A/N: Being completely honest, I didn't expect to get a single reader for this fic. I'll try to upload two chapters tonight, just because I'm happy. Thanks for reading, please enjoy!
Chapter 2: Walking on Thin Ice
It was all a strategical move both from Peony and King Ingobert, Jade knew it from the moment he had finished reading the letter for the first time. Peony was aware of the harsh situation in which Ingobert was placed because of Natalia's indecision, so he took a chance to set his winning ace into a match he wasn't even playing. Both kingdoms would gain stability and a prolonged state of peace, not to mention beneficial economical ground for both parties, especially Kimlasca. The tensions within both armed forces would calm down by having an important figure of the Malkuth Empire marry the heiress to Kimlasca's throne. Given the case it was his own daughter and the future beloved queen of the kingdom, he'd not be able to flag Natalia as a traitor for marrying into Malkuth if things ever got dire again.
In Jade's case, being best friends with the Emperor brought certain benefits, and under the circumstances Peony was removed from the crown, Kimlasca would protect him even from his own country. It was beneficial for the two nations, and it assured security to those involved directly in the engagement. Even though it had its multiple benefits, it was most likely Jade would be unable to climb further into a higher position within the ranks of his country's army. Staggering in his military career wasn't much of a downfall if it implied having contacts and influence on both countries, mostly if it allowed the Necromancer to spread awareness on the ban on fomicry on Kimlasca's side. However, he had no actual desire to be set into an arranged marriage, much less when he was about to turn 40, and much less to a woman who was almost half his age.
"Tell me you've been thinking about something during this whole time, Jade!" Natalia scolded him as they walked side by side across the halls of the castle, heading towards the mailman's office. "We can't possibly agree to this."
Jade stopped her before they could reach any further, so that no guard or maid would listen to them. The hall they had stopped was deserted, only adorned by a coat of arms and a pair of classical portraits that depicted a past Kimlascan ruler, his hair red and his eyes bright green, as the Score had settled for the generations to come.
"You have to admit the plan is not bad itself. Is a good strategic move for both your country and mine." The princess rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. Jade rested his back against the wall, meanwhile she walked in circles around him in desperation.
"But I don't… never mind. It's not the time and place to discuss that. I just wish there was another option..."
"I understand your frustration; I would desire for a way to get out of this as much as you do. However, I don't think it's time for either of us to be selfish about this. If you think of anything, let me know, of course." Natalia sighed. He was right.
"I know it's not a bad plan, but how can you remain so calm? Just about some minutes ago I thought you would kill my father if he kept making you read the letter." She kept pushing forward and the older man started to follow behind her soon after. She didn't wish to be late to dinner, after all.
"Marriage is a complicated subject; I do not rejoice on the idea." He answered with serenity, catching up with her after increasing the speed of his steps. Natalia's inquisitive eyes and sudden pause of her walk made Jade shake his head slightly. "I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind."
"Then think of something to avoid the engagement. Out of all people I'd rather not marry you, General." Her voice was filled with passive anger, and she wasn't very good at concealing it.
"Oww, that hurts my feelings, you know?" He joked with a smile on his face. "Relax, I've not even proposed to you yet, and I have no intention to do so unless Emperor Peony orders me to do it… or you ask for it yourself." He added with cockiness in his tone. Natalia snorted, but didn't answer back.
They reached the east part of the castle, where the offices and workshops were found. They still had to walk for a while to enter the mailman's room but the halls on their way there were almost deserted.
"Imagine for a second we didn't know each other like we do now, Natalia… what would be your take on the matter?" Jade asked after a few moments of silence, when another hall was void of servants to eavesdrop on their conversation. Natalia stopped, giving her back to him and lacking in words to answer. She wasn't certain she'd have said yes, Jade's name had a lot of baggage on it to be simply overlooked. But his good deeds were almost equivalent to the sins he had committed in the past, if not greater, to the point of making him the most appropriate suitor she'd interviewed so far. He didn't lack problematic traits or troublesome matters for the kingdom itself, but the strategic and diplomatic position Jade held made him almost fit for the title.
"I… I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind." She replied mimicking his words.
"I imagined as much." Jade sighed in desperation, without saying anything else. It was as if he'd read her thoughts with just sensing her tone. "Now, were you actually going to fetch your handmaid or did you just lied to your father to talk to me on private?"
"No, I actually have to send something to Tear, I presume I am going to need her advice sooner than later." She said with a tint of sarcasm and displeasure in her voice. Natalia knocked on the messenger's door, which was opened almost immediately by an elderly man. He bowed to the princess immediately and greeted the soldier with a small nod of the head. Natalia greeted him back and asked him for a scrap of paper.
