Disclaimer: Come on, now. Do you honestly believe that I own the character and locations of FFVIII ... Exactly.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Text" - Speech
'Text' - Quotations
Text - Emphasized words
Italics - Jamie's thoughts
'Italics' - Seifer's thoughts
Text - Other forms of communicating (letters, calls, etc.)
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Try earning it." Zerase - Suikoden V
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
For the Love of Gaia!
Chapter 3: Try earning it
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Centra Castle - Entrance
"Come on, come on. We really have no time to lose," Edea began to chivvy her daughter into the carriage. Despite having a wide supply of other vehicles which they could dock, Edea thought it fit to ride on carriages as 'it shows much more grandeur and would look much better than sitting in a measly car, wouldn't it?' In all honesty, Jamie was pleasantly surprised that her mother hadn't uttered anything about Tradition. Yet.
Edea was clad in a sparkly black dress, which was devoid of straps, and covered the whole of her body. Her hair was still in that customary bun and she had adorned herself with jewels to look accepting in the eyes of the Estharian royal family. Jamaila however, who was just being helped onto the carriage by an assistant and was looking thoroughly disgruntled, was clad in; a green turtleneck top, which was decorated with white sequins; a simple matching green full-length skirt and a shawl that matched her turtle necked top. She too was adorned with jewels and her hair was put up into a bun, identical to her mother's.
With the majority of the servants in separate carriages, Edea decided to dock the carriage with her daughter present; but due to her exquisite black heels, she was finding it pretty difficult. She then gave one of the unfortunate servants a stern look and, at once, he came to her aid. Jamaila was unsure of whether she wanted to sigh, roll her eyes or laugh.
After clambering onto the carriage rather gracelessly, Edea smoothed out her dress and then looked to the rider. "Ride on to Esthar," she commanded and the chocobo-drawn carriage began to move at once. She then turned to her daughter, who seemed to be blankly staring out the side windows.
"Jamaila." The stern voice. "I know you might not be particularly fond of travelling long distances, but as tradition -"
Jamie rolled her eyes; the gesture, however, unseen by her mother, who continued to carry on.
" - And as a mother, I must say I'm very proud."
Jamie turned back to face Edea. "... Really?"
Edea nodded. "Of course. Who else would be able to scare away most of the servants due to her unbelievable snoring?"
Jamie frowned and then sighed. "Not funny, Mother."
Edea chuckled. "Of course not. But," she said, with a smile, "I've seen pictures of Prince Squall."
Jamie raised her eyebrows slowly, fearing where the conversation was going. "... And?"
Edea giggled, like a little school-girl caught on watching their crush. "And I must say, he is hot."
... Who exactly are you arranging the marriage for, Mother - me or you?
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Estharian Castle - Banquet Hall
Seifer helped himself to some more food and spared another glance to the glass doors. Some of the guests had already arrived, although most of them were older than the Galbadian Prince and generally not very entertaining to be around. However, all they seemed to do is talk about others that were either not yet present or were unable to make it to the banquet.
'And when they do make it, I expect the nobles would be smooching up to them ... Man, what cowards ...'
However, the so-called 'nobles' weren't the only ones belittling most of the guests.
"God, have you seen what that total doofus Laguna is wearing? What a scandal ... I certainly would not want anyone to see me like that," Claria whispered dramatically. Claria was the soon-to-be wife of the General of the Galbadian Army - Fury Caraway - and was a sort of gossip-mongerer, who seemed to want to stir up trouble just for the hell of it.
'Sheesh, what a bitch ... I'm definitely not inviting her to my wedding, whenever that may be ...'
Casting her another dark look, Seifer began to make his way to one of the table laden with various dishes of food; careful not to attract too much attention, for then she would not be able to stop talking about the Prince. Then again, she was so immersed in insulting as many guests of the congregation as possible; that Seifer wouldn't have been surprised if a Jumbo Cactuar was dancing right in front of her, and she wouldn't have noticed it at all.
Accepting a glass from a passing waiter, the blond began to aimlessly cast his sights around the room, unsure of exactly what - or rather, who - he was looking for -
"Hey, it's Seifer, ya know?"
- Well, not for much longer, anyway.
Raijin thumped him affectionately on the shoulder: something that Seifer had expressed openly 'annoys me ... a lot' (Well, actually, that was Fujin's translation of what Seifer was trying to say, just with less vulgar words.) Fujin, on the other hand, simply smiled up at him and enquired "OK?"
