"Fine garden isn't it?"
Celica looked up to see a man had joined her side while she had been musing to herself. No man was too strong a word. He was not a child, but still to deem him an adult seemed unfitting. There was a better word to describe him, but at the moment she couldn't find it.
"Of course, it's one of Mila's greatest blessings to all Zophia." Her words were laced with a trained formality she had acquired over these last few years. As uncomfortable as her "princess voice" made her, Celica wanted to study this stranger without raising too much suspicion.
He was dressed in fine yet well-used armor, a rarity in Zophia, while a thin band around his head brushed green bangs back. However what stood out to her were his eyes. They were such kind things, coupled with the roundness of his cheeks and his easy smile, and it was hard to believe he had come with the rest of the Rigelian soldiers to desecrate her homeland.
The word hit her then: teen. He really couldn't be more than a day older than herself.
"Your land is truly beautiful, your Highness."
"Thank you…"
He seemed to notice her hesitation with addressing him personally because he was quick to ease her confusion. "Ah I really should formally introduce myself. My name is Albein Alm Rudolf, crown prince of Rigel."
Whatever warm feelings she had towards him shriveled up in a flash. He was not simply a bystander in this disgusting war, but the person who had planned it from the start.
And according to father's news this morning, he was also her fiance.
Regardless she forced her princess voice on again, in all it's cold politeness. "Princess Anthiese, crown princess of Zophia. As I was saying, thank you for your kind words, your Highness."
"It's not a problem at all." He shot her a boyish grin. "And feel free to call me Alm."
"As you wish, Lord Alm." She decidedly refused to share him the same pleasure. The name Celica was tied to a too precious time she couldn't let these barbarians tarnish.
"Anyway would you be willing to show me around the gardens some more? It's not often I have a moment to breathe without Cousin Berkut trying to hunt me down for a sparring match."
He phrased it as a question, as if she had any decision in the matter. If she so much as looked at him the wrong way, the Rigelians could call off the peace treaty and go right back to burning Zophia's villages to the ground.
"Of course, Lord Alm." She adopted an expression of passive contentment. Let her embody Lady Mila's grace as best as she can. If this was who she must share her life with, then she was going to need it.
They made their way through the gardens together, Alm chattering on about idle topics she mainly nodded her head whenever prompted. Again she wanted to get as best a read of him as she could with being noticed. Despite what any peace treaty said, he was still the enemy in her eyes. No bright smile could make her forget that.
She waited for a flash of brutality to flirt across his features, a sign of Rigelian cruelty, and yet it never came. He just continued blathering on like a fool at everything. If this was a time to assess his dominance over her, than he was more concerned with making bad play on words about vases and cooing over kittens.
Still Celica couldn't miss the sense of confidence that oozed from every pore of his being. His steps were military and precise. As benign as he tried to appear, there was no ignoring the danger he possessed.
"You seem quiet Princess Anthiese." Again Alm dragged her out of her thoughts and into the real world. "Could there be something troubling you?"
Could there be something troubling her? As if it having your sworn enemy in your home was a pleasure. "My disposition is naturally contemplative, my Lord."
Green eyes softened. "Lies don't suit you, your Highness. We in Rigel find it better to face a brutal truth head on, than accept a pretty lie. I assume you have your reservations about our marriage."
"You assume correctly," Celica sighed. "I was only notified of the treaty this morning, so you must understand the surprise I've experience."
"Agree." He stopped to study a nearby blossom, twirling its petals around in his fingers. "It was quite a surprise to me as well. Regardless I hope you understand that I plan to take care of you and the rest of Zophia, so you can ease your mind."
Celica tried to stifle her laughter as best she could, but she couldn't stop the treacherous noise that escaped her lips.
Alm turned his attention to her once more. "What do you wish to say?"
"Nothing, my Lord." She quickly recovered her composure. "I merely meant to cough."
Green eyes narrowed into slits. "As I said before your Highness, I prefer a brutal truth to a pretty lie. Do not hold your tongue for me."
"I do not hold my tongue for you but for my country." A flash of passion stirred her soul. "Zophia values honesty just as much as Rigel, but I doubt we could survive many brutal truths."
"Then I will do my best to mitigate the damage as must as I can." He crossed his arms and leaned back against a decorative pillar. "Speak freely. I promise to cause you no harm for it."
Celica took a deep breath. It was unwise to speak as freely as he urged, yet the idea of loosening her speech ever so slightly was alluring. "If that is the case, I merely wish to suggest you have not taken care of my country so far, Prince Alm." She clasped her hands together, smiling just as pleasantly as she had before.
"I can see how you'd come to that conclusion." He scratched the back of his neck bashfully. "Still I hope now that both our countries will be united, there will be no need for future violence between us."
"Then why wage war in the first place? The border has remained peaceful for decades. What slight against your honor was so great as to call your men to arms?"
"This isn't a means of punishment; I merely wish to save us both. You may laugh at such a statement, but you can't deny the fact that Zophia has been decaying for years now. As much as Father and the others would like to hide it, the same holds true for Rigel. In these trying times it would best for Valentia to band together so we may both survive this storm."
"Then why not send soldiers as opposed to diplomats?" Slowly Celica wandered ahead, drawing near to the orange tree that sat at the heart of the garden. "You should know peace is the language we're much more fluent in." There was a sharp bluntness seeping into her words, but she was more concerned with seeing this verbal sparring match to its end, preferably as its victor.
"Would you willing wish to unite with us?" Alm quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Likely not. Still I doubt you act from pure motives alone." Gently she plucked an orange and began to peel its skin. "I think you're a conqueror, Prince Alm. I've seen the affliction in all kinds of men, from bandits and pirates, to generals and kings. Even if you wish to put your people first, there's a fire in your blood only war can sate. Though your intentions are goodhearted I doubt that desire will be quenched for long."
"Now I understand why Zophia tolerates pretty lies. Your brutal truths could are sharper than any steel," Alm laughed. "However your theory holds no weight as there's nothing else for me to conquer, so I guess I'll be forced to adjust to peace."
"Not necessarily. You can always sail for Archanea if you get bored leaving me ripe with your dynasty's future heirs." There was no hiding her bitterness anymore, but Celica couldn't find it in herself to care. No matter how hard he tried to present himself as her savior, she would not submit to a life as a breeding mare as quietly as her mother had.
"Is that all you see this arrangement as?" Celica was shocked by the genuine confusion of his voice. Green eyes were wide with emotion, but she refused to let them sway her.
"Why did you come here if not to survey your future home, to parade among the flowers with one nestled in your arm?"
Slowly he approached her, gaze aimed downward as if he meant to choose his words carefully. Then he lifted his head to look her squarely in the eye. "To get to know my future wife. I hoped that we might share at least a friendship, but if that is impossible, then I will take my brutal truth with as much dignity as I can. Good day Princess Anthiese." With that, he turned on his heel and headed back into the castle.
The feeling his absence left her was hard to describe. Not knowing what else to do, she brought the orange to her lips.
Its juice was less sweet than expected.
A.N. Can you believe this started out as fluff? Honestly I'm a bit attached to this AU and am interested in exploring more if I could work out a way to include some plot elements smoothly
