I gift this fic to my husband, whom I shall not call "Mr TheTitaniumSerpent, lest he strangle me in my sleep. We're celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary, and he loves the middle-ages. I usually don't do prompts because people ask me for threesomes and something other than SSHG, but this was fun. I have no beta, and English isn't my first language.
About the last names... pretend the Norman conquest never happened :D I couldn't change all the names to appropriate ones.
At long last the war against Voldemort, the self-styled King of the magical Franks, was won, and His Royal Majesty King Albus summoned his followers and subjects to celebrate his victory. They all came: rewards were asked and granted, loot divided and war stories shared amidst grand celebratory feasts.
Much glory had been won by some: the mortal blow was delivered by the young and gallant knight Henry 'Harry' Potter, and he had asked for (and had been granted) the hand of young lady Guinevere 'Ginny' Weasley in marriage: King Albus himself paid a generous dowry for her and granted them more lands close to the Potter's hereditary lands.
The young knight's father James had not won himself great glory: he'd charged valiantly against the foe, of course, and had plundered generously into his coffers from the enemy lands, but he'd spent quite a lot of time drinking and raping, and had caught a rather embarrassing disease from one of the wenches he'd used, although one of the whores was more likely to blame for that. His wife, Lady Lilie 'Lily' Potter, would quite likely be displeased: her lord husband was currently being treated with mercury for his ailment, but the state of his skin made sure that none but the cheapest of whores in Anglia would serve him, gold coins or not. It was said the current lady Potter was a dreadful harridan, and Lord James bitterly regretted ever marrying her.
Where Lord James Potter's fierce attack and Henry Potter's fatal blow upon the enemy had been rewarded, the war had really been won with a cunning strategy involving a surprise attack and various potions as well as a plot involving the false assassination of King Albus, all devised by Severus Snape, the last living descendant of the once influential Prince-lineage. The last Lord Prince had only managed to beget girls by all his three wives, and only one of those had lived old enough to be married, by which time old Lord Prince had wasted the family fortune in drink and gambling, and the family estates were in ruin. Young Lady Eileen Prince had eloped and married well below her station, wedding a Muggle cobbler by the name of Snape, who'd taken her in the hopes of large dowry, but had drank away every single coin of what he'd gotten. Eileen Snape had died of consumption expedited by hunger when the harvest had been bad for several years and her husband had been too drunk to work for money, and the cobbler Toby Snape had drank himself to an early grave soon thereafter.
Young master Severus had turned out to be an intelligent boy, if ugly and as severe as his name, and the King had funded his education in a monastery school. The boy had a good head on him, and a love for learning everything and anything, from reading and writing in several languages, not only English and French but also Occitan, Latin and Greek, and some said he even knew a few words in Hebrew and Arabic as well. He'd learned the magical arts along with natural philosophy, dabbled in alchemy and potions, dissected specimens with ease and duelled like a master. He was one of the finest minds in the court of King Albus, and in the end, his strategies and cunning plots had won the war against their foe. Rumours said he'd also bravely infiltrated the enemy camp posing as a soldier and brought back vital information, though it hadn't been proven, and some, like Lord Potter and his friend Lord Black, blamed him of cowardice and treachery... but never in front of King Albus.
The feasts to celebrate their victory were truly magnificent, and rewards were doled out. Lord Severus Snape was granted back the Prince-estates and his lordship, which, upon his grandfather's death, had been returned to the crown in lack of direct male heirs – old Lord Prince had refused to acknowledge his daughter's son as his heir, considering he hadn't agreed to the match, and had disowned his daughter. His grandmother had entered a monastery upon her husband's death, and though Charles Potter had humbly asked King Albus to grant his son James the Prince-estates, they'd remained in the King's possession until that day, when they were given to Severus Snape, the new Lord Prince, as reward for his services. He was also granted a generous portion of the war treasure, which he promised to use to restore the estates.
When King Albus asked him if he had any other boon he'd like to request, Lord Severus surprised everyone (except King Albus himself, who was rarely surprised by anything) by asking for the hand of the young and recently orphaned Lady Hermione Granger. Lady Hermione's father, the late Lord Granger, had been of Walloon Muggle nobility, and sworn allegiance to the King of Burgundy: he'd been a kind and gentle man. When he found out his daughter possessed magical abilities, he sent for the best educators for her, and so Lady Hermione, who'd so far learned household management and directing servants, sewing, embroidery, dancing, playing the harp and dulcimer and singing (though frankly she sang very badly and sounded more like a duck than a nightingale) now learned how to use her wand to manage a large household and how to brew various potions. Her primary teacher, Madam Minerva from the Scottish McGonagall clan, recognised her extreme intelligence and talent, and managed to convince her father to send her to King Albus' court In Anglia to receive further education, though it was unheard of for a girl. Lady Hermione had also learned to read and write in Latin, English and French, which was uncommon although not unheard of for a woman, but she also possessed talents in the magical arts of transfiguration, charms, potions, herbology and, out of all things, arithmancy, which was usually only taught for boys.
