<span style="color: #FFBF40"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">House of Delecroix</span><br/><span style="font-size: 130%; line-height: 116%;">Castle Devona</span><br/><br/><a class="postlink" href="http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o793/Galvin_Fugazi/16aaa03c-d70c-49d0-833d-aa82d7697d9f_zpsf037c19c.jpg">[ img ]</a><br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF40"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Sir Abel M. Delecroix</span></span></div></span><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #8080FF"><br/>"Why are we here brother..."</span></span></span>Iris asked, her hand squeezing his. He gave a sad sigh, realizing she already knew what happened to Scarlet.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FFBF40">"It seems you already know what happened..." </span></span>Abel said softly, ignoring the presence of Hector. It was too late now to alter the conversation and he couldn't put it off forever. He brought her closer to the mare he had gotten her, grasping her hand and placing it on the peaceful creature.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FFBF40"> "I know that it is not Scarlet and I know that this horse will never replace the love you had for her...but perhaps you can learn to love this mare just as much. It is not mother's, I know that...but..."</span></span>he reached into his pocket, pulling out a necklace. It had belonged to their mother and he had kept it for many years, waiting for the right time to pass it down to Iris.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FFBF40"> "...this was. I've been waiting to give it to you,"</span></span>he finished. He reached around to fix the necklace upon her and he marveled at how much she looked like their mother.<br/><br/>It had been a hard death for all of them, but somehow he felt it was worse for Iris. She had not had their mother during a lady's most important years. Even now their mother would not be able to tell Iris the expectations of a lady or being a wife. They had always had to rely on the ladies of Erathia and the maids back home to explain things to her. He wondered if he should outright tell her about her impending marriage to Hector or wait until Hector was gone from the stables. No doubt the man would reveal the arrangement to her and Abel would rather have her hear it from her.<br/><br/>Abel had decided something then that was rather out of character.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FFBF40">"Ah, Sir Hector. What a pleasant surprise seeing you here. And I thought that I would have to break the happy news to Iris alone!"</span></span>he gave an incline of his head in greeting, then turned to Iris' surprised and cautious eyes. Inwardly he pleaded to all the gods that there ever was and could be to allow Iris to forgive him of this underhanded way of introduction,<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FFBF40">"Iris...I'd like to introduce you to your betrothed, Sir Hector..." </span></span>He tugged her forward gently to give a proper greeting to Hector and he hoped that it would go well. He was worried about Martine's words earlier and hoped that they had only been in jest. If Hector ever hurt Iris, there would be hell to pay and all of Erathia would go down in flames if necessary.