Seifer shrugged. "I'm fine - well, apart from the wrinkly, old people and that totally whiny woman chatting about crap to my father."
Raijin and Fujin glanced her way before looking back at him, the male the first to speak. "Well, that figures. But, we were kinda wondering where Rinoa was; shouldn't she be here as well, ya know?"
Seifer took another sip from his glass before answering. "... Actually, she's not technically a Princess, so she shouldn't actually be here. But, because of my dad, her and her family were invited as the Guests of Honor." To be frank, he was still unsure of whether or not that was a good thing, given the future Caraway's habit of spreading this, that and the other about anyone and everyone. But, Rinoa was a long-time friend of his and Seifer would have been a bit happier to see another familiar, friendly face.
Fujin nudged Raijin and the latter looked back at her, confused. However, when she indicated another male, who looked quite similar to the dark-haired male and who Seifer identified as his friend's brother, Raijin looked back to Seifer. "Um, sorry Seif but I kinda promised my bro that me and Fu would accompany him, ya know?" He said apologetically. The blond prince, slightly disappointed that his friends had to leave so quickly, simply nodded and the two walked away.
His father had informed him of many of the guests and had said that one royal family had not yet arrived; the Queen of Centra and her daughter, the Princess.
'Well, at least I can look on the bright side - if the Princess happens to be young and beautiful, then maybe it won't be such a bad evening after all.'
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Estharian Castle - Entrance
Jamaila was inwardly glad that the journey to Esthar was fairly short, since her mother had decided to keep chatting about various topics (although Jamie usually termed it as 'Most Successful Way to Annoy Me Most # 5'). As the inhabitants of the carriages slowly began to climb out, Jamaila caught sight of an middle-aged man, wearing robes of white and blue, make his way towards them.
"Hey, Edea. So good of you to come," he greeted the dark-haired Queen.
"Good to be here, Laguna," she smiled at him as they shook hands. She then gestured to Jamaila. "I take it you haven't met my daughter?"
"No I haven't, actually," he replied and it was then that he caught sight of the brunette. "Oh, so you must be Jamaila! Wow, I had no idea you had become such a beautiful young woman!"
Jamaila could think of nothing to say. So, she just smiled.
"Well, come in, come in! There's so many people here already; I'm sure they'd be delighted to know that you and your daughter have arrived, Edea," the exuberant King of Esthar continued, as he ushered them through the corridors and finally through what seemed to be a massive hall. The guards stationed on either side of the glass doors nodded their heads in acknowledgment before placing their spears to the side and allowing the large doors to slide open. With a smile at the two, Laguna walked through the doors; the other two followed.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Estharian Castle - Banquet Hall
The banquet hall looked absolutely astounding. The floor was made of marble and as many guests walked around, the sound of their shoes could be heard. The dome, as well as the doors, were also made of glass and Jamaila could glimpse the red and orange hues which painted the sky. The golden tables were all assorted with various dishes and most of the waiters tended to be walking around, balancing glasses atop circular trays.
Wow, this King sure knows how to host a party.
Looking around at the guests, Jamaila realized that a lot of them were older than she was, and as a result, much more mature. Not the kind of people that Jamaila preferred conversing with.
Well, apart from Quistis. But she's young, regardless of her rating on the maturity scale.
Jamaila rated her at 11 out of 10. And herself?
... She was still unsure.
She was pondering so much, that she had barely registered the waiter walking in front of her and barely had time to stop. Luckily for her, the waiter had caught the flute placed on the tray and had prevented it from falling out of his grasp.
Whew ... well, no harm done, right?
Apparently, the waiter didn't think so.
Before Jamaila could open her mouth to apologize, the anonymous waiter gave her the most 'I-am-much-more-respected-in-society-than-you-are-and-therefore-you-should-bow-before-me' look he could muster and scolded "Watch where you're going next time, you ungrateful woman!"
Jamaila blinked twice, hardly unable to believe her ears. "Excuse me? Do you have any idea who I am?" When the waiter continued to look at her loftily, she went on proudly. "I am Jamaila Diana Kramer, daughter of Edea Amalthea and Cid Evander Kramer, the current King and Queen of the country of Centra."
