Oh, Alfred has been trying so hard not to cry - but the sweet words, that little kiss...no, there's no sense pretending he isn't emotional. He grins sweetly, sniffling, nuzzling at Herbert's nose with his own.
"In you, Herbert, I have found everything I didn't know I was looking for. You have the other half of my heart, my soul... everything that I am is yours, Engel. Flesh, bone, and blood. And so...so...."
Now or never. In a motion he had practiced over and over and over again in his room, Alfred smoothly reaches into his pocket, pulling the ring box out as he drops down to one knee. His eyes sparkle as he looks up at his lover, expression full of love.
"...Herbert Von Krolock. Will you be mine, in return?"
He opens the box - inside is a ring, simple in make, but elegantly done. A moonstone sits glistening in the center, shining in the candlelight. The setting looks centuries old in style, an echo of another time, another life.
Choking back a little sob of joy, Alfred wastes no time in taking Herbert's hand to slide the ring onto his slender, graceful finger - and then he's practically jumping into his arms, grabbing him to pull him into a deep, enthusiastic kiss.
This is perfect. A perfect moment, and he didn't even mess it up.
Pulling back, he grins breathlessly, wiping away his own tears.
"...For eternity, Engel. I promise never to leave you, ever, ever again."
"For eternity," he sighs, pulling Alfred into a tight embrace. "We'll have each other forever."
Georg applauds, prompting some scattered clapping from the rest of the coven. But they are hungry, and Herbert needs to celebrate with his new fiance.
So he pulls Alfred into the next room and kisses him again. Long and deep and sweet, one hand coming up to stroke his cheek. When he finally pulls away, he holds up his hand to admire the way the ring looks on it. "Oh Alfred, it's perfect. Everything is perfect."
As sweeping as the gesture had been, Alfred is relieved to be out of the spotlight again - so he noticeably relaxes when he is pulled into the next room, where they have a moment of privacy. The kiss is reciprocated, one slender hand running softly down Herbert's back, holding him close.
He giggles when they pull apart, smiling sweetly at his - his fiance.
Oh, that's nice.
"I'm - I'm glad. I was afraid I would...make a mess of it, somehow? But I...I wanted to do this here. It felt right." He looks at the ring, laughing softly. "...And I want you to know, that ring was...well, I was trying to think of what to do for a ring, and...someone...told me where he had hidden this." From his pocket, he pulls the little box, so that Herbert can get a better look at it.
The inside, where the ring had been nestled, is cushioned with soft, dyed green wool.
Herbert presses his hands to his mouth, himself getting choked up again. Solin had lead Alfred to this ring. Given them his blessing, essentially. To be together. To be happy.
"Oh, my love. Thank you. Thank you for telling me." He wipes at his eyes with the handkerchief again, not wanting to get bloody tears on his best suit.
-- and then he laughs, remembering who had given it to him. "Father handed me this before the ball," he says, gesturing with the handkerchief. "Did he know?"
Somewhere inside, Alfred feels the echo he has come to know as Solin - a knot forming in his throat at the reaction. Herbert has the right of it, of course. That's precisely what it means.
Grow. Move forward. Heal. The form may have changed, but the heart is still there. The love is still there.
Alfred laughs too, seeing the handkerchief.
"Yes. I...I asked him, if I could do this tonight. He was pleased, that I asked. And that I... I'm going to be taking your name." He grins,lopsided as ever.
"What do you think? How does Alfred Von Krolock sound?"
"I think he sounds like a king. Certainly the king of my heart." Alfred Von Krolock sounds wonderful, even if he would have been just as happy to be Herbert Schrieber. It means a lot to him, to know that Alfred will be part of their family.
"I think it's absolutely precious and wonderful and perfect that you asked Father before you proposed. How delightful."
Herbert hears a distance scream and he pulls Alfred further way from the ballroom, kissing him firmly.
"I know we can't get married, not fully, but we can be promised to each other. May I get you a ring, as well? I want us to be promised to each other. Properly."
Despite how lovely this moment is, Alfred's stomach drops a little at the scream - he can feel the wave of panic, too, coming off the poor villager in there, getting -
Not the time to think about it. He kisses Herbert back, letting himself be pulled away.
"I would love that, Engel. I would wear it proudly. Legal marriage doesn't matter to us, anyway - it isn't as if we're going to go to a church." A little laugh. "But maybe we can...have a little ceremony, anyhow. Just here, with...our family."
This is his family, now.
Besides, if he invited his father, that would go over like a lead balloon, now wouldn't it?
"I'm sure Father will make a lovely speech," he says, teasingly. He takes one of Alfred's hands and kisses each fingertip, then his palm.
"We can have it under the moonlight, out in the garden. By all the roses. Oh!" he gasps, thinking of a brilliant idea, if he does say so himself. "Will you make us each a special suit, for the day?"
"I don't think we could keep him from doing so if we tried," Alfred giggles right back, standing very close as he's kissed. Staying close, very close.
At the suggestion, his face lights up, his eyes sparkling. "I would love to, Engel! Of course. With any sort of cut you want. I-" He smiles, guiding Herbert's hand to his waist so he can feel the corset under his formalwear.
