A/N: Or, if the really old king had realized that it's a colossally bad idea to send your young handsome nephew to retrieve your equally young, beautiful bride for you…
Pure Protection
Lune was smiling broadly as he led his childhood hero into his study and locked the door after them. "I can't say I'm complaining about the chance to speak to you alone, but you definitely have me curious as to your purpose."
Prince Humbert helped himself to a chair after the young king sat himself at his desk. "I assure you that I intend to be candid, your majesty. While I would rather my real purpose in your kingdom be unknown for now, it would be foolish and disrespectful not to inform you of my plans. Or rather, my uncle's plans," he amended in resignation.
Lune leaned forward while comfortably clasping his hands over the table. "Tell me everything," the younger royal urged with a smile.
The tawny visitor took in a long, steadying breath before starting. "My uncle has decided to give marriage another try, and he's set his sights on Princess Louise of Olpan."
The King of Alon nodded without surprise. "I did hear of the engagement. Is there trouble?"
Prince Humbert coughed uncomfortably. "At first, I was tasked to retrieve her, but then one of Uncle's advisors pointed out that with…" His jaw became firm with disapproval. "… how women typically behave around me, it might be best to send another, even if I'm the most efficient servant at his command. I find it an insult that they believe I would betray my uncle over a woman, but that is not the problem."
Lune blinked. "Then what is?"
"My uncle has decided that it's long past time I settle down," the prince sighed sadly. "I suppose it will make turning away admirers easier, and it helps that I'm not in love with anyone."
The king coughed to cover his confusion. "Shouldn't having a lover make getting married a little easier?"
Prince Humbert shrugged distractedly. "It would, if his majesty didn't pick her out for me. He wants a strong political tie with Alon, but it's not a secret that you're lacking in the department of female relatives."
Lune started, instinctively knowing where his idol was heading. "You're here for Haru."
His icon nodded. "Please take what I say how I mean it, and not how it will come out. My uncle is the most stubborn man I've ever met, and traditions are very important to him. One of the reasons the engagement negotiations took as long as they did, is because the King of Olpan is promising war if my uncle insists on…" The man closed his eyes in actual pain.
Lune gaped. "Please tell me you're not talking about… having witnesses on the wedding night?"
"Correct. Even though my uncle has been forced to back down, he will insist on it with me. He has for every marriage in the royal family, which my mother and several family members never fully recovered from. They are not the sort of things anyone would wish to hear from the cradle or personally experience, I assure you."
Lune looked nauseated. "I was hoping that was just a rumor. This isn't inspiring me to give my blessing, you know."
The prince shook off his dark mood. "Perhaps if I explain my plan to you. I am not asking for your permission to marry Haru, it's to court her and see if we are to each other's liking since I would much rather not be at odds with my own wife. At the tourney I'm officially here for, I'm going to ask for her favor before jousting and start small. If we are to each other's liking, I would take it as a personal favor if you would publicly insist on marrying us within Alon, with Alon's customs."
"I will cheerfully do so!" Lune promised with relief, nearly melting into his seat. "If I sentenced Haru to such a public humiliation, my wife would have my head!" Then he frowned. "Yuki won't be too pleased about Haru moving so far away from her. They're very close, you know."
"Like sisters is what I've heard," Prince Humbert agreed, not looking thrilled at the idea of causing pain before he so much as had the right. "My uncle knows I came here to court Lady Haru on my own terms, but he will be livid when he hears we married before 'receiving his approval in person'. Though I'm hoping I won't need it, would I be able to depend on you for support if my uncle decides to make returning to Yrael more painful than it's worth?"
Lune thought hard. "I wouldn't mind having you under my command at the slightest. But due to the holdings I can offer you, the best I have is an empty baronetcy."
The foreign prince brightened. "I've always fancied how 'baron' sounds. I would not be offended at all if circumstances come to being one." Then he took in a deep breath and leaned forward a bit in his chair.
"Now that my intentions are clear, I was hoping you would indulge me by explaining a bit about Lady Haru. There's very little publicly known about her other than her standing with your wife."
Lune gave him a wide smile. "I'll put it this way, Prince Humbert. If for any reason your uncle disowned you and I was able to take you into my service, Haru is the one I'd marry you off to. I can promise that she is one of the few women I know that doesn't care much for rank, so if you end up losing your title over defying your uncle's wishes, she'll treat you the same as always. She's a very sweet girl that I'll definitely need to marry off soon to keep the peace."
