His well-worn shoes tread through the dewy grass, leaving half-formed feet imprints in its midst as temporary mementos of his unrest. The torch he held aloft in his hand bathed the area around him in a light glow, its flickering flames breaking through the dark night. The dawn seemed to loom ahead of him in all of its imposing glory; its promises of joy and bliss both allured and floored him. Cynicism and carefree adaptability had long since been impressed upon him, so the idea of making such a binding commitment was foreign to him. He couldn't just float in and out of it as the tide of emotions and preferences took him; as Natasha had said, they were gambling with her happiness here, so he couldn't afford to fail. He couldn't do that to her, couldn't smash her persevering idealism into pieces to use as gambling chips. However good his reasons for leaving Jehanna had been, however much it had given him the ability to be able to view situations realistically and so rule honestly and wisely, he couldn't shake the hurt knowledge of how much his departure had hurt and isolated his mother; he wasn't willing to hurt Natasha like that.
He was well aware that that would take work, both against his own drifting inclinations and against her insecurities. He could do hard work; he'd just never committed to it before, and now he was suddenly about to commit to ruling a kingdom he hadn't seen for years and being a husband to a woman who he could break so easily. But, despite his fears of the momentousness of his upcoming actions, the idea of marrying the serious cleric thrilled him. She was beautiful and caring and humble, and something about her made him feel as if any life other than the one he was choosing would never be more than a pale imitation of what could have been. Their second bet had been one way, but the outcome had been the complete opposite; she wasn't the only one who had fallen while fighting together on that battlefield. So, really, he thought, we're betting on my happiness too. As he spun on his heel and started the long walk back to his tent, determined to get some sleep before his wedding day dawned, he reaffirmed his promise to her in his head; he would make this work and win their wager.
A/N: So, the first time I played through Sacred Stones I fell a little (okay, a lot) in love with this pairing. I've been thinking about writing about them ever since I first posted on here but have never had the plot or motivation for it. I still don't have the first, but I found the second! This is a response to another set of writing prompts, for which I chose 'insomnia'.
Thank you to everyone who has favourited or reviewed this. At Gunlord's suggestion, I've broken up the text into paragraphs. Long paragraphs have always been a bit of a bad habit of mine, and he pointed out that it doesn't really work here.
To Black Rook: Thanks for your kind words! They do really complement each other so well. I'm not sure whether I'd be able to write that story well - writing adventure or war is a challenge for me - but I'll keep that idea in mind.