(Lizzy S.)
A/N. There are probably people who will complain because Steel and Palin are technically cousins. I acknowledge that, but the relation is a little flimsy, so I've chosen to disregard it. Please do not leave nasty reviews. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy.
Steel Brightblade took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, before approaching the tall man leaning against the rail. "Excuse me. I'd like to talk to you about something very important," he said, as respectfully as he could. Caramon Majere looked down at him and smiled, bemused. Then he shrugged.
"Alright, then, Steel. We'll go someplace a little quieter; how's that sound?" he asked. The young man before him nodded.
"Yes, that sounds good," he replied, and Caramon almost had to laugh at how nervous the knight looked. Together the pair ambled down the stairs, heading deeper into the forest, away from the Inn. Steel was a bit worried by that, but he tried to focus on the task at hand. This was a very serious matter, and he couldn't afford to freeze up.
When they arrived in the sheltered clearing Caramon had led them to, he turned back to his young companion. "What do you wish to say, Steel?" he asked curiously. Steel found himself struggling to breathe, but he forced the air through his throat anyway, then knelt on one knee before Caramon. This request was likely to get him killed, but he'd really prefer to do this properly, to succeed where his father had failed. Though, Palin was considerably more cooperative than Steel's mother, Kitiara, had been...
"I ask you, simply, for Palin's hand, and for your blessing," Steel said, maintaining eye contact with the other man, since he still wasn't sure how to act around him. Caramon's eyebrows rose, then fell, then rose again as he tried to determine what else Steel could mean with those words. Then he realized that there was no other meaning; Steel was asking for exactly what it sounded like he was asking for. Caramon blinked, then sat on the ground and laughed.
"I have been rather exceptionally oblivious, I think. Will you love him, care for him, and always remain faithful?" he asked Steel. Steel's back straightened and he frowned, offended by the insinuation that he might not, but he accepted that it was just part of the process.
"Yes, sir. Always," he answered, pouring as much of his feeling as he could into the truth of the words. Caramon watched him for a few moments, expression unreadable, then he smiled.
"Then, my answer is yes. You have my blessing in taking Palin's hand; in marriage. Be good to him, and you will be happy," Caramon said, and Steel felt a weight lift from his shoulders, finally allowing him to breathe.
"Thank you," he said quietly, and Caramon grinned, pounding him on the back before hauling him to his feet.
"Of course! Now, let's go have a drink to celebrate!"
And together, the pair walked back to the Inn of Last Home, Caramon's laugh to be heard all the way.