an: Here is your regularly scheduled update. I've been good lately, you have to admit. Actually you don't have to, I'll do it for all of us. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Reviews are appreciated as always.
"I would separate marriages into rational and irrational and I would included both love and arranged marriages as irrational marriage.
Rational marriage for me is when you can really understand by mind not by heart."
― M.F. Moonzajer
Chapter Twenty-One: Royal Guests
He was never late when it counted. Did he let Sirius talk him into having just a bit more breakfast now an again, or take the long way through the castle to avoid seeing some unpleasant castle help that still gave him disapproving looks? Sure, but only when he knew that there was nothing important going on. He had been up too late last night though, reading and researching as usual, but he had been up too late and in turn, over slept.
It would have been fine, but James' guests were starting to arrive today. Important people from faraway lands and other kingdoms were arriving as guests of the king and Remus had over slept. People were going to start shoving their daughters down James' throat, and Remus was nowhere near him, and he needed to be. He needed to make sure that James kept his head and didn't make too many announcements in one tourney.
He slipped quietly into the great hall and saw Benjy Fenwick standing two steps behind James' left, and Sirius was standing to his right, looking quite honorable for once in his life. Remus would bet money that not one of the noblemen in the room just now had any inkling that Sirius had been three sheets to the wind, pissed off his arse for most of yesterday afternoon. If Remus hadn't seen him yesterday afternoon, he would have had no idea as well.
He walked quickly along the walls and then hopped up the steps of the raised platform that the throne was on and tapped Benjy on the shoulder. "Sorry, mate." He whispered.
"Not a problem." Benjy replied, retracing Remus's path as he left the throne room.
Whoever James had been talking to just then was dismissed and as the next guest was walking up, James turned and raised his brow at Remus, who just shrugged.
"Your majesty," A woman's voice caused James and Remus to turn their attention back to the room, but the sound of every blade of the guardsmen being drawn at once, is what held their attention. Remus inspected the woman for any sign of a threat, reaching a hand out towards James as he did, but he saw none. She was on her knees with her hands up and her head down, large, dark ringlets falling over her shoulder and masking her face. Familiar looking ringlets, but Remus couldn't quite put his finger on why they looked familiar.
"Stand down," James said, his voice sharp. "What is the meaning of this? Why do you-" He stopped speaking when the woman looked up and suddenly the guards reaction made sense. Because at first glance, the woman on her knees looked exactly like Bellatrix.
"My name is Andromeda Tonks. I've come to beg your forgiveness for my family and honor you at your tourney."
"Tonks?" James repeated.
"My married name, sire." Andromeda said, standing up. She looked down at the floor and took a deep breath before looking up at him and announcing to the room, "I am Bella's older sister."
"The Tonks's are well respected." James said, his voice sounding slightly strangled. He didn't seem to know what else to say, but Andromeda wasn't going to leave him there to flounder.
"I understand what my sister did, and I understand that there may be resentment felt towards her family, myself namely. I only wish to ask for your forgiveness for the sake of my daughter, I don't want her to suffer for the mistakes of someone that she has never met." She took a deep breath. "My husband and I have been loyal, law abiding subjects and I don't want my daughter to suffer the disdain-"
"Andromeda," James interrupted. "I appreciate you coming forward, but there is something very important that you need to understand about me. I'm not my father and I am not in the business of holding other people accountable for their family's sins." He paused and she froze, her mouth still open. She looked him over and then looked relieved.
"Thank you, sire." Andromeda swept into another bow.
"Do you think you could extend me the same curtesy?" He asked, walking down the steps so that he and Andromeda were face to face.
"Of course," She smiled, and that's where her and Bella stopped looking similar. Bella had never been able to appear warm and approachable. James reached for her hand and Andromeda accepted.
"I would love for you and your family to be my guests during the tourney. Put all the ugly past between our families to rest and start anew."
