A Merry Masquerade
NOTE: Merry Christmas!
Just a fun little thing I came up with as I got into the craziness of the holiday season. What if Merle had to deal with the pressure of annoying aunties at Christmas-time, always pressuring people to get married?
Gaea does not have Christmas, of course, but perhaps some approximation of it. And I am pretty confident that in every universe, there will always be judgmental aunties.
So a little holiday twist to the "arranged marriage" trope. Just a one-shot for now, but I might explore the idea more someday, who knows.
Merry Christmas!
….
Merle despised all the aunties who only seemed to show up towards the end of the year to criticize everyone's life choices but their own.
Every year, the same nonsense. And as a member of the Fanelian royal household, she somehow had to put up with it. For years, she did it for Van's sake, to help support him as he rebuilt the country after the war and to help him try and regain some semblance of stability in the wake of destruction. Even if it meant going back to antiquated customs and values.
But as she got older and more experienced, she wanted more than just conforming to these restrictive notions. And most of all, she wanted all these judgmental old crones to mind their own business and to stop asking her the same inane questions every single year.
She was free to live her life as she chose and she did not need their approval for anything. She also noticed, to some consternation, that Van did not have to put up with nearly as much pressure and criticism as she did. No, all the worst barbs were always reserved for the women.
So she did not expect him to understand her own frustrations and she did not bother to complain to him about them. Besides, she had always been able to solve her own problems anyway.
She had seen many other women cave to these vicious old women's expectations and then ended up in miserable, loveless marriages, all for the sake of keeping up appearances. Merle was determined never to end up like them and to never allow herself to be confined to something as restrictive as marriage. She would take control and the aunties would be powerless to oppose her.
So one year, she decided to shut them up once and for all.
At one of the usual gatherings, she waited for the inevitable question.
"My dear Merle, when are you planning to settle down and find yourself a husband?" one of the old crones asked in the usual, sickly-sweet tone.
Classic. Just the opening she had been waiting for.
"My dear lady," Merle replied, in the same fake sweet tone, "I am pleased to announce that I have just gotten engaged!"
Merle grinned as she saw the disbelief on the old woman's face. A group of other crones had gathered to hear the news. Such announcements always seemed to attract their attention.
"And who is the lucky gentleman?" another woman asked skeptically.
"He's just arrived!" Merle announced excitedly, before going to the entrance of the hallway and affectionately taking the arm of Dilandau Albatou.
The silver-haired man didn't exactly look pleased but neither did he look surprised or angry at the gesture. More than anything, he looked resigned to his fate, and simply escorted Merle towards to group of gawking old women.
"Meet my betrothed," Merle said cheerfully, "Though he hardly needs any introduction, I'm sure."
Dilandau gave a formal bow but said nothing.
A moment of tense silence before all the protestations began.
"You cannot be serious!"
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Him?!"
"What would Lord Van say?"
"Lord Van is aware of the arrangement and has congratulated us on our engagement," Merle replied calmly.
More noises of incredulity filled the room but Merle paid them no mind. She looked at her companion to try and gauge his reaction. But he seemed almost amused by the proceedings.
It was all an arrangement, of course, and one that would benefit them both. Van had taken some convincing to play along and Dilandau even more, but they both agreed to it in the end, unable to refuse Merle. How they all came to this unorthodox arrangement is a story for another time.
In the meantime, Merle delighted at causing such a scandal among the crones and she decided to shock them even more.
She pulled her "betrothed" to a fairly public area of the hall, making sure that everyone would see them. The place was decorated with some kind of exotic plants.
"Let's give them a show!" she whispered to Dilandau mischievously and before he realized what was happening, she had pulled him into a kiss.
Keeping his side of the bargain, he kissed her back, pulling her close and putting his arms around her.
Neither of them knew the power of the exotic plant known on the Mystic Moon as mistletoe, under which they had decided to enact their masquerade.