"I'm...being a little more experimental, lately, so I will...have a bit of fun with it, I think."
Herbert gasps in delight, sliding his hand over Alfred's waist. Remembering exactly how he looks with a corset on. Devastating, in the best way possible.
"Oh you naughty boy. I'll be thinking of what's under your suit every time I dance with you tonight. I'll be thoroughly distracted. By that, and by my ring, whenever it catches the light."
The corset had been worn for confidence, for stability while standing up in front of a whole room of people to do something nervewracking.
But he would be lying if he didn't also put it on thinking about other things, too.
"Well, there are worse things to be distracted by," he giggles, tilting his head to kiss at Herbert's jawline. "The ring for now...and the corset for when you've had your fill of dancing."
"You're terrible." But the way he says it, it sounds like a compliment. "I love your laugh, you know. It's so bright. Like a starburst. Or the way I remember the sun looks, coming through the leaves of a tree.
Another soft laugh...followed by a fond, sweet smile.
"...I hadn't laughed in a long time, before coming here. Not really. It...feels good, to laugh again." The comment makes him think a bit, and he draws up the hand with the ring on it, kissing at Herbert's knuckles before speaking.
"I feel the same way, Engel. It's...all like a dream. I worry I'm going to wake up, sometimes, but...I know this is real. Nothing could be more real."
A glance down to the ring.
"It's funny you should mention a tree, you know. I bet you could guess where I found that."
"Our tree." He presses his hand to his mouth, feeling choked up again. "We'll go there, you and I. And we'll carve our own initials into it. Make it our tree.
Alfred..." he says gently, taking both of Alfred's hands in his. "After -- after Solin. I thought my heart was too broken to ever truly feel love again. But you mended me, like you mend so many things. You sewed my heart back together so well it feels as though it was never broken in the first place.
It's just a moment, a blink - but there is a familiar echo in the smile Alfred returns at that, a soft, patient fondness that doesn't quite belong entirely to the younger man. Somewhere in there, the part of him where Solin resides is...glad, so glad to see Herbert like this. So happy. Healing, at last.
It's with a little shake of the head that the moment passes, though, his hands clasping back at Herbert's.
"I feel the same way, Engel. I have spent my whole life trying to find...something, someone. I felt incomplete, and I was...I was miserable." He pulls the older vampire close, looking up at him with misty eyes. "We rescued each other, Herbert. And I know that, because I have no doubt that if I had fallen in that snow, before any of this at all...I know you would have saved me, anyway."
"It's... a little embarrassing but yes, I was watching you from the start. We both were, Father and I. And we saw you, lost in the snow. With your little scarf tied around your ears, you precious thing.
And you're right. If you had fallen in that snow, I would have taken you back to the castle at once and taken care of you."
"Don't be embarrassed," he reassures, rubbing at Herbert's back.
"I - the thought of that scared me a little at first, it's true, but...I love it now. It makes me feel...like someone was looking out for me, even then." A pause, and then-
"Well it was exciting. People rarely come to our little village. And to see someone so handsome, well. It was a treat."
Herbert nudges his nose against Alfred's cheek with a smile. "And I'll always be there, you know. Not that you always need to be protected, but because I will always love you enough to want to."
Herbert is always so complimentary, over and over again. It's been a year of it, and STILL it makes him blush deep.
"I know that, Engel. I know that." The nuzzle is met with a sweet little kiss. Constant little touches and affirmations. "The feeling is mutual. If - if anyone ever tried to come here to hurt you...I would gladly fight for you."
He's thought about it, before. The Professor knowing where the castle is, that there are vampires in it. Coming back prepared. It worries him, sometimes.
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He kisses Alfred lightly, nudging their noses together. "A year ago, I saw the sunlight for the first time in centuries. My sunlight, my Alfred."
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"In you, Herbert, I have found everything I didn't know I was looking for. You have the other half of my heart, my soul... everything that I am is yours, Engel. Flesh, bone, and blood. And so...so...."
Now or never. In a motion he had practiced over and over and over again in his room, Alfred smoothly reaches into his pocket, pulling the ring box out as he drops down to one knee. His eyes sparkle as he looks up at his lover, expression full of love.
"...Herbert Von Krolock. Will you be mine, in return?"
He opens the box - inside is a ring, simple in make, but elegantly done. A moonstone sits glistening in the center, shining in the candlelight. The setting looks centuries old in style, an echo of another time, another life.
"I love you, Engel. Will you marry me?"
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It's a beautiful ring. An even more beautiful proposal and Herbert nods enthusiastically, hands fluttering until they finally land against his chest.
"Oh Alfred, mon cheri, my beloved. Of course I'll marry you. I belong to you completely already, but yes -- gods, yes."
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This is perfect. A perfect moment, and he didn't even mess it up.
Pulling back, he grins breathlessly, wiping away his own tears.
"...For eternity, Engel. I promise never to leave you, ever, ever again."
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Georg applauds, prompting some scattered clapping from the rest of the coven. But they are hungry, and Herbert needs to celebrate with his new fiance.