"I accept that generous offer, my highness." She looked over her shoulder and summoned what Remus assumed to be her husband and daughter. Her daughter was older than Remus would have expected, looking almost as old as Bella had been. "This is my husband, Theodore Tonks, and our daughter, Nymphadora Tonks." Remus involuntarily flinched at her name, and almost laughed when Nymphadora did the same thing. When the girl went to curtsy, she must have crossed one leg a little too far, or leaned in a little too much, because she ended up tripping and landing face first at James' feet.
Everyone in the hall held their breath as James reached down to help her to her feet. Remus noticed that her mother didn't look at all concerned and her father seemed to be suppressing a smile.
"Oops." Nymphadora laughed when she was finally on her feet again. "I never did quite get the hang of that. It used to drive my tutor absolutely mad." She brushed off the sides of her gown and smiled at James. "From now on, I'll just nod my head if that's alright. I've yet to fall over from nodding my head, though I'm sure-"
"Nymphadora," Her mother said quietly. "You are talking to our king."
Her eyes got wide, as though she had forgotten herself and she nodded. "Yes of course, I apologize, your majesty."
"There's no need for that." James grinned. "Are you hurt?"
"Nah," She shook her head. "If I got hurt every time I fell over my mum wouldn't let me out of bed."
"Nymphadora," Her mother sighed, less quiet than the first time.
"Sorry. It's an honor to meet you, your highness." She nodded her head and then stepped back behind her mother, taking care to press her lips together, incase more words wanted to force their way out.
"I look forward to getting to know the three of you a little better over the next couple of weeks." He turned to Remus as he walked back up the stairs. "I like them. Make sure that they are found a place to stay in the castle." Remus nodded. It was going to be difficult, as James had many guests coming in for the tourney. He was going to have to talk to the head of house and see if there were any good rooms left. And if not, he would have to move someone who hadn't arrived yet, without insulting them. Remus had never been one for politics.
The Tonks' left the room, and James was left to greet the next person in line.
After three hours of greeting guests, all of which James handled very graciously, and Sirius refrained from making any rude comments at all, they were finally done.
"What now, boss?" Sirius asked, stretching his arms over his head. "Lunch I hope."
"Soon enough," James nodded. "First we have to visit Philip and make sure he has enough men for tomorrow."
"For the feast?" Sirius asked. "I heard there was going to be roast duck at the feast. Do you know the last time I had a roast duck?"
James laughed. "We're not all getting our own roast ducks, mate. I swear, you eat like a dog. And the feast is not tomorrow. The feast is on the second day of the tourney." Sirius cursed under his breath and James shook his head. "Anyway, with all the extra guests, and with their titles, we need to make sure that our security is running smoothly. I'm going to talk to Frank tomorrow morning to make sure that everything is running smoothly on his end."
"How is that going?" Remus asked, looking at Sirius. "Now that Frank has been named head of the knights?"
"It's been a rough go, since Amos thought he was going to get it handed to him. Things are cooling off though, and Franks been handling the whole thing far better than I would have."
James grinned at him. "You know, you should go to training every now and then."
"I do go every now and then. How else would I know how things are going?"
"Because you get mead with Arden almost every night. He probably told you all of that."
"Look, if I go to training, then you don't have a knight with you. It's my duty to make sure that you are protected at all times an-"
"That's a load of dung." James pushed him. "You and I both know that Remus is more than capable of protecting me from anything I can't protect myself from. And besides, the only reason you're not going to training is because you know that you'll end up punching Amos in the face if you do." Remus glanced over at James and raised his brow. The two of them were on good terms again, but this was one of the first times that James had brought up Remus's magic so light heartedly.
"I don't want to start something, shouldn't you be thanking me?" Sirius scoffed. "I'm staying out of trouble, that's very unlike me."
"Thank you." James shook his head. "But try and get down there every now and then. If I can't make it down, I'd like to have you there." Sirius pushed his shoulders back and pressed his lips together. Even after months of being beside James day in and day out, he still wasn't used to James relying on him so much.
