Roald/Shinko

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

1. Boring

Roald had always been called boring. No matter what he talked about his siblings had always thought him quite dull and dutiful. Responsible, mature, and wise were the sugar coated words his parents and other nobles had used. Then he decided he was to train for Knighthood. It wasn't something that was only good for the Kingdom or what he wanted, it was something he needed. Roald did not want to be a boring boy anymore.

2. Beautiful

Shinkokami or Shinko as she preferred had always been called beautiful. She was always the prettiest out of her sisters, always the loveliest of her family. Regal, elegant, and graceful were compliments or so everyone believed. Shinko wanted to more then beautiful. She knew she was smart, but others didn't. She knew she wasn't vain or empty headed and still no one noticed anything but her delicate outside. It was why she worked even harder in her studies. It wasn't something she only wanted. She needed it. Shinko didn't want to be just beautiful anymore.

3. Marriage

Roald didn't imagine marriage like his father had. He didn't think of prison, or binds, he thought of family and being a King when he married. He knew that it was impossible for him to wait that long, Tortall needed allies but it was a nice idea to think he had time. So when his parents thought of various matches the only one that sounded intriguing was the Yamani one. They were so different...

4. Alliances

Shinko never imagined herself being someone used for Allies. Her Uncle was the Emperor and for all he favored her, she was not a high ranking Princess. She was probably going to be married to an honorable court man. It didn't bother her, for she knew that at the very least she would not be sent to a foreign court. What was going to happen was something she had never imagined for it was too much to hope for.

5. Shock

When the death of his betrothal reached his ears Roald was shocked. He wasn't sure if it was a bad omen towards his marriage or an accident. All he knew though was he felt horrible for the unfortunate souls who had been killed along with the Princess.

6. Chisakomi

When Shinko heard of Princess Chisakomi's death, she mourned. Chisakomi was a relative of hers, and around her age. They had been good friends when they had been young and she wished that it had not happened to the kind hearted girl.

7. Escape Pt. 1

Escaping Squire training was easy. Riding was something he was supposed to practice, and Roald claimed he wanted to see the woods in peace. In reality he had gotten word of his new arranged marriage to Princess Shinkokami and wondered how he was supposed to react. Sitting on a cliff Roald wondered where the control over his life had gone and when it had disappeared. Was it Page training, or when he first started acting like a real Prince?

8. Escape Pt. 2

She had escaped. Shinko was still not sure how she had managed to evade the grasps of the cruel women who was intended to be her mother-in-law but she lit a candle in ever temple as she journeyed towards Tortall, and new hope.

10. Arrival

Roald heard of the arrival of his betrothal and all his worries increased and yet, some of them faded away. His marriage was certain and it could be worse. For what he'd heard, she was a kind good hearted girl and that was a good sign.

11. Midwinter Balls

Shinko knew that there had to be something more interesting then the polite but distant Prince sitting next to her. His eyes glimmered with intelligence and he was training to be a Knight. There was no way that he was stupid. She knew that he was probably just shy. And she cursed her own shyness that kept her from speaking to him during that Midwinter ball.

12. Mutual

And then a mutual friend gave them things that they both liked to talk about. It was easier, now that Keladry of Mindelan had gotten topics driven into them and Shinko found hope in their marriage.

13. Court and Courtship

There were various rules, Roald knew, on how you were to court a Tortallian lady. None of these rules applied to Princess Shinko because no Tortallian lady woke a dawn to practice a sharp weapon, or rode astride when no one looked. No Tortallian lady could hold a candle to Shinko either. So he did other things. Riding, walking, shooting bows, arguing over various subjects, talking, or just playing chess or sitting together in the peace. He wasn't sure how, but he was falling in love with the foreign princess.

14. War

The first news of the war with Scanra worried Shinko. She wasn't yet married, and so desperately wanted to be. She had no clue when it had happened but slowly during their courtship she had grown to fall in love with Princes Roald.

15. Ending

And soon the war ended leaving Shinko happier. No one was getting hurt or killed, Keladry, Roald, and Nealan were all safe along with the hundreds of others who had marched out with them. She would be married, and be more secure and happier then she was. Her mother-in-law to be would stop wringing her hands and attempting to get to the war zone, and all the healers in the palace could cease to look under pressure. Things would go back to how they should be, and hopefully nothing would disturb that.

16. Wedding

Queen Thayet wanted her to have a large fancy wedding. She wanted a simple, small wedding. They compromised and decided on a large but simple wedding. Her gown was made by Lalasa, and they held it at the palace with all the nobles invited although some had to decline, and she let Thayet do all the arrangements within reason. As it was, Shinko didn't know anything about weddings whilst Thayet did.

17. Advisor's

They had been married a month. A simple month, and yes their marriage had been consummated but Roald was still trying to get used to Shinko and she to him. So when the Advisor's began to get irritated about the fact that Shinko was not yet pregnant, Roald felt pressure starting to build. Until his father let them know it would be awhile before either of them were ready for any children. They were very young after all.

18. Respect

Shinko gained the respect of various couriers. She had already had the respect of noble houses Mindelan, Queenscove, Masbolle, and Nond but others were unsure of the Yamani Princess. So, Shinko sat through every ball, accepted various invitations, talked to more air headed court ladies and critical older couriers and gained their respect that way. No one questioned her abilities anymore after long hours of listening to court talk.

19. Year

A year passed since their marriage. The war was still on-going, but it seemed to be winding down. Shinko discovered early one morning that morning sickness was as delightful as it looked.

20. Lianokami

Their daughter. Saying that made Shinko very pleased. There was nothing more in this world that she would ask for. Not the most exotic perfume from the Copper Islands or the finest silk from Carthaki, or neither a rug from Galla nor a single item from her homeland. Having Roald and Lianokami was enough to last her for the rest of her life.

A/N: And…Those are my Roald/Shinko Themes. I'm not sure what pairing to do next so if you have any ideas on a pairing that I haven't done I'll do it. I was thinking maybe Daine/Numair but I'm not quite sure. I don't have many left besides them and I was thinking of doing Kalasin/Kaddar. I'll probably end up thinking of it during a class and writing most of it then. Anyway I really need to learn how to stop writing Author Notes this long. I'm done.