. “Should I get someone to help you into something else or do you just want to go right away?” He asked, ready to do whatever she wanted.

“Alright, a carriage,” he said before he looked at their hands. He knew he had to be patient and strain himself as she wanted, but it just felt so surreal that he had actually done it. He lifted her hand and kissed it gently before he went to the door to tell a keeper to fetch them a carriage. He quickly returned to her before sitting at her side. “But I have to warn you. A life on the farm is not like here. We have to do everything ourselves... cook, clean, all that,” he explained before he grabbed her hand and held it gently in his. “But you’re lucky. I’m a great cook, I swear that I could cook up something your housecooks could never compete with,” he said with a chuckle, smiling brightly at her.