The waiter sneered at her. "Really? Well, for a Princess, you certainly seem," he gave her a once-over before adding, "unimpressive." Jamaila gaped at him as he walked away.
Urgh, he has no idea how tempting it sounds right now to shove these heels up his big, fat -
"Oh gosh, I barely remembered! You two haven't met my son yet, have you?" Laguna began steering the two females towards a pair already conversing. Well, the female was conversing; the male simply looked as if he would want nothing better than to be shot of her ... or maybe he simply didn't like the taste of the liquid contained in the glass he held.
In any case, the trio began walking towards the pair. Apparently, Laguna wanted to reach them without being noticed, as it would be 'a really cool surprise for my glum-looking son. He's as withdrawn as a clam when it comes to these sort of parties.' However, his plan had failed as the woman that had been chatting with him looked back and smiled at Laguna.
"Well, hello there, Your Highness," she curtseyed. "I'm really enjoying the festivities, you know." It was then that her attention was turned to both Edea and Jamaila. "Oh, I didn't see you two there -"
"- Yes, Rinoa. They just arrived recently," Laguna then made the introductions. "Your Majesty, Princess Jamaila; this is Rinoa, who is the daughter of the Galbadian General Fury Caraway. Rinoa, this is the Queen of Centra, Edea, and her daughter, Princess Jamaila."
"Very nice to meet you," Rinoa curtseyed to the two. Edea beamed at her and Jamaila simply smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgment. However, after glimpsing a blond head, she instantly smiled. Looking back at the three, who were slightly puzzled by the abrupt change in expression, she curtseyed again. "So sorry, but I have to take my leave," she said, before making her way to the tall blond male.
Edea watched her leave before turning back to Laguna. "She's such a nice young lady, isn't she?"
Laguna looked back at her. "Yeah, she's really pretty, too ..."
Paying no heed to the two, who were still chatting about the raven-haired beauty, Jamaila turned her attention back to the Prince of Esthar; who had simply watched, uninterested, the events which had taken place. Jamaila took a while to analyze his appearance: his blue-gray eyes were partially hidden by the brown strands of hair covering most of his face - almost like a mane - and a necklace could be seen, that of a lion's head, barely visible under the black robe he was currently attired in. In conclusion, Jamaila thought he was -
- Absolutely gorgeous.
However, before she could stare any more at the epitome of gorgeousness, a nudge broke her thoughts and she found herself looking at Edea; the culprit of that rather rude way of awakening her daughter and who was gesturing for her to pay attention as Laguna introduced them. "- I would like to introduce my son, Prince Squall Loire of Esthar!" He proclaimed proudly.
Beaming, Edea looked back to Jamaila; the latter inwardly fearing that her mother might begin squealing and proclaiming her love for Prince Squall, judging by the look on her face. She inwardly cringed.
Eww, that'd be shocking ... Not to mention, plain wrong ...
Squall removed himself from his position - leaning against the pillar - and bowed at the two females; his necklace glinting and Edea seemed to simper. "I am honored to make your acquaintance," he greeted and moved back towards the pillar, which seemed to serve as his place of temporary solitude. Smiling joyously, Laguna was just about to speak when an unfamiliar voice called "Your Highness, have you any time to spare? It's just that General Caraway seems to be getting quite impatient ..."
Laguna looked back at the waiter, the smile not leaving his face. "Caraway, huh? Don't worry, I'll be right there!" He then looked back at Edea and Jamaila. "So sorry, but I must take my leave. Some of these guests are quite demanding," he said, before extending Edea's right hand towards him and kissing it. Edea smiled up at him as he made his way, along with the waiter, to some other rather regal-looking guests.
Looking back at Squall, Jamaila could only manage to laugh humorlessly; something that the Prince vaguely picked up on and mistily joined in with. Edea, for her daughter's sake, simply joined in. However, the look she gave Jamaila unmistakingly read 'What-the-hell-are-you-doing-you-crazy-woman?'
In which Jamaila wanted to reply - by using her facial expression - 'What-does-it-look-like-I'm-doing-I'm-laughing-of-course.'
As soon as they all stopped, Edea gave her daughter another look, one that plainly translated as 'Say-something-to-that-hot-stud.'
So, without thinking, Jamaila asked him "So ... where do you live?"
An awkward silence followed. Edea simply stared at her daughter as if she was mad, Squall simply stared at Jamaila as if she had sprouted an extra head, and she wanted nothing more than to seize the glass he was holding, pour some champagne into it, then decant it all over herself.
