He was about to leave the Schnee Manor when a small tug on his pants made him halt. He turned around and almost cooed at the sight. There she was, little Weiss Schnee, 5 years old, heiress of schnee dust company, and master of adorable.
She would always pounce at the chance of meeting him when he visited Jacques, it was never more than a few minutes, but she looked absolutely starstruck during these moments.
He knelt down and gave her a bow. "Good afternoon, Miss Schnee." She giggled and clutched the hem of her dress while curtsying. "Afternoon, General Ironwood."
He reached out and ruffled her hair gently, to which she responded with a squeak and frantic movement to straighten her hairdo again. She pouted at him for a few seconds but then she glanced down at the floor and tapped the tip of her shoe against the floor.
"Is there something on your mind, little Miss?"
Her lip started quivering and she flung herself into his arms in a clumsy embrace. He lost his balance slightly and clasped her back while supporting them with his other arm.
"I heard the grownups talk. They said I was gonna marry someone with infu-influe-something, someday," she sniffles and shook her head into his shirt."I don't want to. I want to marry you. "
He looked down with a soft gaze at the small shivering girl in his arms.
"Don't worry, Weiss. It's a long time until you will marry anyone. You shouldn't think about it until you're much, much older, okay?"
She bent backwards slightly and looked up at him with tears in her big ice-blue eyes. He could tell his words wasn't a big comfort. "You know what. If you still want to marry me when your father says it's time for you to do so, I will gladly court you. Do you know what that means?"
She rubbed her eyes with a sniffle and nodded quickly. A happy smile bloomed on her face. "It's when a boy and a girl meet, and they talk and play together to see if they like each other"
He let out an amused huff. Close enough. "Now you have nothing to worry about. Why don't you go find Winter and play a little with her, hm?"
Weiss nodded and began walking away, though her steps quickly turned into an excited sprint as she couldn't school her playful nature just yet. Sadly, she'd learn that quickly enough, if Jacques had anything to do with it. He'd already witnessed the change in Winter.
He got up from his kneeling position and walked away with a smile. He wasn't really bothered by his promise. She was after all just a child right now, and children asked people to marry them all the time, simply because they didn't understand what that meant. She would forget about it, or pretend it didn't happen. After all, he would be old by then, probably have a few gray hairs.
The years passed, and she waited patiently for her father to say that she was gonna marry someone. When she was in her teenage years, she blushed at the memory of his promise. She hadn't approached him like she used to in a few years now, as her father had lectured her how unfit it was of her.
Yet she felt a craving to be near him again. She could barely remember his scent and the warmth in his eyes
A new sensation had appeared this year. She wasn't sure what it was. Her heart pounded faster, and she felt fluttery in her stomach.
She was fairly certain by now that she had what was known as a 'crush'. She was also beginning to understand with dread that his promise was probably a way to ease her discomfort.
She was 16 now. She had come to the conclusion that she was gonna ask the general if his promise still was valid, when the time comes. If he said no, she'd be embarrassed, but at least she'd know.
She was 18. Had been for a month. Her father had talked about finding her a suitor. She waited for Ironwood to come around, as he always does.
Two weeks later and Klein told her with an amused smile that general Ironwood was in her father's study.
She checked herself in the mirror to assure she looked as perfect as possible. If only she didn't have that damn scar… She shook her head and made her way to the daunting moment she had been thinking about for the past 13 years.
She had been waiting in her usual spot, two corridors away from her father's study, for 20 minutes now. As a kid, she used to hide behind one of the statues, to surprise ironwood from behind when she approached him. This time she was waiting in the open.
She heard him approach, as always, his steps had a slight difference in weight to them due to the prosthetics. He turned the corner and and froze for a second as he took in her appearance. She felt her cheeks heat up as his eyes roamed over her. Of course, she knew it was only because of her change in style, he would never do something so crass like ogling her.
"Good evening, general Ironwood." He met her gaze and gave a polite bow with one arm behind his back. "Good evening, Miss Schnee."
Her eye twitched at the distance and formality between them. She could hardly talk to him like this. "May I walk you out, sir? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
He looked surprised for a moment, then approached her with a soft, albeit confused, smile. "of course."
They walked side by side, and she worked up the courage to breach the subject. He seemed to realize that it was hard for her to speak, because he simple stayed silent and only gave her a curious glance or two. She realized she was running out of time and decided to just take the plunge.
"Do you remember the promise you made to me when I was 5?"
The sound of his steps beside her stopped, and she turned around to see him looking like he'd seen a ghost. His eyes were wide with shock, and dare she say he looked quite pale.
Right, well that answered her question. Time to backpedal.
"I- I mean, I know it was just an empty promise, to make little me happy and at ease. I just wanted to make sure you actually, you know… I just… in case I wouldn't have to, with some random man, I mean…" her embarrassed and nervous rambling seemed to bring back some life into him.
"I… must admit, I never expected you to hold onto my words. I won't go back on my promise though." He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "If this is what you want… I can't say I understand why you would want to me to court you. I'm nothing but an old ragged man."
She almost gaped like a fish. He'd do it? Wait. What was that last part?
She put her hands on her hips in a defiant pose. "You have been the sole good person in my life, apart from Winter. I know you're a good, kindhearted man, who would treat me right and who wouldn't marry me just for the sake of the wealth, or for the influence in SDC. All men my father have made me meet have been lecherous gold diggers who view me as nothing but a trophy."
She adopted a softer expression when she realized her words didn't quite get through to him. It was clear from the hesitance that he didn't see himself in the same way she did.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, James. I want to be your wife." Her cheeks burned as she says those words, but she kept her gaze steady and strong at his wide eyes which spoke of shock.
"But… that doesn't matter if you won't feel the same. Do you think you could want me as your partner? I… know I'm not the same anymore…" she spoke more hesitantly and touched her scar lightly.
She froze in shock as a familiar weight laid on her head. She couldn't help but squeak indignantly as he ruffled her hair, just like he used to all those years ago. "You're right. You aren't the same. You're mature and strong." He moved his hand down to her cheek and caressed her scar with his thumb, "and beautiful…"
She felt a warmth flutter in her chest. "So… how are we going to tell my father?"
He froze like a deer in the spotlights. She frowned.
... "James?"