Arranged Allegiances - 1x1 (Don't delete!)

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna didn't seem to mind as Ean frowned, obviously not caring if he thought it was a silly thing that she had said. After all, his opinion wasn't really important to her. She pretended not to hear him as he mentioned her brother's thoughtfulness. Because although she could tell that he was trying hard not to say something spiteful, it was at the tip of his tongue as if he were just biding his time. She kept her silence as she put her hands gently upon her chest again, eyes still trained on the sky as she pretended to be looking a the stars. In reality she was trying to remember each and every detail from that night, when her brother had been poisoned. The question that still had not yet been resolved by the castle's detectives was who had done it. Who could have wanted the heir dead? Silently she closed her eyes, blocking out everything as she thought hard.

But Ean's question broke into her mind anyway, and she opened her eyes rather suddenly, a hesitant look on her face. Would it be wise to tell Ean about her brother, and how he had just died? What if he made fun of it? The thought bothered her, and Giovanna was silent for a few seconds before she shook her head. "I only have one," she said quietly. "A brother; his name was-" She hesitated before correcting herself. "-is Mateo." It didn't occur to her that Ean would ask why he wasn't the one in line for the throne; after all, he might not know that he had been poisoned since it had happened so recently, but everyone knew that the Queen had died after giving birth to the princess. It had been such a big deal, that she was sure that the news would have reached even Mortifer.

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

"Mateo, huh? How old is he, your brother?" Ean asked, his face still turned towards Giovanna and his express questioning. He, and practically everyone else between the two cities, knew that the Queen of Anima, obviously Giovanna's mother, had died many years ago. At the time, Ean had been to young to care or ask why or how she had died, so he was oblivious to the reason why the Queen had passed away. He wished he'd thought to ask when he was younger, but he knew his mother and father knew why. He supposed he could ask Giovanna, but that would be considered insensitive, so he decided he'd ask his mother later.

Ean wondered now how the Queen had died; perhaps she had been assassinated, or maybe she had simply fallen ill, for that was common within the citizens of the cities. Although, come to think of it, the royal families were often very well cared for and had the top nurses in the city looking after them. He supposed, though, that it was still possible for even royalty to fall ill. The question was still burning on the tip of Ean's tongue, but he kept silent once more. After all, it would be quite rude to simply ask her how her mother had died; it was a sensitive subject, most likely.

[Cloudsong]

Ean's question again took Giovanna by surprise, and she bit her lip, quickly sitting up from her peaceful laying position in the sand. She crossed her legs and looked the other way, obviously at a loss for words. There was a long silence when she debated whether or not to answer, then she just swallowed. "Uh he's -" She seemed quite startled for a moment, then she quickly regained her posture, and tilted her head slightly to the side. "What about you?" she asked finally, as if she had disregarded his question. After all, lying about his age would only cause suspicion, and telling him the truth would cause Ean to ask why he was not the heir. Talking about it at all seemed to cause discomfort in her, and she pretended to be absorbed in the task of tracing her fingers through the sand.

Giovanna was quite certain that Ean would be surprised that she had changed the subject so quickly, but a small part of her hoped that he wouldn't press the subject.

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Ean's brow furrowed and his small frown reappeared. All of a sudden, she had changed the subject, without a warning or any reason to. "What, did my question offend you or something?" he muttered, completely and obviously confused. "I mean if you didn't want to answer, just say so. Don't change the subject." Turning away, he gazed out over the gently swaying water. The wind whistled slightly as it passed his ears and Ean sighed, realizing then how easily irritated he could be. He alwways had been like that, however, and it wasn't as if he could change the way he was, or who he was - which was an arrogant, irritable show-off who thought very highly of himself. And he was quite okay with that, if he was being honest with himself.

The silence stretched on for a few moments before he responded to her question in a soft voice. "I'm nineteen, since you asked," he murmured, lowering his gaze to the sand below his feet first, then finally back to Giovanna. He looked at her, taking in her expression for a couple of moments, before speaking once more. "And you? They never would tell me how old you are, no matter how much I asked. Actually, they told me nothing about you, come to think of it."

It was the truth; he had persistently and constantly questioned his mother and anyone who he thought might know about his 'future bride'. What was she like, what did she look like, how old was she? None of these questions had been answered, however, and he'd been ignored completely.

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna watched as he turned away, noting the irritation in his voice as he commented on her changing the subject so quickly. So he had noticed. Silently she blew a strand of hair that had gotten into her face off, slightly annoyed by how quickly he could lose his temper. The truce she had hoped for seemed to be wearing off, and she realized that it had been too good to be true; Ean hated her, after all. "Okay," she agreed. "I don't want to talk about it." Two could play this game. She crossed her arms, brooding in silence as she looked over at the ocean, inhaling deeply as she tried to cool her temper. Resorting to bickering was not her preferred plan of action, even if she had sworn that this man could grate her nerves so easily.

But her annoyed expression seemed to fade instantly as Ean began to speak again, saying in a soft voice that he hadn't been told anything about her when the marriage had been announced. She felt slight pity for him as she realized that he had been in the same situation as she had been in. Only, perhaps worse for him. My father at least told me a little about him... Her voice trailed off, and she glanced over at him once again, seeing that he had turned around to face her. The king had said little, though not because he had no interest in informing her; if anything, it was because he too was in the shadows when it came to the Prince. All he had heard were rumors from his guards as they had picked up when they went to Mortifer to accompany merchants that would sell to the city. Even then, all they had told him was that he was seen a few times - mostly being rude to the street people, or yelling at his servants publicly. His appearance, and his name had been a mystery to her.