... Or maybe bang her head repeatedly against one of the golden pillars allocated around the hall.
... Or, better yet, maybe shrink into the marble floor, never to be seen or heard of again.
When Edea looked back at Squall, who had an eyebrow raised as though he found Jamaila demented, she instantly began to laugh artificially. "Oh, isn't my daughter just so funny?" Squall simply smiled slightly, still unsure of whether or not whackiness ran in the family. Still laughing outwardly, Edea managed to pointedly glare at Jamaila without Squall realizing. Wanting desperately to excuse herself, Jamaila made up the excuse of 'going to get a drink' and Edea, after another glare, allowed her to go off to one of the many tables whilst she struck up conversation with Squall.
For a moment, Jamaila rather felt for the brunet.
As Jamaila made it to one of the tables laden with plates and plates of food and was attempting to make her way around a rather tall figure, who was either unaware that there was anyone behind him or too lazy to move his behind away from the table, to get some more food.
However, as she reached out to grab a plate, her hand accidentally bumped into the male's back; something that, at long last, attracted his attention and caused him to turn around.
His eyes were a beautiful jade-green eyes and short blond hair, his face appeared remarkably flawless. Jamaila wanted to thank Hyne for allowing her to meet two heavenly gorgeous men.
"- Hey, you could have at least asked for me to move."
… I take that comment back.
Jamaila looked up at him, trying to appear much more inferior. "Well, I would have, if you weren't in conversation already."
The blond made to turn around again, but Jamaila's next comment stopped him from doing so. "If anything, you should apologize to me."
He looked back at her, hardly unable to comprehend what she had said.
'Okay, who in the name of Ifrit does this lady think she is?' "Me? Apologize to you?"
She nodded, something apparent like superiority in her smile. "Yes, for those first unkind words you spoke to me."
'… The hell?'
"… Listen, lady, I don't know who you think you are –"
"I think that I am Lady Jamaila Diana Kramer, current Princess of Centra." She announced proudly.
'Huh …' Seifer analyzed Jamaila's appearance. 'Not exactly what I had in mind, but … it'll do.'
"Well, you know who I am, Princess?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued "I happen to be Lord Seifer Anubis Almasy, the Prince of Galbadia." He smirked as those words seemed to penetrate into Jamaila's mind.
"You?"
He nodded, wondering whether she had problems hearing or thinking. Or maybe both.
She nodded her head slowly, as if she was confirming something. "Well, for a Prince, you seem to be quite the rude one."
Seifer smirked. "And, for a Princess, you seem to be quite the stubborn one."
Jamaila scoffed. "Look who's talking. You couldn't even be bothered to move when I was attempting to take some food off the table."
"Well, I would have moved. But, with an attitude like yours," he smirked at her, who looked as if she was trying her best to remain calm, "I doubt you would have plucked up the patience to wait for me to finish my conversation, therefore allowing you to take whichever dish you pleased."
Jamaila scowled at Seifer; something that greatly amused him, for the smile he now wore was one of the biggest yet.
"Well, as a Princess, I shouldn't have to wait for others to finish their conversations and then move. I should be able to take whatever I want, whenever I want."
"Touche," he mumbled and took a sip from his champagne glass. "Well," he took a step back and gestured to the various trays, "I've moved and most of the dishes are still there. Tuck in."
However, for a moment, she continued to stare at him, as if she didn't trust him and that, in fact, the food was poisoned or otherwise tampered with. Seifer wished he had tampered with it, just to prove her right. It'd stop her staring, in any case.
'Although, it's not like I'm hating the attention …'
However, possibly due to the smirk he had plastered on his face, Jamaila finally took her eyes off him and picked up a dish in one hand, the slightly-neglected champagne flute in the other.
"Well, if you'd excuse me …" She said, then walked off to another corner. Maybe she'd go sulk like the Prince of Esthar; he seemed to be renowned for that.
In another section of the Hall, Josef seemed to be in conversation with Irvine, who had commented on the exquisite decorations in the room.
"Oh well, money's easy to come by; for royalty, anyway…" The King of Galbadia replied airily.
At what point a passing waiter mumbled "You think money's easy to come by, huh? Try earning it …"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
A/N: Okay, thanks for reading! But, do be nice and review as well, okay?
Ash XX