"Of course." He nodded. "I'll start checking in a few times a week."
"That's all I want." James smiled. Then he turned to Remus and narrowed his eyes. "Why were you so late this morning?"
Remus sighed. "I over slept. I was up late last night reading, and then I over slept."
"Why didn't you wake him?" James asked Sirius. "You live together, no?"
"Yes, but I left early to get my armor from David Evans."
"Lily's dad works on your armor?" James asked curiously.
"Yeah, I stopped by one day to check on her and he was there and saw the state of my helm, told me to hand it over and he's been working on my armor ever since. He's good." Sirius shrugged.
"Huh." James ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe I'll see if he'd be willing to help out for the tourney. I mean, with all the competitions, people are going to need to know a good black smith and we only have three working here at the castle. It couldn't hurt to bring in some men from town."
"I think he'd be up for it." Sirius smirked.
"He does a lot of work for the nobles already." Remus said. "He'd be almost wealthy if any of them bothered to pay him what he deserves. At least that's what Lily told me, you both know I know absolutely nothing about armor." Sirius chuckled and nudged his shoulder.
"I'll send someone out to talk to him late this evening then." James nodded. Remus shook his head, but truthfully, he was glad that James had gone from inappropriate declarations of love to getting her father a better job. It was a sign of growth.
oOoOo
Lily liked her new position in the hospital. Sure she was surrounded by sick people all day, and some of them were rather ornery and ungrateful, but she felt like she had a purpose, which was new. As Bella's maid, she had had purpose of course, but that purpose was to serve Bella and that was pretty much it. Here she was saving people, or at the very least, helping to relieve their discomforts and prevent infections from spreading around the city. She considered it to be a noble-ish profession.
The hospital had been a barn at one point. The old stalls that had lined the left side of the barn had been turned into patient rooms, though the hospital had been made by the townspeople and so there hadn't been any money to actually turn the stalls into rooms. The best they could do was take out the doors and add curtains to the windows. As for the other side of the barn, a row of cots had been lined up, separated occasionally by only a curtain. Most of the time the curtains were left open so the patients could talk, or complain with one another. After all, the people who came to this hospital were all from the poorer side of town and many of them knew each other.
"There's a new patient in bed four." Madam Pomfrey said, nodding towards the bed. "His leg needs to be set. I think he fell off his horse."
"It's not Remus, is it?" Lily smirked, but Madam Pomfrey hadn't heard her inquiry for she was already on to the next patient. She was a stern boss, but the hospital ran more smoothly because of it. Also, she probably didn't know Remus and so maybe it was best that she hadn't heard.
Bed four was on the right side of the building, and the curtains had been drawn around the bed. Lily walked over to the supply station, gathered the needed materials to splint a leg and then walked over to the bed and stepped behind the curtain. "Have a bit of a spill, did you?" She asked , setting the supplies on the edge of the cot.
"Obviously."
Lily looked up and pressed her lips together. So, he was going to be one of those patients. Well that was fine by her, she didn't have the energy to be nice anyway. She had just helped a woman birth twins, and her arm was still sore from where the father had squeezed her arm. He ended up fainting eventually, but she had to deliver the first baby with his vice like grip cutting off circulation to her hand.
Lily pulled the man's leg over to her and pushed his pants up. The man hissed in pain. "It's only a sprain." She said upon seeing the injury. "If you stay off your feet for a week you should be good, but I know that's hardly ever an option so I'll brace it for you."
The man grunted.
Lily looked up and tried to place this man. He looked as though he worked indoors a lot, but he was here, so he wasn't a noble man. He could be a cook, she supposed. The castle cooks were almost always inside. His hands looked to neat to be a cook though, they always had scars and stains on their hands. She spent a lot of time in doors of course, but she knew he didn't work in the hospital. He also looked completely unfamiliar. Lily didn't know everyone who lived in Camelot of course, but everyone who came through the hospital looked at least a little familiar. Whether that was because they were related to someone she did know, or because she had walked past them a hundred times it didn't matter, everyone looked familiar, expect for this man. Unable to place him, she finally asked, "Where are you from?"
