Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters recognisable in this fanfiction; all of them belong to Tamora Pierce. The characters bear no resemblance to any person, living or dead, and any such occurrence of this is purely incidental.
George Cooper self-consciously smoothed down his tunic, gazing at his reflection in the mirror. Never before had he been dressed in such finery! Over his stark black shirt he wore a green, velvet tunic, the hem embroidered with gold stitching, which matched his expensive green hose. George attempted to tame his unruly brown hair with his hand, yet to no avail. Ye're wastin' your time here… he thought with a sigh. Suddenly, the door creaked, startling George. His mother walked in.
"How are you, my son?" Eleni Cooper asked.
"I'm worried bout the weddin'," George confessed.
"And what could you possibly be worried about?" she demanded.
"What if Alanna's havin' second thoughts? What if she doesn't want to marry me, even though I'm not the King of Thieves anymore? Mayhap Prince, well, King Jonathan might've been best for her after all?" he blurted out.
"Why should she be having second thoughts? Alanna loves you, surely, and you love her. You have every right for this union to be perfect!" Eleni consoled.
"I suppose…" grumbled George. He was not convinced.
"Come now," Eleni said, as she began fussing with George's clothes, "let's get you ready!"
George teased Mistress Cooper, telling her that she was seemingly more anxious about his wedding than her own upcoming nuptials to Sir Myles of Olau, Alanna's foster-father. She opened her mouth in protest, George swiftly silencing her with a hug. Eleni simply shook her head in amusement and began, for the second time that morning, to tame George's hair.
--
'Sir' Alanna of Trebond and Olau stared at herself in the mirror, her faced drained of all colour. Was she ready for this? This responsibility? This pressure? She couldn't say.
Although it isn't as if I have never dealt with pressure and responsibility before… Alanna mused to herself.
Was it all too much? Was she ready to handle this huge transition, from being a single woman, able to do as she pleased, to a wife, bound by the will of her husband? This particular thought greatly troubled Alanna.
I'm not ready to have children yet! she panicked.
Although George had promised Alanna that she could have him to herself for at least a year (…and George would never truly bind you by his will! He's good to you… she thought), she was still worried. Although she continued to wear the charm that Mistress Cooper gave to her, a long time ago, to keep her from getting pregnant, anything could happen. Was all this fuss for nothing? The thought made her wonder.
No, Alanna thought firmly, as George's friendly hazel eyes entered her mind, all this fuss is not for nothing.
It's for George.
