Drovikstead was a quiet, steady sort of place whose people were very much like the land they lived on. They were rough around the edges and a bit cold in appearance, however there was a great sense of hardwork and honesty. It was the sort of place one had to be immersed in to appreciate.
On its north side, was a foreboding mountain which encased the town in its valley the way a mother cat tucks her children inside an old laundry basket. Then, on the east, a forest of tulip poplar trees swaying and keeping many different woodland creatures in their midst.
The valley itself was where a great many of the residents found themselves. It was home to many different families, the eldest of which were the Alvarssons and the Kovacs.
Melkior Alvarsson came of age to be married one summer a little after he had started pulling together the plans for a business. He was a handsome young man, tall and strong at the shoulders just as his father had been. Not to mention his family was of great repute and respect in Drovikstead. This made him a very good prospect for marriage to many ladies of the village and they swooned after him easily.
Nadia Sokolov had been the first to make moves at him. Her family had a decent amount of land which they used agriculturally and she was a smart lass. She had found her prettiest evening dress and beckoned for the man to take a walk with her through the meadow. Melkior was a polite sort of man, never seeking to embarrass any of the women who sought after him, and so he agreed.
The walk had been short enough, with Nadia very quickly coming to the realisation that Melkior already had his eyes on one woman in particular. Her ego remained unbruised upon realising who he sought, afterall, Irena Kovac was by far the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on before.
She was a performer at the town's pub, and already of marriageable age for two years herself. Irena found herself to be a thing of desire to many of the townspeople. She had lovely sunflower yellow locks down to her waist and large doe eyes of a brilliant prussian blue. Her lips were pouted at the edges, a soft pink, and she had the voice of an angel in God's own choir.
Anyone who had eyes could see she was beautiful and anyone who had ears could tell she was talented. Of course, the people of the village were also very familiar with old Mr.Kovac and his beastly protectiveness of his daughters. He was a good man. The sort who worked from early in the morning until the sun slipped down behind the horizon and still found time throughout the day to kiss his wife and hug his children. Yes, Mr.Kovac was a very good man indeed.
Melkior was well aware of the nature of the man and he sought to pursue Irena in a way that Mr.Kovac would appreciate. At first he merely sat at the pub, watching her performances quietly and politely whilst he worked out the schematics and finances to his growing business. The smell of cedarwood and mead danced around the two of them and a great many bodies separated them at first.
Eventually, Irena found herself to be intrigued by the man. It was uncommon for anyone to come to the pub to focus on their work and she figured he must have some other reason for being there. Little by little, she started to find excuses to chat with him.
"Ah, Mr.Alvarsson."
She slipped into the empty stool at his side and let her eyes flick down to the papers he scribbled away at. She had some time to spare and fancied to muse on his interest.
"Irena, good evening."
His eyes glimpsed up from the work to scan her face and he made sure to hide his satisfaction well. The pretty blue dress brought out the curiosity in her eyes and Melkior knew that his courting was sure to be successful if he were artful about it.
"What are we working on this time?"
At this, Melkior allowed a small smile and turned the top page in her direction so she could look at it.
"These are a series of laws in Iceland that prohibit the business venture, and below each- can you read it alright?"
The woman squinted her eyes at the scribbles and eventually nodded.
"Well beneath each I've listed out the loopholes and counter-moves which could be made in court to protect us from any sort of legal trouble."
Irena shook her head a little, but soon a vibrant smile met her lips and the man felt his heart slam loudly in his chest.
"You're a smart one, Mr.Alvarsson."
"Thank you."
She slipped back out of the stool, turning back to him with a coy sort of look before returning to the pub floor for the next set.
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After enough small moments of harmless chatter had passed between them, Melkior began to court her in a more formal manner. The man would find it necessary to make several attempts at getting Irena to agree to any sort of courting. His first attempt happened to be on a night in which the pub was choc-full of drunken men in celebration of a successful harvest. He hardly managed to catch sight of her over all their large heads and when she finally spotted him, he couldn't manage to get a word in over all the chattering voices. Eventually Irena abandoned the attempt to understand what he meant to say and focused on her work, leaving a dejected but hardly discouraged Melkior to look for another opportunity.
The second attempt took place when he bumped into the woman by chance whilst she was at the pastry shop in town with two of her sisters. Nevena and Leikny were the Kovac family's lucky twins. In Drovikstead, to give birth to a child in the harshness of winter was held in very good fortune and the fact Mrs. Kovac had managed to yield two was seen as a rather great conquest. The twins were often energised, being only twelve and they had inherited many of their father's protective qualities. When they caught wind of Melkior's unspoken wishes, they took to making the matter very difficult for him indeed.
"Evening Melkior, what are you doing down by the square?"
The man smiled at the young girl and silently took note of how long her lashes were, much like that of her elder sister. When it struck him that she had meant for him to reply, he coughed a little and opened his mouth to speak.