"What?" He asked.
"I've never seen you around Camelot before, and you don't look like a farmer, so I doubt you live on the outskirts of the city. Where are you from?"
"That's none of your business." He snapped, pushing his hair back behind his ear. His hair was longer than most of the men around town kept it, reaching his shoulders and not looking very well kempt, another reason to believe he wasn't a noblemen.
"It was only a question." Lily raised her brows. "Though now I'm extra curious."
He pressed his lips together and looked down at his hands.
"Can I get your name at least?" Lily asked. "I'm Lily."
"Severus." He muttered, glancing up at her and then back at his hands.
"Well, Severus," Lily grinned. "Are you always this rude?"
"Are you always this nosey?" He countered.
"Yes." She nodded, still grinning. She saw his mouth turn up at the corner and laughed. "Are you here for the tourney?"
"What else would I be here for?"
"I don't know, to make unsuspecting nursemaids' days just that much more difficult."
"Setting a broken leg is difficult for you?" He scoffed. "Then maybe you need a new-"
"Sprained." She corrected. "Your leg is sprained. And that's not what's making you a difficult patient. You've not told me how you sprained it or where you're from. Also, you're acting very suspicious and unpleasant. You should know that I have a number of friends in high places and none of them take kindly to strange men being rude to me."
He actually laughed at that. "So you're a whore when you're not here?"
Lily was affronted and sat up straighter, giving his leg a good, strong pat and smirking when he winced. "I'm not a whore." She said, clearing her throat and looking around. "And I'd thank you not to suggest such a thing."
"Well, how else does a lady of your stature get to have friends in high places?" He asked, skepticism dripping from his voice.
"I used to work in the castle." She said stiffly. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was lady Bellatrix's maid." That seemed to capture his attention, but she had finished bracing his leg and stood up to go and help the next patient.
"Wait," He reached out and took hold of her arm. "Lady Bellatrix," Lily nodded. "Is it true that she murdered the king?"
Lily rolled her eyes and pulled her arm away. "S'kinda why I'm not working for her anymore." She shrugged.
"I'm from a town called Spinner's End." He said, rubbing a hand on the base of his neck. "I've been serving a noble family in the countryside for a couple years now and I came to Camelot for the same reason a lot of people come here. To make a better life for myself."
She took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "See, that didn't sound like an apology." With that, she turned on her heel and walked off to find Madam Pomfrey.
oOoOo
King Johnathan McKinnon had had a rough couple of years. His daughter had disappeared, and his kingdom was being overrun with all sorts of magical types. He was an old fashioned type, much like James' father had been, but was much softer than Charles had ever been. Johnathan was full of smiles and warmth and sincerity; three things which shown through in each of his four children that were standing before James as well.
"I'm not sure you all remember one another." Johnathan said. "I don't know if you ever remember coming out to the Cornish lands, James, but you used to stay in Dore every now and then.
"I remember." James nodded, adding a polite smile for good measure. Sirius had finally adhered to his request and gone down to the training grounds, and Remus was running errands that James had given him, so he was meeting with this royal family alone.
"Yes, well, I don't believe you'd remember my youngest children. David," He nodded to his son. "And my sweet Charlotte," Charlotte curtsied and offered James a sly smile. She had soft, blonde hair and green eyes that looked like spring. Her dress was made of silk, and it was doing everything it could to accentuate her chest. Modestly, of course. James couldn't be sure, but if his math was correct, that would make her sixteen. And let the games begin, James thought. This trip was not about the tourney for this family, at least not for Charlotte and her father. This trip was about finding her a husband, about making her a queen. An honor that would have, potentially, gone to Charlotte's older sister had she still been around. At least the McKinnons were good people, and all that meant was that he didn't believe that Johnathan was going to shove his daughter in James' face, or bring up marriage outright. No, he would have Charlotte do all the work on that front. She would be coy and flirty and pleasant and James would do his best not to bruise her ego, or her feelings.