Being in King Albus' court saved her life, in the end: Lord and Lady Granger, along with Lady Hermione's brother, were all killed in a ruthless attack by Lord Voldemort's forces. Lord Malfoy stormed the castle where her family resided, and instead of imprisoning the nobly born family for ransom as was customary, he had the entire family executed with the Killing Curse. Lady Hermione grieved bitterly for the loss of her brother and parents.
When the war had ravaged the land, Lord Voldemort's forces had attacked one of the lesser castles, where Lady Hermione had been residing at that time. She'd rallied the house-elves and arranged a fierce defence of the castle until help arrived, and employed various household charms and transfigurations with such fierce cunning and ruthlessness that grown wizards had shivered at the sight of her, and many developed respect for cooking implements, while quite a few refused to eat meat cooked in a spit for a very long time.
Lady Hermione was now eighteen, and her father had never negotiated a betrothal for her: therefore King Albus could now decide for a proper match for her. She wasn't considered a great beauty, but she was young and talented, and she'd caught the eye of the young knight Sir Roland 'Ron' Weasley, the best friend of young Lord Henry Potter and the brother of young Lord Potter's betrothed. Sir Roland had already made the preliminary inquiries for Lady Hermione's dowry, which King Albus himself was to pay from his coffers.
King Albus was a married man himself*, though he'd never sired any children of his own. His queen, a noble-born witch and seer, Lady Sybill, was only present in formal occasions such as these, usually holding her own court in another castle with the king's sister Ariana. King Albus would probably be succeeded by his brother Prince Aberforth and his sons: that'd be confirmed by the Wizengamot, which functioned like the Muggle Witenaġemot. As a married man he understood the importance of a good wife to a lord.
"Lord Prince," King Albus addressed Severus, "Sir Roland from the house of Weasley has already expressed interest her hand in marriage, though I have not yet granted his request. Would you explain why you wish for her hand in marriage? Would you not accept the hand of another witch?"
"Sire, may I be frank in my words?" asked Severus, Lord Prince, respectfully.
"You may," the King promised with a nod.
"Thank you, sire. I have never yet met a woman so worthy in my life," Severus said, and everyone could hear an insulted, furious gasp from Lady Lilie, Lord James Potter's wife. The rumours said she'd spurned Severus Snape for his poverty and lack of prospects in their youth to marry the wealthier and more handsome Lord James: she had been a great beauty, although the years and multiple pregnancies had now greatly diminished her looks, when she was nearly forty years of age. The rumours said she had always enjoyed toying with the affections of admirers, although their numbers had diminished as years had gone by. Apparently she'd lost the admiration of Lord Severus and was none too pleased about it, many thought smugly.
"She is intelligent and ambitious," continued Severus. "She speaks and writes in multiple languages. I wish to nurture her gifts and talents instead of burying her in housework and childbed like many others would." These spikes were directly aimed at sir Roland Weasley, whose family was notoriously fertile: the women married into the family were constantly pregnant, as were many female servants in their houses and even peasants in their lands. Sir Roland had never learned to read in any language, opting in the studies of warfare casting and attack hexes, hunting and jousting. "I would have her carry my heirs, but I would also have her continue her studies and expand to fields beyond what she's been allowed so far. I believe we would both enjoy the arrangement and each other. Sire, I would ask for no dowry. She, herself, would be a treasure for me."
King Albus smiled: Lord Severus would never say those words out loud here, in front of these witches and wizards, but King Albus could see into the hearts of his people and he knew love: Severus Snape, Lord Prince, was well and truly in love with the young lady. The dowry requested by sir Roland was not insubstantial, but more than that, the services granted by Lord Severus were more important than those delivered by Sir Roland... and topped anything what Sir Roland could deliver in the future. Lady Hermione was a brilliant young witch: the children from the union of her and Lord Severus would be at least as brilliant, compared to much more average ones from a marriage to Sir Roland.