Prince Humbert smiled softly. "One of the few things I heard about her was that she would have been your second choice for a queen."
"That is an out and out lie," Lune retorted hotly before catching himself. After a minute of heavy thought, he sighed in resignation. "You may as well know as long as your sights are on her. The Marquis Yoshioka is a greedy social climber. While I was getting comfortable on my throne and becoming adjusted to ruling Alon, the marquis incessantly brought up that he had a lovely daughter that would make a perfect queen, to the point where when it was time for me to be presented with candidates, I went out of my way to bribe servants into finding out what Lady Haru looked like so that I wouldn't be stuck with the marquis for a father-in-law. Thankfully I fell in love with Yuki at first sight, but you could imagine how surprised I was to find she was so close to Haru. Yuki made sure that I informed the marquis that I got final say on Haru's husband, which is the only reason she isn't currently married to a duke as old as your uncle. I couldn't tell you how relieved I was that Lady Haru is the exact opposite of her father."
The prince scowled. "One of those. I assure you I have methods for handling such parasites. What about her character?"
Lune smiled a bit indulgently. "Haru very rarely speaks in front of me since she's shy around men, but I will tell you what my wife tells me. Haru is clever, kind, and patient as well as witty. She loves reading, sewing, and horseback riding. Haru was overjoyed that I didn't choose her because she prefers a quiet life without intrigue, which is likely a large reason so few people know that much about her. She only endures living in the palace so that she can be close to Yuki. One of the reasons my wife insisted on having her cousin for a lady in waiting is because she doesn't think the marquis or his son give her the affection she deserves and doesn't want her favorite cousin to be alone. If you make Haru feel like she never will be alone again, you will have a loyal, loving companion the rest of your days."
Prince Humbert couldn't help smiling at everything he heard. "Well, what do you know. If she is exactly as you describe her, then my uncle has better taste on my behalf than I gave him credit for."
ooOoo
He would have died before admitting it, but Prince Humbert was a bit nervous about very likely meeting his future wife. He tried to focus on making sure the straps of his armor were secure, and that his mount was comfortable under his own armor. The silly brute was pounding one hoof into the hard earth, enough to kick up a small dust cloud with his impatience to go out and literally prance for spectators.
"You're part of the reason I'm considered a show-off," he murmured to his steed's ear before patting the mane and mounting.
One of the valets tried to calm his horse as they waited for his turn to present himself.
'Brown eyes, brown hair, sitting next to the queen. Lady Haru shouldn't be hard to pick out among the ladies in waiting.' Against his will, a knot of nervousness began to form in his stomach, making him glad that was generally ill-advised for knights to enjoy breakfast before jousting. He held his helmet under one arm and held the reins with the other since lances would be given out as each joust commenced.
After what felt like too little time, the valet let go of the bridle so that the prince could approach the blinding summer light the contestants had been shielded from.
"Prince Humbert of Yrael!" the announcer proclaimed as the grey stallion pranced outrageously for the cheering crowds.
He couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. He looked up at the royal box as his steed approached to genuflect to the monarch, but it was not a monarch his green gaze was searching for.
Brown eyes, brown hair, sitting next to the queen. Perhaps it was his own nerves projecting, but something about the stiffness in her posture and the thin line of her lips seemed to say that she had been briefed on the prince's intentions. Her large eyes were locked on him with almost the same look a doe would give a hunter she was too afraid to run from.
Forcing his own nerves down, he performed a bow to the king with his horse that had taken over a month to train into his mount, eliciting gasps from those who never thought to do more than bow from the saddle.
Even the king hadn't known that a horse could do that. Once he and his mount had risen to their combined height again, Prince Humbert pounded one hand over his heart in salute before silently nudging his mount to the right, in front of the queen's ladies in waiting.
As per usual, a great many of them were making fools of themselves with little gestures, trying not to look desperate while at the same time doing what they could to draw his attention as a few of the braver ones even got their handkerchiefs out at the ready.
He ignored them in favor of the one that almost seemed to be desperately trying to pass herself off as the queen's silent, unmoving shadow. "Pray, fair lady," he addressed Lady Haru with a smile as the other ladies became still. "May I have the honor of your favor in battle?"