So he pulls Alfred into the next room and kisses him again. Long and deep and sweet, one hand coming up to stroke his cheek. When he finally pulls away, he holds up his hand to admire the way the ring looks on it. "Oh Alfred, it's perfect. Everything is perfect."
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He giggles when they pull apart, smiling sweetly at his - his fiance.
Oh, that's nice.
"I'm - I'm glad. I was afraid I would...make a mess of it, somehow? But I...I wanted to do this here. It felt right." He looks at the ring, laughing softly. "...And I want you to know, that ring was...well, I was trying to think of what to do for a ring, and...someone...told me where he had hidden this." From his pocket, he pulls the little box, so that Herbert can get a better look at it.
The inside, where the ring had been nestled, is cushioned with soft, dyed green wool.
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"Oh, my love. Thank you. Thank you for telling me." He wipes at his eyes with the handkerchief again, not wanting to get bloody tears on his best suit.
-- and then he laughs, remembering who had given it to him. "Father handed me this before the ball," he says, gesturing with the handkerchief. "Did he know?"
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Grow. Move forward. Heal. The form may have changed, but the heart is still there. The love is still there.
Alfred laughs too, seeing the handkerchief.
"Yes. I...I asked him, if I could do this tonight. He was pleased, that I asked. And that I... I'm going to be taking your name." He grins,lopsided as ever.
"What do you think? How does Alfred Von Krolock sound?"
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"I think it's absolutely precious and wonderful and perfect that you asked Father before you proposed. How delightful."
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"It seemed...right. I felt like it was important. You're...well, I wanted to treat you with the respect you deserve."
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Herbert hears a distance scream and he pulls Alfred further way from the ballroom, kissing him firmly.
"I know we can't get married, not fully, but we can be promised to each other. May I get you a ring, as well? I want us to be promised to each other. Properly."
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Not the time to think about it. He kisses Herbert back, letting himself be pulled away.
"I would love that, Engel. I would wear it proudly. Legal marriage doesn't matter to us, anyway - it isn't as if we're going to go to a church." A little laugh. "But maybe we can...have a little ceremony, anyhow. Just here, with...our family."
This is his family, now.
Besides, if he invited his father, that would go over like a lead balloon, now wouldn't it?
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"We can have it under the moonlight, out in the garden. By all the roses. Oh!" he gasps, thinking of a brilliant idea, if he does say so himself. "Will you make us each a special suit, for the day?"
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At the suggestion, his face lights up, his eyes sparkling. "I would love to, Engel! Of course. With any sort of cut you want. I-" He smiles, guiding Herbert's hand to his waist so he can feel the corset under his formalwear.
"I'm...being a little more experimental, lately, so I will...have a bit of fun with it, I think."
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"Oh you naughty boy. I'll be thinking of what's under your suit every time I dance with you tonight. I'll be thoroughly distracted. By that, and by my ring, whenever it catches the light."
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But he would be lying if he didn't also put it on thinking about other things, too.
"Well, there are worse things to be distracted by," he giggles, tilting his head to kiss at Herbert's jawline. "The ring for now...and the corset for when you've had your fill of dancing."
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I can't believe you're mine for all eternity."
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"...I hadn't laughed in a long time, before coming here. Not really. It...feels good, to laugh again." The comment makes him think a bit, and he draws up the hand with the ring on it, kissing at Herbert's knuckles before speaking.
"I feel the same way, Engel. It's...all like a dream. I worry I'm going to wake up, sometimes, but...I know this is real. Nothing could be more real."
A glance down to the ring.
"It's funny you should mention a tree, you know. I bet you could guess where I found that."
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Alfred..." he says gently, taking both of Alfred's hands in his. "After -- after Solin. I thought my heart was too broken to ever truly feel love again. But you mended me, like you mend so many things. You sewed my heart back together so well it feels as though it was never broken in the first place.
I don't think you realize how you rescued me."
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It's with a little shake of the head that the moment passes, though, his hands clasping back at Herbert's.
"I feel the same way, Engel. I have spent my whole life trying to find...something, someone. I felt incomplete, and I was...I was miserable." He pulls the older vampire close, looking up at him with misty eyes. "We rescued each other, Herbert. And I know that, because I have no doubt that if I had fallen in that snow, before any of this at all...I know you would have saved me, anyway."
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And you're right. If you had fallen in that snow, I would have taken you back to the castle at once and taken care of you."
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"I - the thought of that scared me a little at first, it's true, but...I love it now. It makes me feel...like someone was looking out for me, even then." A pause, and then-
"That's why I call you Engel, you know."
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Herbert nudges his nose against Alfred's cheek with a smile. "And I'll always be there, you know. Not that you always need to be protected, but because I will always love you enough to want to."
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"I know that, Engel. I know that." The nuzzle is met with a sweet little kiss. Constant little touches and affirmations. "The feeling is mutual. If - if anyone ever tried to come here to hurt you...I would gladly fight for you."
He's thought about it, before. The Professor knowing where the castle is, that there are vampires in it. Coming back prepared. It worries him, sometimes.