Tale as Old as Time

CHAPTER II:

The engagement

The last days of fall were going by so fast, before she realized of it, Lily had been living on the castle for three months and November started to get cooler and cooler. James and Lily were polite with each other and they were becoming friends, no matter what else Lily might think of James, he made her laugh and because of that Lily thought James couldn't be all that bad.

During one afternoon mid November, that recently born friendship was tested as a storm let lose in the castle… and all because of one little letter that had arrived since Lady Adriane's Manor. Lady Adriane was Anabel's mother. When Nan had turned eighteen Lady Adriane had threatened Nan with an arranged marriage, she had make clear she was looking for a husband for Nan for she wanted Nan to be married before her next birthday.

Lady Adriane's choice was unbelievable: Sirius Black.

It turned out that Lady Adriane and Lady Kiara were great friends and took special delight in cooking up arranged marriages for the believed that since they had been forced into arranged marriages of their own they had the right of do the same with their kids.

"Those are your mother's orders." James yelled, he had been yelling a lot that afternoon.

"Well, you can tell my mother I won't do it!" Nan yelled right back before turning around and running out crying her eyes out and leaving behind her a roomful of people either sad or confused.

Remus was paler than ever and seemed like he was having a hard time breathing, after Nan's exit he got to his feet slowly and walked out too without saying another world. Then James then turned to Sirius who was wearing an expression of great surprise.

"Don't even look at me," Sirius said, "I'm not marring her. I don't care what my mother says." And with that he left too, now it was only Lily and James in the library.

"Tell me what you're thinking." James said to Lily after she stayed in silence for nearly ten minutes.

"You don't want to know." Ill contained rage rang in Lily's voice.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

"You disgust me."

"Gee, don't keep anything in." James said with sarcasm which only managed to anger Lily more.

"I can't believe you're doing this."

"I have no inference in this, it's her mother, she can do anything she likes with Anabel, and I've no authority over it. Lady Adriane is her mother and only wants the best for her."

"The woman has barely taken care of Nan! How can you say sincerely that she wants the best for Nan?"

"What do you want me to do? Lady Adriane is my father's sister, the only family I have left, I can't just contradict her. I can't intervene, I won't."

"Of course you can intervene! You're the regent prince! You word is always last when it comes to nobles marring, you know that or at least you should. It's one of the simples, oldest rules of your kingdom, you should know. And don't say Lady Adriane is the only family you have left. What about Nan? She's family too! And you're friends? It's pretty clear that Sirius doesn't want to marry. And it's even more evident that Nan loves Remus and that it's pretty much mutual! So all you're going to do is sit there on your royal ass and make three people unhappy for the rest of their lives because you don't have the guts to intervene."

"IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS YOU WANT TO BELIEVE, LILY!" James roared getting to his feet. "THERE ARE TOO MANY THINGS I'VE TO CONSIDER! NOT ALL OF US LIVE IN THE HAPPY DREAM WORLD YOU DO!"

"I DON'T LEAVE IN A PINK LOVELY WORD! BUT I DO KNOW THAT PEOPLE SHOULD MARRY BECAUSE THEY WANT TO AND NOT BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE SAYS THAT THEY HAVE TO."

"IS NOT THAT SIMPLE!" James yelled again, this time he looked as mad as Lily had ever seen him and Lily got al little scared by it. "NOW LEAVE!"

"You know, you really had me fooled. I thought you were different. I thought you would at least care for the happiness of those you call friends. Clearly, I was wrong."

Usually James would have loved more than anything getting Lily to admit she was wrong about anything… but today it just didn't do it for him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Anabel's crying could be heard all around the hallway. Sirius went for Remus door and opened it slowly. He found Remus sitting on the floor leaning against the far wall of the room- That wall was the only thing separating his room from Nan's

"For such a castle one would think the walls would be thicker." Sirius said, inside the room, Nan's cries were more audible.

"This is just a fake wall, sometimes when she can't sleep because she misses her home or when she gets sad thinking about her dad, I sit here and she sits on the other side and we talk, you can hear quite clearly." Remus explained, though he sounded absent.

"And that her voice is the one you can always hear the most clear no matter where she is must help too."

"It's odd how much sadness can a letter cause, won't you agree?"

"I assure you I won't marry her."

"There is nothing any of us can do. If James doesn't go against Anabel's and your mother, you two will have to marry… and you heard James."

"You really love her, don't you?"

"You have no idea." Was Remus answer.

"We'll fix this, Remus; we'll get James to understand."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Who the hell does he thinks he is to yell at me? The all mighty James Potter! The Jerk, he thinks just because he's the prince he can yell at me all he wants but he's oh so very wrong if he thinks I'll just sit there and let him."

Lily was talking to herself as she walked the castle's grounds without really looking in which direction she was heading. If she had she might have notice that she was leaving the gardens and getting into the forest that surrounded the castle.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"James, brother, you can't let this happen. Nan is crying her eyes out and Remus is devasted, there is nothing he loves more in this world than Nan. You have to do something!" Sirius said, talking fast before James could interrupt him, as he walked into the library where James had been feeling glum over Lily's words.

"What do you expect me to do, Sirius?" James asked.

"You're the Regent Prince; tell that couple of old bats to go to hell!"

"Lily said something like that."

"Listen, James, I know how Nan and Remus feel, okay? And I know it's only going to get worse. When Clarisse told me her parents had engaged her to someone else I remember how I felt… it's not something I want my friend to go through, especially because of me. I don't even care for Anabel that way." Sirius was dead serious about it.

