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synergetic2023-10-09 02:49 am
senselessness) wrote in synergetic2023-10-09 02:49 am
Entry tags:
Prince of Fire Emblem: Gray Waves
A princess with a poker face, Yukimura thought, as Yanagi took away the tea cups and retreated to where the rest of his entourage waited near the doorway.
He had open across the small negotiating table a letter from Princess Azura's stepfather, promising him that he would make her marriage as valuable to him as if she were his own flesh and blood. King Garon had a reputation that his own children shrank from, even as they bowed to his every whim. Azura didn't have the same fawning, wincing air as Garon's own children, from what Yukimura remembered of the spy reports. She looked placidly into his eyes.
"You pushed for this?" he asked, bluntly.
"No, milord," said the princess calmly. "Having just returned to Nohr after a long stay in Hoshido, I was as surprised as you."
Was she lying to him? She'd appeared at the gates of his castle alongside a delivery of flowers and wine for the ball celebrating Marui and Lissa's engagement, accompanied by her stepfather's offer of her hand and a ne'er-do-well with an axe as large as his body.
"He's this eager to get rid of you?"
"Or to gain your goodwill," she answered delicately.
Was she lying to him? The timing angered him immensely.
"By sending you here? Customarily, the pleasure of the bride's company is withheld until the marriage has been satisfactorily arranged."
"Your refusal is noted," she said, not without a certain heaviness.
His eyes narrowed. An outright refusal, in front of the man with the axe... his head burned. Could he afford to refuse Garon's offer without at least the pretense of consideration? Was she simply manipulating him into making a mistake?
"I said no such thing," he answered tightly. She inclined her head apologetically. "But my concern is with the engagement of my own princess, which you're interfering with."
She didn't contest his choice of verb, and his blood boiled.
"Like your princess, I am at the mercy of kings," she said. "I mean no disrespect to Lady Lissa."
But do you mean her harm? he wondered. Did Azura mean to displace her? The king's wife was necessarily given more authority than the king's sister. Yukimura didn't want that. He didn't want a wife for his own sake, there was nothing left within him that could love or cherish the princess before him nor any other, and he certainly didn't want a queen, who'd expect to see her own child on his throne in due time.
A queen would displace Lissa in the hierarchy of the court, and an heir would do the same in the line of succession. A perfect sabotage of his failsafe. A waste of Marui's and Lissa's sacrifices both-- not to mention the hints he'd tried to give them during their dance practice for tonight.
He had to play this intelligently-- even if he was starting late. He swallowed back the venom and vitriol he felt for this interloper and, hating himself for the debasement, stood, only to bow to her gallantly.
"Enjoy with us the festivities already planned," he said, more instructing than inviting. "We can talk more when I've discharged the business already in front of me."
"Yes, milord," she said, opaque as an iron wall.
Felicia -- delighted to be visited by a princess of her native land -- quickly escorted Azura and Hans, the axe man, to their lodgings, and Yukimura turned to his friends, pale and glowing with displeasure.
"I want to know why Nohr chose now to do this," he said, "but I will settle for what I should do to them in retaliation."
He had open across the small negotiating table a letter from Princess Azura's stepfather, promising him that he would make her marriage as valuable to him as if she were his own flesh and blood. King Garon had a reputation that his own children shrank from, even as they bowed to his every whim. Azura didn't have the same fawning, wincing air as Garon's own children, from what Yukimura remembered of the spy reports. She looked placidly into his eyes.
"You pushed for this?" he asked, bluntly.
"No, milord," said the princess calmly. "Having just returned to Nohr after a long stay in Hoshido, I was as surprised as you."
Was she lying to him? She'd appeared at the gates of his castle alongside a delivery of flowers and wine for the ball celebrating Marui and Lissa's engagement, accompanied by her stepfather's offer of her hand and a ne'er-do-well with an axe as large as his body.
"He's this eager to get rid of you?"
"Or to gain your goodwill," she answered delicately.
Was she lying to him? The timing angered him immensely.