"Lady Hermione," he addressed the young witch in question, and the courtiers moved to let her in front. The young Lady, who was dressed in modest court robes of excellent quality, had apparently forgotten a quill into her bushy hair, where it stuck out from the right side, half-way buried in a mound of wild curls. Her hands were hidden by her gloves and clutched, but Albus was quite certain they'd have ink stains. The young woman curtsied with grace: she had great poise.
"Yes, sire?" she asked humbly.
"Were I to ask for your opinion of this match, what would you say, Lady Hermione?" asked King Albus gently.
"Sire, I do not wish to insult anyone," said the Lady Hermione. "I will do whatever you wish of me." Albus was, of course, well aware that Lady Hermione did have opinions of her own, and strong ones at that, but she was polite and respectful of her superiors and her ruler.
"Yet I'd first hear yours," he prompted. "Two fine men have asked for your hand in marriage. Which one would you have me choose?"
"Sire, if you would hear my opinion... I would rather have Lord Prince," she said clearly and bravely, and the court around her gasped audibly. Sir Roland was a young, tall, well-muscled redhead with blue eyes and a friendly disposition, his skin tanned from lots of time spent outside in various physical activities, while Severus Snape, Lord Prince, was anything but handsome, with a thin frame and sallow skin of a scholar, frequently smelled of the bitter herbs and dead things used for potions, and was a good twenty years her senior, but also usually sour and angry, prone to snapping, had a sharp tongue and tendency to deliver nasty and impolite retorts, and had usually been quite impatient with her in all their interactions, as he was with everyone. Lord Severus was, of course, a lord himself, while Sir Roland was merely the youngest of several sons of Lord Arthur Weasley, and as such, his prospects weren't as good as Lord Prince's, but he was very talented in the jousting field, and many a young maiden had dreamt of catching his eye... amongst them young Lady Lavender, Lord Brown's eldest daughter, who was rumoured to have been warming his bed last year. Lady Hermione had never been one to measure a man's worth by his fortune and prospects: she had always followed her heart.
"And If I asked you why?" King Albus asked the young woman.
"Sire, as he said, he'd allow me to continue with my studies. He would be a demanding husband, but I believe he demands equally as much from himself as from others, if not more. I do not believe he'd force me into a role I'd be unsuited for. And, I believe, the most important..." she trailed off for a moment and hesitated before continuing courageously, "The most important thing is that he asked me. He spoke to me first, and spoke with me, instead of approaching someone else, or telling others that we'd be married. He asked." And the Lady glared at Sir Roland Weasley, whose face had turned puce, which clashed with his hair terribly.
King Albus did not ask if the girl believed she could grow to love Lord Severus: the brief glance they exchanged was enough to tell him they were halfway there already. Their marriage would be filled with love and happiness and their children would do remarkable things. This he knew from a prophesy delivered by his wife, Queen Sybill, who dabbled with cards and predictions, but sometimes recited true words of prophesy amidst her words of doom and gloom.
Finally, King Albus announced, "Lord Prince has not only shown cunning and courage at war: he has also displayed his chivalry at the young Lady in question. I will grant the hand of Lady Hermione from the house of Granger to Lord Severus of the house of Prince. They will be united before us in binding both legal and magical in two months' time."
He saw Arthur Weasley clutching the shoulder of his youngest son hard, while Sir Henry Potter whispered something fiercely into his ear. The boy's face was going ashen, then puce and then back to pale, his hands clutched, but his father and friend would keep his temper from flaring: there was no fighting against the will of the King. He'd have to grant Sir Roland a bit more land with plenty of serfs, perhaps hasten to arrange his marriage to Lady Lavender, who was much better suited for him anyway. The Weasleys were not only his vassals, after all: they also owned lands in the continent, and were also vassals to Gellert Auf Grindelwald, King of the Saxons.
Arranging the wedding of Lord Prince and Lady Granger so fast would cause havoc, of course, but King Albus loved it. He loved parties, especially weddings, and he loved the feeling of panic when his courtiers fought to find the best fabrics and tailors and charms for their hair and skin. He loved the food served in grand parties, too, but most of all, judging by the look Lord Severus and Lady Hermione had exchanged, he'd best make the wedding a fast one, or the maiden at the altar would definitely not be a virtuous one.
Oh yes, Lady Hermione and Lord Severus would be very happy indeed.
*Dumbledore's gay. There were gay people in medieval times, and there were gay kings too, but a king could not remain unmarried. I'm compromising here.
Here's a challenge for the other SSHG-writers: Medieval AU's ;)