Years before he had been about to marry Clarisse Stone, he had been so in love… but then she told him her parents had engaged her to some Duke from the south regions, that had nearly destroyed him

"You never want to talk about that." James pointed out.

"It was easier to forget that way." Sirius said, time and distance had healed the wounds of the past, each day it hurt less.

"Lily says my word is the last when it comes to nobles marring according to our law." James said in a contemplative tone. "So if I want to make two people marry or not marry all I have to do is say so…"

"Yes, that's our law." Sirius said with a nod.

"Do they really love each other?"

"I'm sure they do."

"Well then… we must arrange a wedding."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What do you want?" Nan asked James as soon as he entered her room. She just wasn't in the mood for him. She loved her cousin –under normal circumstances – but she rather take him in small doses.

"This is my house, you know? And I would appreciate a little more respect." James feelings about Nan mirrored the ones Nan had for him. They loved each other because they were family… but between that and linking each other there was a long shot.

"What do you want?" Nan said, rolling in bad to give her back to James. "Some other bad news to deliver?"

"No, just one question: Do you love Remus?"

"What difference does that make now?"

"Yes or no. Do you love Remus John Lupin?"

"I do." Anabel answered softly.

"Good, 'cause you're getting married next spring."

Nan didn't hear James leaving nor did she hear Remus arrive, all she felt was someone sitting on her bed. "In spring?" Nan asked, feeling miserable.

"You're favorite flowers blossom during late March," A voice that it wasn't James' told her, Nan turned around right away. "You told me once you wanted to have those flowers in you wedding…. So I thought a spring wedding was just in order."

"Remus?"

"Well… that's all in the case you want to marry me."

"Nothing would make me happier!" Nan cried and hugged Remus tight as if she wanted to never let go. The man she loved had asked her to marry him!

Remus hugged Nan back with a force that threatened with crush her, but she didn't mind, she was just where she wanted to be. Remus sought her lips and kissed her for a long time, enjoying each second of it.

"I love you, Remus."

"I love you too."

After a few more kisses Remus pulled a little box out of his pocket. "I was going to give you this on Christmas…. I hoped I would be able to tell you that I love you by then but I think this is a more appropriate time for it." Remus explained while sliding a ring into Nan's finger. It was a ruby surrounded by little white diamonds forming the shape of a heart. "I think it tells you how I feel."

"It surely says how I feel about you." Nan said softly, smiling to Remus.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

James had been searching for Lily so he could tell her the good news about Remus and Nan but he couldn't find her anywhere. Sirius was already asleep in his room and Remus and Anabel were still saying how much they loved each other (James trusted nothing else was happening… after all he had left them alone in her room.). And James really wanted to tell the news to Lily.

"Pettigrew!" James called after being searching for Lily for more than an hour.

"Yes, your highness?"

"I can't find Miss Lily, have you seen her?"

"Yes, a while ago I saw her by the edge of the garden, it looked very absorbed in her thoughts, I think she was heading for the woods."

"And you didn't stop her? Pettigrew!" James said angrily. "The Word is full of dangerous creatures. It's no place for a lady!"

"It didn't occur to me, sir."

"Well, look at the sky! Its well pass nightfall and she isn't back."

"Where are you going, your highness?" Pettigrew asked with concern, but not very sure of if he wanted to know the answer.

"To look for her! And when I find her she better be alright or I'll hold YOU responsible."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was past midnight when James returned to the castle with Lily, she had gotten lost and couldn't find the way back and then some wolves have corner her, she had been hungry and cold and scared and she was starting to think that was going to be her end but then James found her. After making the wolves go away – a little fire never fails though James did got quite a wound in the arm – and yell some at Lily for being dumb and going into the forest alone and giving her his cloak because she was just about frozen, James got Lily into his horse - with much reluctance from Lily since she feared most horses save her dad's - and took Lily home.

A little while later they were in the sitting room and Lily was trying to tend the wound in James arm but he was being a complete baby about it.

"That hurts." James said, pulling his arm away from Lily.

"If you stayed still it wouldn't hurt." Lily answered, sitting across for him; a bowl with hot water was at her feet and a handkerchief in her hand.

"If you hadn't run into the forest I wouldn't be hurt in the first place."

"If you hadn't been such a jerk about Nan and Remus I wouldn't have been too busy cursing you and I would have looked where I was going."

"So all this is my fault?"

"Yes." Lily said exasperated. Lily sighed and looked away but placed his arm right back where Lily had put it at first to clean the wound. "Now stay still. It might hurt a little."

"That's fine."

"Thanks, for going for me… and all that."

"It was nothing." James answered. "Besides I had something I wanted to tell you." Lily fixed her green eyes on him which made him a little nervous. "Anabel's getting married next spring… with Remus."

"Nan and Remus?"

"Yes, he asked her to marry him and she said yes. Now everyone is happy."

Lily had finished to puss a bandage around James arm and when she heard the news she just jumped and hugged James and kissed him on the cheek.

"Um." Lily said realizing of what she had done. "This is done." She said meaning the bandage. "I'm going to bed, good night."

"Good night." James whispered after her… two minutes after she was gone.

..-.-.-.-.-.-.

Notes:

Sorry for the delay, I hope you like this chapter. And that Anabel isn't annoying or anything... I really like her so I guess I don''t notice when she sounds know it all or something like that.

Next chapter: Preparations.