Her pale cheeks turned crimson at the request, and her shoulders tensed up like she was preparing to flee.
Lady Haru stood up from her seat slowly, her hands shaking as she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve. Prince Humbert urged his mount closer so that she wouldn't have to lean over the railing so far to attach the favor to his armor.
It was only a split second that his eye was caught by movement, but it was just enough to drop his helmet without thinking, hold his arms out and lean his body in a way his horse knew meant, 'just one step forward'.
Haru yelped with surprise as she toppled head over heels over the railing from a jealous push, only kept from a painful fall to the hoof-turned earth by the prince's quick instincts.
"Himeko!" the queen roared as she and her husband jumped to their feet.
Lady Haru still hissed in pain since the back of her head had come down hard on a steel-plated arm.
"My apologies," Humbert wished her a bit helplessly. "I know full armor isn't comfortable to land on."
"And I thought all of you were brave before," she muttered almost under her breath before slapping one hand over her mouth in mortification.
Humbert couldn't resist laughing a little. "Now you know why we're so motivated to win."
"Guards, take Himeko to the dungeons immediately!" Queen Yuki commanded, nearly spitting fire as she leaned over the railing worriedly. "Haru, are you all right?!"
"Y-yes. Uh, I mean, yes, your majesty," her cousin answered, still blushing while forcing her hand away from her mouth to favor the sore spot on the back of her head. "The prince's reflexes could put lightning to shame."
Humbert couldn't resist a smile at the praise. But that didn't stop him from gauging the difference in height between the railing and his place on the steed. "I think circling to the stairs for the royal box will be best for your dignity," he advised, setting her in front of him on the saddle so that he could reclaim the reins.
Lady Haru nodded, still mortified as he made short work of the distance. "I don't know why Himeko bothered. Count Akai is already wearing her favor."
"Oh?" the prince asked with interest. "What does his crest look like?"
She immediately froze as his mount stilled in front of the stairs, and a page was at the ready to assist her down. "You're not going to take this out on the count, are you?"
"Well, I certainly can't do a thing against Himeko, now can I?" he countered, since guards had already dragged the screaming lady in waiting nearly out of sight by now.
"Please just let it lie. Himeko is probably already regretting it, and if not, she will when Yuki dismisses her in the morning. The queen, that is," she hastily corrected herself again with a nervous smile as a second page returned her fallen handkerchief to her and held his helmet ready to pass back up once the lady was out of his grasp. She made to tuck it back up her sleeve.
"Would you mind tying that on?" he reminded the girl, making her pause in surprise.
"I have a clean spare," Haru explained, but the prince shook his head.
"I specifically want that one, if it's not too much trouble," Humbert insisted gently. There was something about wearing the slightly dirty handkerchief that was important to him on a strangely deep level.
For some reason, the marital vow 'in sickness and in health' repeated itself in his mind encouragingly.
He couldn't help wondering if the vow was also resonating through her mind as well, because she was blushing as she tied it into place on his armor.
"Whatever you do, please be safe," she told him in a lower, serious tone as she tried to keep her words for him alone. "Don't go showing off for me."
"No promises," he informed her with a teasing smile that at least got her to laugh before she was assisted down from his horse.
All in all, he found their first meeting favorable. It was rather pleasant that she was concerned about him, and that she was reluctant to complain even when she was hurt. His heart felt strangely at peace concerning their future.
"Your helmet, your highness," the page reminded Humbert, snapping him out of his thoughts and realizing he had been following his future wife with his eyes as she rejoined her worried cousin.
"Ah, thank you," the royal managed with an apologetic grin, reaching down for the plumed helmet. "Which one is Count Akai?" he whispered while doing so.
"His crest has a silver wolf, and he rides a white horse," the page whispered, casting a pointed glance at where other contestants were lined up and ready for the tourney to begin.
Prince Humbert had no trouble picking the man out. He even felt a bit sorry for the poor soul as he put on his helmet and specifically rode where his chances would be best to be matched up against the count.
After all, he'd made no promises.
xxXxx
My brain's been trying to give me more depressing options for this idea, but I'm trying to fight them back since I want this saga to end on a positive note and show that it really was bad timing that got in their way.