Kalasin/Kaddar

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Meeting

She never expected such a different meeting. Her parents had told her to expect anything but the sight before her was well terrible. Not a single noble was in sight, not a single lady or lord not even Kaddar himself. It was simply his advisors and two politicians and a woman named Varice, his current hostess. These things didn't sit well with Kalasin and she felt slightly offended.

Princess

He knew she was a Princess, and that she was going to marry him. Reality didn't set in until after she arrived and the utter despair on her face. Yes, he had treated her cruelly in a way and hadn't even greeted her but marrying wasn't his idea of fun, and he didn't want to get to know her just yet.

Bitterness

There was bitterness between the two. Even the most ignorant couriers noticed the mocking words, sarcastic comment and the glares between the two Royalties. Neither of them wanted this marriage, and neither of them wanted to make the best of it.

Desire

They both had desires that neither of them wanted to know. Kalasin desired to go home, and be with her family. Kaddar desired to go back to the days before his father had died, when his Uncle had been a good man and he had no obligations as a Ruler. Both of their wishes were impossible, and Kalasin knew hers was more likely then Kaddar's and that fact made her a bit sympathetic to the Emperor.

Mother-In-Law

Her mother had warned her over and over again but nothing prepared her for the cold, rude woman who commented on things about Kalasin no one else had. The Countess of King's Reach hadn't told her anything about how to treat Mother-In-law's and she wasn't sure how to tell Kaddar's mother to back off.

Receiving warning letters from Kalasin's mother was definitely not something he was used to. He'd never been told how to reply by a sharp witted Queen who put hidden meanings behind every word. He would be forced to ask Kalasin what her mother meant and embarrass himself he was sure.

Lace

Kalasin knew that lacings were a difficult thing. She hated lacing herself, she hated having her maid's lace her, and she most surely hated when Kaddar had taken it upon himself to lace her gown. None of them could do it like her sister Lianne, and none of them cared to learn how. It was another sharp reminder of how different things were for her.

Weep

Kaddar knew how to handle most weeping women. With his sisters, he'd handed them over swiftly to his mother and with his mother he'd handed her over to either Varice or his sisters. With Kalasin however there was no one to give her to. She was weeping about the death of something that held little importance to him, and he had no way to escape without her noticing and thinking him heartless. She laid on the window seat of their rooms, crying silently and there was nothing he could do to comfort her. It made him resolve to get to know her better, because he knew that wasn't the only weeping she would be doing as the time went back on.

Glass

The glass blowers marveled her. She did not understand how such a beautiful creation took so much work and pain. If she had her choice, she would learn how to blow glass but her gift didn't allow it. If she was allowed to her, she would have her entire room filled with those delicate pieces of art. Kalasin had to share it with her mother and bought her a vase and sent it to her. She guessed she had found one thing she liked about Carthak.

Peace

She found a center point of peace with Kaddar. They continued their daily lives without truly interacting. It didn't bother either of them very much. Their advisors hated it, but Kaddar found it quite easy to deal with. Kalasin was out of the way, and there was nothing to block all his ideas.

Advice

Kalasin tried to give him advice. He refused it. She gave it to him again. He wouldn't even let her finish talking. Kalasin decided that the only way she was ever going to get her point across was to either go into a meeting or write a letter. She wrote a letter.

Shock

Kaddar had never had someone write such a…formal letter. It was completely and utterly in place and not a single thing insulted him. It surprised him to find by listening to her not speak but still talking made him see that she was correct and that he should have listened to her in the first place.

Growing

So, they grew up. Kalasin stopped being an insufferable Royal Brat as he called her, and Kaddar began to pay more and more attention instead of brushing her off as often as he did. Kalasin had thought she had finished growing up a long time ago but was indeed quite wrong.

Love?

Kaddar didn't believe in love. He didn't believe he could fall in love with his wife. She was just too disagreeable, and yet those quarrels and comments made him smile all the same and being with her had once been a burden but now it was lifted.

Defenses

She had her defenses on. She did not believe every arranged marriage could end up in love with her parents had. She refused to believe it. She couldn't have fallen in love with the man prone to neglecting people, who never believed you until you had intellectual proof, and never wanted to hear he was wrong. Yet, when he walked into the room it sent her heart racing.

Roses

Kalasin had never truly appreciated roses until Kaddar showed her the true beauty of them.

Honesty

She knew honesty built good relationships, but she also knew too much honesty ruined them.

Missing

Kaddar admitted something had been missing not only in Carthak but inside himself before Kalasin came. He just didn't want to admit it.

Don't

She didn't want him to be so relaxed around her. She didn't want him to take off his guard, and be a normal human. She wanted an Emperor back, someone who she wasn't prone to falling for.

Cat

She was like a cat. When she awoke after their first night, she stretched and licked her lips slightly grinning fiercely. Yes, Kaddar thought, a cat indeed.

Skeptics

There were still advisors who were skeptical on how short a time the two Royalties had come to middle ground and slowly were starting to fall in love. They weren't quite there yet, but it was still doubtful that they truly found a point of sitting next to each other. They could have been faking it.

A/N: Well that's Kalasin/Kaddar. I'm undecided on what I'm going to do next but I will figure it out. Any ideas feel free to point them out. I didn't really like these but Kalasin/Kaddar never hit me as a pair to have a lot of romance in them not because their down to earth but because their in an arranged marriage and arranged marriages are usually for convenience over love. Pointing out the obvious, as I usually do but that's my opinion.