History Webcomic / UnderTheOakTree

->''A flawless love story of the flawed.''

Now in a loving marriage, and surrounded by people showing her care and concern for the first time in her life, perhaps Max can begin her journey to healing and self-confidence.

* AbusiveParents: Duke Croix, hoo-boy. He regards his daughters as tools for strategic arranged marriages, and believed Max's stutter meant nobody worth allying with would want her. He blamed her for this, and constantly beat and insult her over being useless to him. It's given her issues she may never fully get over.
** Averted with Riftan's alcoholic step-father. While they weren't particularly close, he honestly tried to give Riftan the best upbringing he could.

* AManIsAlwaysEager: Riftan is almost constantly horny for Max. He frequently holds himself back when he thinks she's not up for it, but doesn't realize that she is far too shy to speak up when she is in the mood, leading to occasional needless frustration.

* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Max met Riftan once before, when he was a child working for the blacksmith in her father's estate, and even made him a flower crown though she was too shy to speak to him, but has no idea that boy and her husband are the same person.
* GildedCage: Riftan tries to prevent Max from doing any kind of labor, and stay confined to her quarters. It comes from good intentions, because he wants to give her the life of a leisurely noble he feels she deserves, but it drives her crazy. After they get into their first major fight over it, he finally realizes his error and relents.

* InsufferableGenius: Ruth, cold stop. Not only is he a powerful wizard, he has been single handedly managing Riftan's estate for years. He's also a rude, snarky, physically lazy little shit that drives everyone, even Max, up the wall.

* LoveAtFirstSight: Riftan first saw Max when they were children, and has been madly in love with her for the almost two decades since.

* TrainingTheGiftOfMagic: Ruth senses that Max has unrealized magic potential, and begins training her to use and control it. Riftan is not happy with this at first and tries to forbid it, but eventually relents when Max is persistent about it.

** Downplayed with Ruth and Max. He can be very sarcastic and loves to tease her, but he's the first true friend she makes at the castle, and is sweetly supportive of her in his way.
** Riftan and Ruth have known each other since before Riftan became a knight. Ruth is always calling him out in front of people and lamenting that he serves such a boorish lord, but he is one of Riftan's staunchest supporters. Riftan acts like he can't even stand the sight of Ruth, but lets him get away with his blatant disrespect and damn near everything else, and knows well that Ruth is the one keeping his lands in order. Notably, he refuses to kick Ruth out despite pressure from the Crown and the fact that other wizards refuse to serve at his court because of Ruth's presence.

* ShrinkingViolet: Max, thanks to the abuse she suffered. She has trouble speaking up or socializing, and often apologizes when she shouldn't.

The comic's official English translation can be read [[https://manta.net/series/1255 here]].

* Princess Agnes ''thinks'' she and Riftan are this, but in actuality, he hates her and can't stand being around her. She eventually realizes this, but only after she's pushed him too far.

** Riftan and Ruth have known each other since before Riftan became a knight. Ruth is always calling him out in front of people and lamenting that he serves such a boorish lord, but he is one of Riftan's staunchest supporters. Riftan acts like he can't even stand the sight of Ruth, but lets him get away with his blatant disrespect and damn near everything else, and knows well that Ruth is the one keeping his lands in order. Notably, he refuses to kick Ruth out despite pressure from the Crown and the fact that other wizards refuse to serve at his court because of Ruth's presence.

* InsufferableGenius: Ruth, cold stop. Not only is he a powerful wizard, he has been single handedly managing Riftan's estate for years.

** Riftan and Ruth have known each other since before Riftan became a knight. Ruth is always calling him out in front of people and lamenting that he serves such a boorish lord, but he is one of Riftan's staunchest supporters. Riftan acts like he can't even stand the sight of Ruth, but lets him get away with his blatant disrespect and damn near everything else, and knows well that Ruth is the one keeping his lands in order.

* RagsToRiches: Riftan's lot in life was to be born as a bastard child

* LoveAtFirstSight: Riftan first saw Max as a twelve year old boy, and has been madly in love with her for the sixteen years since.

** Downplayed with Ruth and Max. He can be very sarcastic and loves to tease her, but he's the first true friend she makes at the castle, and is sweetly supportive of her in his way.

* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Max met Riftan once before, when he worked for the blacksmith in her father's estate, and even made him a flower crown though she was too shy to speak to him, but has no idea that boy and her husband are the same person.

* IdealizedSex: Zig-zagged. Max's wedding night with Riftan is bloody and painful, but after he returns, he is much more attentive about things like foreplay, and she comes to love sex with him.

But the journey won't necessarily be smooth. As the lord's wife, she must rapidly adjust to a position of authority she has never been prepared for. Politics are afoot, monsters infest the land, and war is brewing.

* UnexpectedVirgin: Riftan knows how to pleasure Max from the get-go, and she assumes he's bedded other women. When he mentions that she's his first, she is surprised, and he explains that he learned what to do by listen to mercenaries boast of their... ''ahem''... "conquests."

* UnexpectedVirgin: When Riftan mentions that he hadn't been with a woman before Max, she is surprised and asks how he knew how to pleasure her. He replies that he spent a lot of time listening to coarse talk from mercenaries.