"Well my father has asked I take this year's profit down and order the next set of supplies. So I was on my way to see the Sokolov's, I suppose."
To this, Leikney chimed in, her baby pink dress snapping towards them with piqued interest. Irena glanced in their direction with an unreadable expression before refocusing on finding the particular sort of flour her mother had sent them to the market to gather.
"The Sokolov's? As in Nadia's family?"
Melkior blushed an embarrassed shade of red at the tone which was used by the young girl and he pulled a very unconvincing shrug.
"Well, yes. Nadia's family."
"As in the Nadia you took on a date through the meadows?"
Leikney at least made the attempt to play coy, whereas Nevena was entirely ruthless, standing with her arms crossed and her face unimpressed. Melkior rubbed a hand to his brow as the tension about them seemed to grow ever higher.
"Oh dear- well uhm no, it was hardly a date."
"Nadia calls it a date."
Melkior groaned internally as he saw the ever slight way in which Irena's jaw drew tighter but he took in a deep, slow breath and took a final stand.
"Girls, Nadia Sokolov is a lovely girl. Her family has always been kind to me and we did go for a walk through the fields a few fortnights ago. Whilst courting was something we talked about, it isn't something we decided to do. I'm rather busy with my business and I'm not interested in her in that way. Do you understand?"
Melkior's voice was calm and steady as he walked them through the events earnestly. He had bent over on his knees so they could scan his face for any hint of dishonesty. Leikney shrugged at his explanation while Nevena let out a sigh.
"Alright, sir. Well, good day then."
Melkior rose, straightening his coat and flinching lightly when he found Irena to be just beside him. The woman smiled a little at his reaction and from the glint in her bright blue eyes he sensed she sought to tease him.
"Come now, Mr.Alvarsson, I don't bite."
Melkior chuckled a little and couldn't help the response which left him.
"I don't believe you."
Leikney and Nevena both went wide eyed for a moment when Irena allowed a small laugh. The man's cheeks flushed bright red in embarrassment but he smiled brightly at how silly it all was. Perhaps he was going mad.
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Melkior's third attempt at courting Irena finally found its hint of success. He invited her for a walk through the village centre with the promise of a pastry to convince her.
It was a chilly fall evening and he had decided to set all his business matters to the side whilst he met with her. He approached the Kovac house wearily, wearing his best evening coat and bearing a singular satin flower in his hand.
When he got to the doorstep, he knocked only twice and took a very wide step back. Mr.Kovac opened the door and blinked at the young man twice.
"Good evening, Melkior."
The man's voice betrayed no particular emotion as he turned to call back through the house and announce the young man's arrival.
"Evening, Mr. Kovac."
The older gentleman's eyes scanned Melkior from head to toe. From Melkior's pale blond locks to his freckled hands.
"You're taking Irena out?"
Melkior nodded politely, the sweat behind his ears growing exponentially. A cool breeze slipped about between the two of them as the young man tried to calm his nerves.
"Yes, sir. If you don't mind."
The man crossed his arms, leaning on the door as he bore down at the boy darkly.
"And if I do mind?'
Melkior blinked in surprise as he tried to ponder the matter in his own mind. Irena's footsteps sounded behind her father and the man turned to face her. He hugged the girl tightly and muttered a word about her behaving herself before he sent the young woman on her way.
Melkior shuddered in mild horror as Mr.Kovac stared at him the way a wolf might a rabbit, but he shook the fear away and bid the man a nice night.
"Be sure to have her back before the lanterns go out in the square, the way back is difficult in the dark."
The young man nodded resolutely, making sure not to break eyes with the man as he turned back into the home.
When the door closed, Melkior couldn't stop the look of awe on his face or the flush of pink in his cheeks. She had chosen a simple look for their evening, a thick beige sweater tucked into an intricately detailed skirt and some dark winter boots to complete it. Her hair was braided down the right side of her body and she'd opted to go completely without makeup. Melkior could hardly breathe for a few moments.
She chuckled aloud at his reaction before she made the trek down the two steps and linked her arm into his.
"Shall we?"
Melkior gulped as she led the way.
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The lovers went on several such excursions together. She'd gone for dinner at his home with his family, and they'd fallen every bit in love with her as he had.
They'd trekked through the icy mountainous passage to meet with the old apothecary and get a tonic to aid her mother's cold.
Some evenings they merely sat together in the meadow, reading and working respectively, taking some moments to communicate freely.
Eventually Melkior managed to win Irena over completely, and he was halfway sure Mr.Kovac could tolerate him as well.
The sense of astonishment and pride he felt in having her at his side never seemed to fade. She was ever the beautiful prefromer in his mind and he respected and treasured her every moment they were together.
With spring, their courting had come to blossom and Melkior sought to speak with her about a very serious matter.
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