"David and Charlotte were rather young the last time I visited."
"As were you, James," Johnathan laughed. "Michael, Robert and you used to get into such trouble. It would drive my poor Anita mad."
"Oh pish," Anita laughed. She looked exactly like her daughter only twenty years older. "You were little boys, of course you got yourselves into trouble."
"Still," James smiled and nodded. "I do hope that you've forgiven me for my childish behavior."
"You were a child after all." Johnathan answered for her and she smiled in agreement.
"And is there news on your eldest daughter?" James said, addressing Johnathan.
"I'm sure, wherever Marlene is, she's doing just fine." Johnathan said, looking almost angry. James hadn't meant to upset him, only show that he remembered his families troubles, to show that he cared.
"I take it you no longer believe that she was kidnapped."
"I got a letter from her a few months ago telling me that she had found a good job and a nice city and that I should not worry about her any longer." He took a deep breath, some of his harshness disappearing. "I hope she is happy wherever she is, but I do wish she would come home. She's not doing us any favors by running about and-" He caught himself and shook his head. "But those are my private concerns, nothing that I want to burden you with."
"Your concerns for your daughter are not a bother, your highness." James nodded. "I remember that Marlene and I got on well as children, and I worry for her too."
"Thank you, James. I appreciate that."
"Well, I'm sure that you all would appreciate a bit of rest as well. The Cornish Lands are not near Camelot, I remember the long journey. How about I show you to your quarters?"
"That would be wonderful." David sighed, stretching out his neck and cracking his knuckles.
"David," Charlotte admonished seconds before her mother could interject. Johnathan looked at the two women and smiled at them warmly.
"Don't worry about it," James laughed. "I'd be tired and sore too if I'd spent all week in a carriage." He led them out of the Great Hall and towards the east wing of the castle, where most of his guests were staying. They went up two flights of stairs and then veered off down a corridor two men stood guard. "These will be your quarters. I hope you find your suite satisfactory, but if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to find me." There were two doors opposite one another in the corridor, one leading to the McKinnon's suite and the other leading to another suite. Johnathan realized this and turned to James.
"Who are we neighboring?" He asked, "I do hope it's someone interesting."
"Oh, I think so." James grinned. "Donald Bones wrote me a few days ago and said that he'd be arriving in town shortly. I actually thought he was going to be here before you."
"King Donald?" Johnathan started to grin.
"Who else?" James laughed. Johnathan and Donald were old friends, but that wasn't the only reason he had for housing the two royal families in close proximity. Both kings had daughters that they seemed to be keen on marrying off to James, however, they both had sons as well. James may have been hoping that with these arraignments, one of both of his potential suiters might just fall for a boy across the hall. It wouldn't be a match that would disappoint their father's either, for both men were friends, and royal.
Now he just had to hope that the princesses played along.
"Do let me know when he arrives." Johnathan smiled, reaching for James' hand. James nodded.
"You'll be the first one I tell." He promised.
"I'll see you around, James." Charlotte waved goodbye and entered the suite.
"Yes, of course." He smiled and then left the family to rest. He walked back down to the Great Hall before he realized that he really wanted to go and find Lily right about now.
"Sir," One of the castle guards approached him. "The Bones family has arrived."
James took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Of course they did."
Cornwall was not nearly as far from Camelot as the Cornish Lands were, so the Bones family didn't seem nearly as exhausted when James met them in the Great Hall.
"You just missed King Johnathan." James said by way of greeting, extending his arm towards King Donald. The older man smiled and reached for James' hand.
"That's a shame. It's been far too long since I've seen him. And you for that matter."
"Well let's plan on remedying both of those grievances, yes?" James turned towards Queen Rebecca and bowed. "It's an honor to see you again, your majesty." She nodded and offered him a small smile. She looked frail and tired, but James wouldn't bring it up unless they did. He knew how these things went.