"My companion, General Curtiss would like to send a letter to Grand Chokmah's castle on express delivery, if possible." Natalia smiled kindly as she explained after being handled the paper and the quill.
"As you wish, Your Majesty." The old mailman looked at Jade with weary eyes, possibly tired from a whole day of work. "General Curtiss you say? Jade the Necromancer, isn't it?"
"As expected, my reputation precedes me."
"Oh no, no, mister! Don't get me wrong. A letter arrived for you under that name some minutes ago, it was the last letter of the day." The old man took an envelope from his desk, with Peony's personal seal on the cover. "Express delivery from Malkuth, it seems."
"This ought to be interesting…" Natalia muttered as she wrote a quick missive to Tear and handed it to the mailman. "Is it from Emperor Peony?"
"Indeed it is…" Jade sighed and cursed under his breath. "... that idiot."
Dear Jade, I know you're probably thinking of ways to rip my head off right now, but I ask of your cooperation during the renewal of the peace treaty, as you're possibly the only Malkuth soldier with status and positive presence in Kimlasca that's still alive to this day. Perhaps my suggestion to King Ingobert wasn't as smooth as I'd have hoped it would be, but I need you as an inside-agent in Kimlasca, more than as a General in Malkuth.
I know the reasons why the subject bothers you, I know what the Score said about the situation and why you kept avoiding it at all costs. Then again, now that the Score has been proven to be flawed in nature, are you still afraid of it happening? I wonder, perhaps it'd be good for your old bones to loosen up a bit. If you find any other way to perpetuate the treaty as long as possible, another suitor fit for princess Natalia, or some other solution, propose it to King Ingobert and let me know about it.
P.D.: If you think it's right, use it. It was going to be back into your family's belongings someday, anyway.
Yours, Peony.
" Can I?" Natalia pondered, asking to receive the letter once Jade was done reading it.
"I'd rather not. We better excuse ourselves and head to dinner with King Ingobert." Jade answered, sticking Peony's note in his pocket.
Right afterwards, they walked back to the central part of the castle to head into the large dining room, right below the staircase that led to the conference chamber. King Ingobert was already waiting for them as they arrived, and several maids rushed with silver trays and goblets filled with food and beverage. The three of them were escorted into their seats by the King's butler and placed themselves over the northern side of the large table, Ingobert taking the central seat as expected. Natalia sat to his right and Jade sat right in front of her. The first two courses were spent in almost complete silence, with the exception of some small talk between Jade and the king.
Natalia kept quiet the whole time, avoiding eye contact and apparently setting her mind on her food, without any appetite. Jade could see her father threw an occasional worried glance at the young woman, but she'd not say anything. He was sure she did notice her father's preoccupied state, as well as Jade's own curious eyes prying on her. But they said nothing. Their chatter didn't involve the previously discussed topic directly, there were never mentioned the words engagement, marriage or even Natalia's name during the whole discussion. Yet, the three of them could sense the underlying tone of their conversation: talking about political advantages, the economic situation and the cultural development of both nations had all a strong relation with the renovation of the peace treaty. Peony's proposal was still hiding behind those words that seemed to avoid the situation. It was almost as if her father knew all along... As the conversation with Ingobert kept on, Jade's eyes drifted more frequently towards the Princess, as she sat in front of him in complete silence. She didn't look alright, but she didn't speak her mind. Until her broken voice interrupted a long, forced silence while the maids brought the last course of the meal to the table.
Unexpectedly, she smashed her hands against the table, making the plate before her tremble with her still-untouched food on it. Both the king and the general stared at her, perplexed by Natalia's sudden outburst, and the maids stood frozen on their places as they all gazed into the princess' direction, waiting for her to say something.
"I can't… I can't take it anymore father, this is preposterous."
"Natalia, calm down…"
"No." She interrupted him, raising a hand in apology for the lack of respect she was showing to her father. She rose from her seat and fixed her position to look taller, even imposing. "I understand the situation is pressing and that I need to make a decision soon, but accepting Emperor Peony's proposal without further consideration is not right."
"We weren't considering accepting it right away, dear. Please sit back…"
"That's not it, father" Natalia interrupted again. "You knew about it beforehand, yet you're making it look like you didn't and you keep rubbing it on our faces in one way or another. The matter is still present at the conversation whenever the peace treaty comes into topic, for example. I do believe is a pressing problem for both of nations, but using my engagement as a solution doesn't seem right." She condoned, smashing her gloved fists against the table slightly. "It is indeed a good strategical move for both parties, as General Curtiss pointed at me some time earlier. However, it's not alright. It is not a solution to the upcoming conflicts between our nations, it's a patch for old disagreements and a pretext to avoid discussing the possible upcoming international threats. If that's the case, I'll not give my approval of it…"
"You've got a point, Princess, but your father has the last word on the matter."