"By sending you here? Customarily, the pleasure of the bride's company is withheld until the marriage has been satisfactorily arranged."
"Your refusal is noted," she said, not without a certain heaviness.
His eyes narrowed. An outright refusal, in front of the man with the axe... his head burned. Could he afford to refuse Garon's offer without at least the pretense of consideration? Was she simply manipulating him into making a mistake?
"I said no such thing," he answered tightly. She inclined her head apologetically. "But my concern is with the engagement of my own princess, which you're interfering with."
She didn't contest his choice of verb, and his blood boiled.
"Like your princess, I am at the mercy of kings," she said. "I mean no disrespect to Lady Lissa."
But do you mean her harm? he wondered. Did Azura mean to displace her? The king's wife was necessarily given more authority than the king's sister. Yukimura didn't want that. He didn't want a wife for his own sake, there was nothing left within him that could love or cherish the princess before him nor any other, and he certainly didn't want a queen, who'd expect to see her own child on his throne in due time.
A queen would displace Lissa in the hierarchy of the court, and an heir would do the same in the line of succession. A perfect sabotage of his failsafe. A waste of Marui's and Lissa's sacrifices both-- not to mention the hints he'd tried to give them during their dance practice for tonight.
He had to play this intelligently-- even if he was starting late. He swallowed back the venom and vitriol he felt for this interloper and, hating himself for the debasement, stood, only to bow to her gallantly.
"Enjoy with us the festivities already planned," he said, more instructing than inviting. "We can talk more when I've discharged the business already in front of me."
"Yes, milord," she said, opaque as an iron wall.
Felicia -- delighted to be visited by a princess of her native land -- quickly escorted Azura and Hans, the axe man, to their lodgings, and Yukimura turned to his friends, pale and glowing with displeasure.
"I want to know why Nohr chose now to do this," he said, "but I will settle for what I should do to them in retaliation."
no subject
"He has to know that you'll be in the best position to do what he wants if he keeps you informed, and doesn't throw you off."
no subject
no subject
"A gallant defender of the king's honor, aren't you?" But she knew that. The kind of personal sacrifices Bun had made for the king just this month-- if she hadn't realized how deeply he idolized the king before, she did now.
"I'm guessing I didn't misjudge the princess, then... Is she as confident in the king as you?"
1/2
There were other explanations: Yukimura could have been long considering a pool of candidates and only just finalized his choice. He could have wanted to test how Bunta behaved without the bias of knowing his intentions. But what's important is protecting the ruse. It would be too suspicious if the king decided on his sister's marital fate on such a seeming impulse. He has to leave enough room for doubt that the truth doesn't become the narrative.
"As for the princess, try and ask her that," he dares. Less control over the answers, maybe, but this is how it should be.
2/2
What are they doing so tightly wrapped together? Lissa is oblivious, wrapped up in the thrill of whatever game Niou's sucked her into. But Niou. If Bunta didn't know better, he'd swear it looked like...
Whispers begin to spread like a wildfire through the crowd, hissing past the pounding in his ears.
no subject
She nudged him to move again-- towards the princess and the handsome rogue, because she doubted any other direction would be noticed by him, let alone acceptable.
"Don't make a scene... not one you didn't write ahead of time, at least," she whispered.
Maybe the king did choose correctly.
no subject
He does, on some level, register the little nudge, and he answers it with an appreciative nod and move in the direction she's indicating, his eyes never leaving Niou and the princess.
"You understand well," he says back quietly, and with sincere gratitude. He has to help her. He needs to go over there. "Thanks, Dorothea. Please excuse me."
Pushing down whatever unpleasant feeling that is, he heads in their direction with a recentering breath. And he's relaxed, calm, sure of himself. Casual and friendly as he returns to his fiancée's side and greets them with a smile and an arm around to her far shoulder.
no subject
Nothing like a little envy to make you realize what you want.
"Hopefully, we'll get another chance later," she said sweetly, easing herself out of the crowd of couples and makes like she'd meant to get back to stage anyway.