The Bones' family was much different from the McKinnons, though it was easy to see why Donald and Johnathan got along so well, and why James hadn't seen a lot of these men since he was very young. Charles had been a very difficult man to get along with, while Donald and Johnathan just didn't have this problem. Donald was much quieter than Johnathan, but both men were pleasant and fair rulers who were loved by their people.
"You'll remember our two children," Donald said, motioning to his kids. "Edgar and Amelia." Edgar nodded, and Amelia gave a slight curtsy. At least he wasn't drawing special attention to Amelia.
"Shall I show you to your quarters then?" James asked. "King Johnathan is very eager to see you all."
"Did you give us a suite nearby?" Edgar asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's been a while since I've last put Michael and Robert on their-" Rebecca cleared her throat and Edgar shook his head. "I apologize." He said to his mother. "But they are old friends, and I do like to best them." James laughed.
"Hopefully Michael and Robert have done a bit more growing up than you have." Amelia said, nudging her brother in the side.
"You'll be sharing a corridor with them actually." James smiled. "If you'll follow me?"
James liked being around people, really he did, but after all this guest greeting and the dinners and the small talk with people he hadn't seen in years, all he wanted to do was lock himself away in his room for a week or two and talk to no one. Well, almost no one.
He hadn't realized that he had not been paying attention to his guests until Queen Rebecca grabbed his shoulder. "Is it true, James?" When he looked only confused, she elaborated. "Are you allowing the family of your father's murderer to stay in the castle?"
"Mum," He heard Amelia hiss.
"Yes." James nodded. He already liked Amelia more than Charlotte, not that it mattered, as he wouldn't be marrying either one of them. "The Tonks' have committed no crimes and are a noble family that deserve my respect as well as yours. Andromeda and her family shall not be held accountable for the actions of Bellatrix. That's not a precedent that I would like to set, seeing as how I would not like to be held accountable for all of my father's actions."
The Bones family stayed quiet after that and James quickly made his exit. He rushed off to his chambers, where he proceeded to all but tear the thick, heavy clothing from his frame and tear apart his wardrobe looking for a simple, cotton shirt he could wear. His closet was stuffed with silks and heavy wool cloaks and clothing he was forced to wear when he introduced himself to his guests as the king. But he didn't want to be the king just now, he wanted to be a knight.
Half of his closet was on the floor when someone walked into his chambers. James didn't notice however, because he was still enthralled by the fact that there were no cotton shirts in his wardrobe. "Oh my," A voice called his attention from his clothes and to Lily Evans, for that was who had entered the room. "I'm terribly sorry, I just wanted to return this and I didn't think you'd be in here." She held up one of the books that he had lent her, her cheeks turning pink as she averted her gaze. James smiled at her.
"It's not a problem." James said, motioning her further into the room. "I was just-" Then he realized why she was acting like she was. Not only was he shirtless, but his pants had yet to be done up so they were lower on his thigh than they should be in the presence of a lady. James quickly turned his back to her and laced them up, hazardously knotting the drawstrings and tucking them behind the hem.
"I should have knocked." Lily said, her voice sounding slightly strange. He heard her footsteps drawing her further into the room and he turned around in time to see her setting the book on his desk.
"I should have laced up my trousers." James chuckled, "Honestly, this isn't your fault."
Lily looked up at him, her cheeks still tinged red. "I walked into your bedchambers without knocking, this is entirely my fault." She was smiling now.
"Alright, it was your fault." James smirked playfully. "Did you like the book?"
"I did." Lily nodded. "There were only a few words that I had trouble with, but I think I managed to get all of them. The story made sense anyhow." James nodded, and then continued to dig through his wardrobe, since he was still without a shirt. "Are you headed down to the training fields?"
"I suppose." James said, pausing to look back at her. "My original plan was to come and find you first, but you took care of that for me."
Lily narrowed her brow. "What were you going to find me for?"
James tilted his head at her genuine confusion, how did she still not seem to get it? He shrugged, and tried to seem nonchalant, "Because I wanted to see you."