"Let me finish, General. I know you don't agree on this either, so at least listen to what I have to say."
Jade looked at her with an astonished look on his face. He had seen Natalia at her worst when the events of four years ago happened, but he'd never actually seen her angry, to the point where she would order him to shut up. She was, besides of stubborn and a bit rude and imposing, full of resolve and conviction that any noblewoman should have. She was so sure of her own words that it was almost intimidating. Jade had only felt this way towards one woman his whole life. He shuddered at the memory, and let Natalia continue her speech, now mostly directed to her father. The King didn't seem very amazed, he'd most likely grown used to Natalia's outbursts of anger over the years.
"I plan on taking a decision soon. I've already set my mind to picking a suitor before the night of the peace treaty conference is held. That's why I ask of you, father… have the conference meeting postponed for a week, a month from today." Natalia pledged. "Give me the right time to revisit my suitors' proposals and their potential as servants of our kingdom and our people. I wish to take a trip with my friend, Tear in order to clear my mind… to think of another possible option. But for now, I've set a date to give you an answer, and give it to everyone that's shown interest in the engagement. A month for now, both of you and my future fiancé will have a sure response from my part." The king's expression had changed to that of amazement this time, but he also showed a proud smile as he nodded slightly.
Natalia continued. "As of Emperor Peony's suggestion… I will take it into consideration if either General Curtiss decides to propose on his own or his Majesty decides to order you to do it." She sighed in resignation. "Whichever it is, I shall check into the situation just like I'd do towards any other of my suitors. But I blatantly forbid it to become a half-hearted solution for the peace treaty. For now… that's all I have to say on the matter."
She sat back down, glancing with resolved eyes at her father's face. Her heart was beating fast and her breathing was short and agitated, but she remained firm. Ingobert sighed in defeat and said nothing else. He finally gave in to Natalia's intimidating gaze and nodded slightly, fetching his butler once again to ask the mailman to forward an edict to Daath, Yulia City, Chesedonia and Grand Chokmah, in order to move the date of the peace conference.
Jade let out an exasperated groan when Natalia finished her speech and Ingobert was giving instructions to the servant. If she had that resolve at her age, she was going to make him look bad if he didn't respond the same way. She had a point, the engagement would bring no actual solution, but the actions both nations took after it was settled were to change the destinies of both kingdoms. He knew he was just a pawn in Peony's game, but he was, undoubtedly, a very valuable piece the Emperor refused to sacrifice so easily. As a pawn he'd climbed so high, the enemy would have to crown him eventually. The metaphor actually fit perfectly. He was definitely going to take it back out at Peony once he was back in Grand Chokmah in a week for using him as part of his games.
"In given case…" He muttered, standing up from his seat and walking behind King Ingobert's chair, to stand in front of Natalia. "His Majesty sent me this… he suggested that if I acceded to take part of his obnoxious proposal, I should use it right away. I guess I'll have to cooperate with Princess Natalia's courageous effort, don't I~?"
Jade kneeled before her and took out a small piece of jewelry from the pocket where he'd placed the letter before. It was a precious, antique ring with a small series of diamonds and a large, white moonstone in the center. Jade felt a pinch of nostalgia when he saw the small ring tucked inside the envelope that Peony had sent earlier.
"I humbly ask for your hand in holy matrimony, Princess Natalia, if you're willing to take me."
Natalia's face calmed down from her previous outrage and it shined with amazement and simultaneous fear instead the moment she saw the ring. The princess felt the heat rising up in her cheeks and up to her eyes, but she managed to keep her calm before saying anything else. She hadn't expected Jade would do it willingly, much less did she know he already had a ring in his pocket. Her eyes drifted on the ring's small details, the diamonds almost looked like snowflakes adorning the large, translucent stone that glimmered in between the silver ring.
"I… I shall consider your kind offering, General Curtiss." Natalia stuttered as she tried to follow the formal protocol. She placed the ring back on Jade's palm and closed his fingers over it with care.
King Ingobert watched the scene with a smile still plastered on his face and proceeded to follow the protocol as well when Jade had to ask for Natalia's hand to him. He couldn't hide his glee: even if it had dragged on for so long, the matter on Natalia's marriage was going to be finally over, and it'd bring great developement and joy to his kingdom. Somehow, he knew already what was going to be the outcome of this whole situation. He could only wait he would be able to kill two birds with one stone.
A/N: Peony, you're a dick. Ingobert, you too. Jade, you're still hard to write and it'll only get worse.
