FB: Our Blessed Union (WIP) (Patreon)

quick concept art before beddd

um hello my name is lune i am 25 years old and i have never had a conversation with an adult female in my life that wasn't a blood relative uh oh guess it's finally time to marry the girl betrothed to me since childhood and make lots of healthy fawns and usher my totally-not-a-cult religious commune into a new age of prosperity haha i am going to throw up

costume and character design for young Lune and his dearly betrothed, Genevieve. This will probably have a lil story blurb attached to it, so in the meantime have a (possible) excerpt:

~~~~

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to postpone the ceremony? If we tell the Council of Elders that you've fallen ill, then surely we could have the date pushed back a few days- perhaps even weeks-"

"Lie? To the Council?" Genevieve gave an airy little laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, my lord. I’ve been patiently awaiting our wedding for five years already.” The doe said softly, her mouth curling into a demure smile, “And if it’s just the same with you, I shan’t like to wait even a moment longer.”

“But….” Lune floundered, gesturing awkwardly with his hands. “Darling, we….we hardly know a thing about each other.”

“Perhaps not.” Genevieve conceded, dipping her head in a shallow nod. “But we have our entire lives to discover everything there is to know.” Her tiny hands found Lune’s larger ones, and she blinked up at him with eyes the color of autumn grass. “....Wouldn’t you agree, my love?”

Lune tried to smile, but only managed a feeble twitch of his mouth. “I….I’d still like to know at least one fact about the woman I’m to wed.” His ears slicked back, detesting how feeble he sounded. “Can’t you tell me anything? Your favorite food, your favorite song, your favorite flower….?”

Genevieve was looking at him oddly, her brows furrowed in confusion. Her grip on his hands tightened. “What is your favorite flower, my lord?”

“I’m…..I suppose I’m partial to snowdrops.”

“What a coincidence! Snowdrops are my favorite as well.” Genevieve’s smile was back on her face, innocent, loving, and just a bit brittle. Something about it made Lune’s stomach sink.

There were so many things he wanted to say to his fiance. Are you alright? Are you being forced to do this? What will they do to you if you disobey? But his tongue felt like sand in his mouth, and his jaw worked uselessly.

You don’t have to do this, Genevieve.

We don’t have to do this.

His heart pounding loud in his ears, he instead blurted, “I barely know you.”

It earned him a frown, and at once he knew he’d said the wrong thing. “Well, what’s to know?” Genevieve huffed, releasing his hands. “I’m a doe, you’re a buck. This is how it’s been done since our village was founded.” 

She paused for a split second, a glimpse of uncertainty slipping through her serene mask. “Everything will simply….slide into place.”