Lily's blush returned and she looked down at her feet. "Oh." She said quietly, clasping her hands together.
"Did you see any of my guests arrive today?" James asked, changing the subject for her sake. He loved seeing her blush, he loved that he could make her blush now, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. "I've been greeting the Bones and McKinnon and other noble families all day."
"I saw Bella's sister arrive yesterday, and Remus and Sirius told me about them as well, but I've been busy today helping my father. Thank you again for getting him this job. Now he just needs to find an apprentice who knows something about metal work."
"Unfortunately I can't help him with that." James smiled.
"I wouldn't expect you to." Lily grinned and leaned against his desk and crossed her arms. "Is there a reason you're not putting a shirt on?"
James looked down and realized that she was right, he was still wearing nothing on his torso. "I can't find a shirt." Lily glanced at the pile of shirts on the ground at James' feet and quirked a brow. "I mean a shirt I can wear to training. If I wear silk to the grounds, the lads would never let me hear the end of it. I just want a cotton shirt, you know the ones that I normally wear," Lily nodded. "But I can't find them anywhere."
"Now I know that you're a king, and I'm supposed to bow and speak respectfully to you, but did you try looking on top of your dresser?" She had a smile on her face that made James' heart jump to his throat. She nodded behind him and he turned to see a stack of clean, cotton shirts stacked on top of his dresser.
"Right," He felt his own face heat up as he walked over and picked one up, pulling it over his head and pushing his arms through quickly. "Do you need to get back to you father, or can you accompany me to the grounds?"
Lily laughed. "I got Sirius to help out my dad."
"How'd you manage that?" James asked. At least this answered his question of where Sirius had been for the last few hours, as he had assumed he hadn't been down at the training fields any longer than was necessary. James had assumed that he had taken to hiding from the guests since some of them recognized him, and most of them were 'insufferable.' James walked towards his door and then held it open for Lily, who nodded politely and smiled at him.
"I asked him nicely." Lily shrugged. "You and Remus both act like he's difficult, but I've never had a problem with him."
"Well, he's nice to you because you're a lady."
"I think he's nice to me because I'm nice to him."
"Remus is nice to him." James countered.
"Sure, but Remus being nice to someone includes a pound of snark. I don't think Sirius is used to people being nice to him, so when I ask him to help me, he just does it."
"I still think it has something to do with the fact that you're a lady, but I'm not going to disagree about Remus's snark."
"Alright, but Sirius doesn't see me as a 'lady.'" Lily chuckled.
"Of course he does!" James was surprised that she would think that.
"No he doesn't." She shook her head. "I'm quite certain that he would watch his language around me if he did. And the jokes. He would also flirt with me. He might see me more as his little sister." Or the girl who his boss and friend fancied.
"He doesn't flirt with you?" This surprised him even more, because Sirius flirted with almost every woman he came across. Actually, he flirted with almost everything he came across.
"Of course he doesn't." Lily shook her head. "Except sometimes for other people," She said more quietly. And that much was true, sometimes he would tell her how nice James thought she looked, or how beautiful James though her hair was. She'd roll her eyes and elbow him and he'd laugh.
"Should I ask?" James raised a brow.
"No." Lily shook her head and smiled at him. "But I have some questions for you if that's alright?"
"Of course." He nodded.
"Are the Bones' and the McKinnons the only royal guest coming?"
"Yes. They are the neighboring kingdoms to the east and north."
"What about our neighbors to the south?"
"We're not exactly on good terms." James shrugged. "I sent and invitation, but it was simply a curtesy. They politely declined. I don't think I've ever actually met them."
"So, there are how many princes and princesses in the castle right now?"
James gave her a strange look. "There are four princes and two princesses. Why are you asking?"
"Well," She shrugged her shoulders and looked over at him. "Aren't you meant to marry one of these princesses?" She was blunt and it took James by surprise. He cleared his throat and looked away. He didn't want to talk about this with anyone, least of all Lily, the girl he was in love with, the girl he would prefer to sit beside him on a throne of her own.
