"So Aurey, will you marry me and let me bear your children?!"
Aurelian stared at her, stunned into silence. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face, as he found the whole situation amusing. Wasn't it the man's duty to propose? He chuckled. She had beaten him to it.
Love. Aurelian wasn't a stranger to desire or romance. In his previous life, he had experienced all manner of girls. But Thaleia? She was different. When he first met her under Hera's instructions, she hadn't been fond of him at all. Even though Aurelian was arguably the most handsome man she had ever met in all of Athens, she didn't care to entertain him. His initial behavior, his ignorance of this world's customs and ways, had made her see him as nothing more than an irritating foreigner.
Yet the more he adapted, the more he improved, the more she found herself drawn to him. She was a just and loyal woman, her character embodying the very meaning of a trad wife.
Even before she proposed, she had already behaved like his wife. Not like the modern women of his previous life, who always seemed to hate men and take them for granted. Thaleia appreciated his labor. Whenever Aurelian did work outside to bring in money, she welcomed him home the way a wife should.
Cooking. Cleaning. Respect. She did all of it. And from the very beginning, it was clear she had fallen in love with him. Otherwise, why would she put in such effort? And Aurelian wasn't blind to her feelings. The only reason he hadn't made the first move was because he knew his path would be a dangerous one. After all, he had a reincarnation quest to complete.
But now?
Fuck all those concerns.
He would marry her. Make her his own. Have his first children with her. His mind was already made up. And he loved her too. Who wouldn't love a woman who already treated them like a husband?
"You're asking me to marry you," he said quietly.
"Yes," she snapped. "Unless you don't want to. In which case I take it back. Completely. Forget I said anything."
He laughed softly and stepped forward, cupping her face gently in his hands, "I want to."
Her eyes widened again. "You do?"
"I do," he repeated. "And when I return from Mycenae… when I come back stronger and recognized, I will like to see our children fully grown and healthy."
Tears finally spilled over, but she was smiling through them now.
"You're impossible," she muttered.
Aurelian laughed and pulled her into his embrace, holding her close. She stiffened for a heartbeat, surprised, then slowly relaxed against him, her arms wrapping around his back as if afraid he might disappear if she let go.
The hug was tight and intimate, the one done between lovers. To Thaleia this was the first time Aurelian had touched her, and frankly this was the first time a man has ever touched her.
Being a virgin wasn't a strange concept in this period, unlike in Aurelian's era. In ancient Greece, virginity, often called parthenia was crucial for a woman's value, linking it to marriageability, family honor, and their value overall.
The concept of Virginity was closely tied to revered goddesses like Athena, Artemis, and Hestia, who embodied perpetual maidenhood and purity, representing ideals beyond mortal constraints.
Thaleia allowed Aurelian to touch her because an agreement had been made. Aurelian had agreed to the marriage, and so she permitted it. Still, such a verbal agreement alone would not have been enough for Thaleia to allow someone to touch her, but this was Aurelian.
Thaleia had already received a prophecy from a priestess of Athena, telling her to harbor the male foreigner who would come her way. And after living with Aurelian for more than a month, she had seen his behavior for herself and knew that his words were trustworthy.
For a while, neither of them spoke. They didn't need to. The words he hadn't yet said aloud was already there in the way he held her, firm and certain, as though he had finally decided where he belonged. Thaleia's breath was warm against his neck, uneven at first, then steadying as her heart calmed beneath the simple comfort of being held.
"Aurey…" she murmured, her voice small, uncertain, as if she was afraid this was all a dream.
He loosened his grip just enough to look at her, his hands still resting at her back. "Thaleia."
"Yes, Aurey," she answered softly.
"I love you," Aurelian said, his voice filled with honest emotion.
"I love you too, Aurey," she replied, hugging him once more.
They eventually pulled apart, not because either of them wanted to, but because the food on the table had begun to cool, and the hearth crackled softly, reminding them that life, for all its turning points, still moved forward in small, ordinary moments.
They sat down across from each other, closer than before. Thaleia adjusted the folds of her dress, her fingers fidgeting slightly, the confidence she had shown earlier giving way to something more nervous.
"There's something we need to talk about," she said, clearing her throat. "If we are truly to be married… then you must visit my family."
Aurelian raised a brow, attentive. "Your father?"
She nodded. "My father lives in the lower district of Athens, near the craftsmen's quarter. He is… not an easy man to impress." She hesitated, then added quickly, "Not because he is cruel, rather he's simply strict. He believes a husband must prove he can protect, provide, and honor his household."
"That sounds fair," Aurelian said calmly. "What do I need to do?"
Thaleia looked at him for a long moment, clearly weighing her words. "You must formally ask for my hand. Gifts will be needed. Not extravagant, but meaningful. Oil, bread, perhaps a small offering of silver if you can spare it. More importantly, you must face him without fear. He despises hesitation."
Aurelian smiled faintly. "I can manage that."
"There's more," she continued. "Normally, marriages are held in winter, during Gamelion. It's the sacred month of weddings, held in honor of the goddess, Hera." Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke the goddess's name. "Special sacrifices are made to her, and the rituals are performed under her blessing. But… Gamelion has already passed."
"So we wait?" Aurelian asked.
She shook her head, determination flickering in her eyes. "No. I don't want to wait. Leaving things uncertain while you prepare to go to Mycenae feels wrong. My father may protest, but exceptions can be made if the omens are favorable and the intent is pure. I will insist."
He studied her, touched by how firmly she stood her ground. "You're sure?"
"Yes," she said without hesitation. "The marriage ritual itself will still be proper. I will be given to you at dusk, veiled. A procession will follow from my father's home to this house, with torches lighting the way. There will be hymns, and offerings made to Hera for protection and fertility. Afterward, we will share bread and wine as husband and wife."
Her voice softened at the last words, as if she was already imagining it.
"And your father?" Aurelian asked.
Thaleia sighed. "He will test you. With words, with silence, perhaps with outright doubt. But if he sees sincerity in you, if he believes you will not abandon me… he will agree."
Aurelian leaned back slightly, his expression steady. "Then I'll go to him. I'll earn his approval. All because you matter to me."
Her shoulders relaxed at that, the tension easing from her posture. She smiled, small and relieved, and reached across the table to take his hand.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "I know the path you're choosing is dangerous. I won't pretend otherwise. But knowing I'll be your wife before you walk it… that gives me peace."