The Engagement
note None of these characters belong to me. They are all Tamora Pierce's.
This is my second ever fic. I am not going to write any more chapters, I'm not a fan of big long things. Thank you for reading! It takes place right before Lady Knight. Thanks a ton to Lady Silvamord for betaing!!!!!!!!!
"Cleon! Darling! Come here, love!" a plump lady with hair a vibrant shade of red called to her son, Cleon of Kennan.
The tall young man stumbled in wearily. He had recently returned from helping Sir Inness stand guard near Fort Giantkiller and had not yet bathed, resulting in his hair and clothes being splattered with mud. His mother beamed when he walked in, but her smile quickly faded when she saw the state of his clothes. The young lady standing next to her turned. She had dark hair, full lips, a rather small nose, and laughing blue eyes. Her eyes flicked up and down his body, resulting in a small smile that could have either been regarded as amusement or kindness. Cleon bowed to her as she curtsied.
"Ermelian, you remember my son, Cleon? Cleon, you remember Ermelian?" Cleon's mother asked.
"Ah, but how could I even begin to forget such a vibrant beauty?" Cleon said politely, kissing Ermelian of Aminar's hand, as she studied him. He said the line as if his heart weren't really in it, as though he was simply reciting a line from a book.
"The honor is all mine, good knight," Ermelian responded softly, her cheeks slightly pink.
"Now, now, sit down both of you-not there, Cleon, why don't you sit here, next to Ermelian? Now, as I was saying, Ermelian's father and I have been talking-Cleon, darling, please pay attention-and we have come to a conclusion we both agree on. Ermelian will marry Cleon and reside here, and her father will lend us a bit of help in our times of need. Now, how does that sound?" Cleon's mother said rather quickly, a worried look on her face the whole time she was saying it, as if she were afraid Cleon would begin a tantrum. He did not throw one, but he did stand up abruptly once she finished her speech, excused himself, and walked briskly to his room, his face angry.
Ermelian was quiet; her father had warned her of this. Cleon's mother sat next to her wearily.
"I'm sorry, love. Cleon seems to have-er-well, taken to The Girl-you know, Keladry of Mindelan? I'm afraid he's being quite unreasonable about the whole thing. He keeps going on about love and how tall she is and a bunch of animals. All nonsense, of course. But give him time, he'll come around; he always does."
Ermelian nodded. She has not expected him to fall in love with her at first sight-just as she did not expect to do the same. But she knew what was best for her, that he was a fine young man and a knight, at that and that his fief was in a bit of trouble, but that did not make her love him, just as it should not make him love her.
Cleon's mother talked for a while more, mainly just repeating what she had said before. In the middle of her talking about how nice Ermelian's father was, Cleon walked back in, this time in clean clothes and standing up straight.
"Ermelian, I will accept your father and my mother's negotiations and will do my best to be a faithful and good husband," Cleon recited, bowing once more. His mother beamed, bursting with pride.
"Well now, that's much better, isn't it? Come along now, we shall make a formal announcement tomorrow. Ermelian, I'm thinking white for your wedding gown..." Cleon's mother continued talking and Cleon doubted she even noticed when he and Ermelian slipped out the back.
"Ermelian, I, I would just like to go ahead and make things clear. I have been in love before, although I have never made love. I still love her, though I am willing to give that up for the good of my people. I want there to be no misunderstanding between us," Cleon said, rather quickly.
"That is all right. I will be patient for the first few years-after that, you'll be pushing it," Ermelian joked.
Cleon looked surprised for a moment; then laughed happily. He suddenly grew serious and leaned down until the space between their mouths was non-existent. He pulled back after only a few seconds, blushing furiously.
"I guess I'll be going now...I'll see you tomorrow?" Cleon said, without waiting for an answer. Ermelian smiled to herself. She just might learn to love him after all.