Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Carpathius

Though Eligos didn't believe in marrying for love, and in fact his family traditions more strongly encouraged spreading his genes rather than choosing a single bride, his father and his brother had both married a single mate so it wasn't so foreign of an idea as it might have been. It made sense for the Armada and the Hallows to tie their alliance together with a marriage, though a supposedly neutral pack tying itself so tightly to the warlike Armada didn't bode well for their continued neutrality.

The idea of giving gifts to them was amusing, as he observed was the custom. The groom was already alpha of a pack - giving them gifts just made the pack more powerful. He supposed it was simply a way for each of the giftgivers to show their own wealth, that they could afford to give away those items rather than get anything in return for them. A pack that attended without giving gifts would seem miserly and poor spirited at best, weak and struggling most likely. As silly and stupid as the custom was, he had not come empty pawed. He would not sully Aerie's reputation like that.

So as he approached, eyes observing everything, he set a jangling bundle down on the pile of gifts, flipping open the soft wrapping to reveal what was inside even as he pulled a cinnamon colored bearskin cloak off his back to drop beside it. A pair of silver goblets, two sets of matching bracers, a pair of bright-edged silver daggers in decorated sheaths, and the wrap itself, a soft chamois skin of the sort that would be used for young pups. Wealth that had taken shrewd trading and more than a little graverobbing for him to acquire, but would cost Aerie nothing.

He inclined his head to the newly married couple. "Congratulations on your joining," he said gravely. "May your union be blessed with many children to carry on your name after you have passed from the world." Sentiments he didn't particularly care about, since he didn't know either party personally, but he spoke as smoothly as if he did before excusing himself to go observe the party.