Hope Rekindled

A gust of wind blew through the city streets of Crocus, carrying with it the light snow that had been falling on Crocus for the past several days. With Christmas fast approaching there was little doubt in the mind of Alistair that they would get to experience a white Christmas this year. He'd always preferred winter over the unrelenting summers in Fiore but even so the whipping wind was enough to chill him. Luckily, holding tightly to his arm and leaning against him ever so slightly was his dearly beloved wife of nearly a year now who's mere presence warmed his heart enough to fight off the threat of the cold. His proposal had come in the late spring of this same year and they were married only a few weeks later. While she had visited the estate before she had never done so when the entire family gathered, few holidays being as largely celebrated as Christmas.

Entering the estate, being greeted with a bow from the servants as they stood in the main hall of the large mansion that made up the bulk of the Vroman estate. It was immediately clear that it was far warmer inside of the house, the many fire places burning to keep each of the rooms at a warm and toasty temperature. After having their coats taken to be dried and hung within the coatroom, Alistair turned to his wife, looking at her with what was undeniably unconditional love in his eyes despite the despondency the two had come to feel in the past months, their attempts to conceive a child failing over and over again despite their best effort which left the two in a bit of a rut as of late but he'd hoped the holidays would lift their spirits. "The rest of the family should be around as well. We've still got some time before dinner so what do you say we greet them?"