"I got the feeling that they are- I mean my father used to talk about- They're expecting something along those lines." He finally said, still refusing to look at her.
"And what are they like?" Lily asked. James cleared his throat again.
"Well, they're both very nice." James said. "They're princesses, so they're trained to be nice."
"I take it princes don't get that training?" She smiled. Her tone was almost flirty and James wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to that.
"No, I suppose not." He said, glancing over at her. "We are trained on how to be leaders. We need to be authoritative and commanding and-"
"James," Lily interrupted. "I was teasing you. You're a very nice person." He didn't need her to say that, he knew it was true without her saying it, but it was still incredibly nice to hear.
"I wasn't always." He said, looking down at his feet. He was a king dammit. He should not be caused to blush so easily by this girl. He felt the back of his neck get warm.
"Yes, I suppose that's true. But you've managed to see the error of your ways." She smiled warmly and he didn't know if she did it on purpose or not, but their shoulders brushed against one another. "Besides, I doubt you could find anyone now who could honestly call you anything but kind." The blush was creeping up and he could feel his ears get hot now. He needed to get a handle on this and soon. The torches that lit the corridor were doing things to her hair and her eyes and it was making James' stomach twist. "Are you alright, James?" She asked, looking less warm and more concerned now.
"Yes, of course. I'm fine. I'm just-" Should he be honest? She liked honestly, right? Even if it made him sound a bit like a love sick fool? "I'm not used to your praise." That was a nice middle ground. "Though I would like to get used to it." He added, internally cursing himself. He should have just left it alone, but he had to go and add something playful and flirty and-
Lily laughed. She hadn't minded, which shouldn't surprise him all that much, because she rarely seemed to mind much anymore when he got a bit friendly with her. There were times however when she shut down and disappeared, like when he had shown her the round table. "I can't sing your praise too often; you might get a big head."
"We can't have that." James grinned.
They walked quietly for a while and James was enjoying the comfortable silence when Lily turned to him and put a hand on his arm. "What are you going to do about the princesses?" She asked, quite bluntly yet again. "Are you going to marry one of them?"
He couldn't read her, he never could, but he had never cared all that much until right now. Before it was a fun game, a frustrating game at times, but the fun always outweighed the frustration. Now however, he needed to know why she was asking him this. And because of this, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Why?"
Lily's eyes widened for a moment and then she took a deep breath and glanced down at her feet. "I suppose I'm not allowed to just be curious?" She asked, looking up at him through her lashes.
"I don't want to marry either one of them." He said quietly, stepping closer to her.
"I know that." She said, also lowering her voice. "But will you?"
"Should I not?" He asked, taking another step closer to her. They were too close now.
"I'm a peasant," She said, taking a step back. He wasn't sure if it was meant to be a reminder of why they couldn't be together or not, but that's what he heard. He took another step closer and reached for her hand as she said, "I'm not going to pretend to know anything about matters of state."
"Why are you doing this?" He asked, he'd hesitated in taking her hand, but he held it now. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Like what? Like we're friends?" She asked, smiling still. "That's what we are, right?"
"I love you." He said, same as he had nearly half a dozen times before. "Even if it's a bit uneven, were more than friends."
"I'm not a princess." Her smile looked almost bleak, but she squeezed his hand.
"I don't care." He shrugged.
"I think you should." She pulled her hand away and pressed her lips together.
"Didn't you just say that you weren't going to pretend to know about matters of state?" He asked, trying to smile.
Lily opened her mouth and then closed it. She nodded slowly. "I did say that."
James was going to kiss her if he didn't get out of this dimly lit hallway soon, only this time he knew that she would mind if he kissed her, unlike when they had been standing near the round table. This time he wasn't projecting his feelings onto her, he knew that she was uncomfortable and looking for an escape, so he gave her one. "To the grounds?"
Lily faltered for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, of course."