And the thing I care the most about - his personality - is still a factor I haven't uncovered. Sure, he was rude and not very appealing most of the time, but maybe that was only because he was angry about the marriage, and because he knew that she would be expecting the prince of Mortifer to be mean and nasty. Perhaps he was only living up to this. She considered the thought for a moment before answering his question.

"I'm seventeen," she replied, smiling slightly. A two-year age gap was nothing compared to some set-ups; she had once heard of a man who was fifty, marrying a twenty year old woman. In an afterthought, she added; "My father didn't tell me much about you, either. But maybe that's just because he couldn't really get any information." She sighed, remembering the day her father had announced that she would have to wed. It must have been just as bad for Ean.

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Ean looked at her for a few moments before nodding once. "All right, fine. But next time just say so, instead of trying to be all cryptic about it," he muttered. When she said that she was seventeen, he looked back at her in surprise. "Seventeen, eh? Really, you look much older -er, in a good way, that is. I took you for someone of my age." When he realized what he said, Ean quickly ducked his head, the skin on the back of his neck slowly turning red.

So, he thought, she hadn't been told much about me either. Well, at least she had some information on her arrival; the only thing I'd known was that she was from Anima. Other than that, I had been left in the dark. Ean wanted to know more about her, truthfully, he wanted to pick through her brain and learn of her personality, ambitions, history, and everything in between. However, a small, whining part in the back of his mind told him otherwise. It asked him what was the point, when he didn't even plan on marrying the girl? Why string along the pretense of caring when it was widely known between the two of them that they hated one another. And yet, he was still very curious, he could not get over that fact.

Ean craned his neck once more, looking up at the stars above. "It's getting late," he thought aloud, more to himself than to Giovanna. "We should be getting back, I suppose," he said, this time only for her benefit. "After all, what would people think we'd been up to, if they saw us walking back together at such a late hour?" He winked at her before standing up, a sly grin on his face. He knew saying that would irritate her, or at least he very much hoped so. He brushed the sand from his pants and hands, although that didn't help much, for he was covered with the fine, lightly colored granules.

Ean shook his head before turning back to Giovanna, hesitating before stepping closer and holding out his hand, offering to help her up. Whatever she or anyone else might think, Ean was nothing if not a gentleman. Or, rather, he was one when he felt like it.

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna couldn't help but smirk slightly, and she flicked a strand of wavy blonde hair to the side. He obviously saw a two year age gap to be something big, while to her it seemed so small. But I'm still of-age, she thought, with a flicker of annoyance. It wasn't like she was a child, or anything. Would he think of her as one, now? The thought bothered her, for some unknown reason. Why should she care, after all? It's not like I care what he thinks. It continued to burn her, however, and to cover up her annoyance, she returned her gaze to the sea, only glancing over at Ean when she felt herself completely composed again.

When he suggested that they go back, a small part of Giovanna wanted to protest. How odd, she thought. When they had come down here, all she had wished to do was shake Ean off. But now, with the cool ocean air blowing onto her, and there finally being a truce, she found herself almost enjoying his company. This made her almost burst out laughing. Oh, the irony. The man she had sworn would be the death of her seemed to actually be interesting. She smiled slightly as he offered her a hand up, and took it gently, pulling herself up. When her hand met his, however, she found herself almost blushing. Before, when they had had to hold hands, she had been inwardly cursing him. Thankfully, the moon covered up any light pink tinge in her cheeks.

"Oh yes, a good suggestion," she agreed, slight amusement in her voice. "Although, our parents would be thrilled if they figured it out." She rolled her eyes, laughing slightly. "We wouldn't want to give them the wrong idea, though."

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Ean chuckled quietly and shook his head. "No, no we certainly wouldn't want that." He, although a little slower than necessary, let go of Giovanna's hand. When he did so, his skin felt a touch colder than it had in the previous moment. He pushed that thought immidiately from his mind and turned away, his smile disappearing for some reason. "Er, I guess we should go. Come on," he murmured, turning away. Without a word, Ean began to walk back up along the beach, barely able to see their path from earlier in the sand. He ducked his head and put his hands once more deep into his pockets, inside of which he was thoughtfully fingering the ring he'd taken out earlier.

Ean realized then, in the back of his mind, that in a way he didn't want to go back. It wasn't as if he would admit that though, and therefore he once again pushed his wandering thoughts right out of his mind.

---

Ean flinched as the curtains were pulled back from the window next to his bed. "Mother!" he spat, turning away and shielding his eyes with arm. "What on earth do you want?" He pulled his soft cotton blanket towards his eyes, attempting to cover them, but his mother grabbed the end of them and pulled them back away from his face once more.
"Up! You must get up. Breakfast and the Princess, as well as her father, await downstairs. You should have been up hours ago, Ean! You simply cannot keep them waiting like this, it is incredibly rude!" the Queen snapped, her shoe clicking against the wooden floor impatiently.

Ean groaned, turning onto his side so his back was to his mother. "Mother, no. I do not want breakfast, I'm very, very tired. I was out late last night. Can I please just stay in bed for a while longer?"
"No! I saw you two coming back in last night, and that was your own fault, for staying out that late. Although, I will admit, I enjoyed seeing you spending time with the Princess. However, you will get out of bed this instant, get ready, and come downstairs for breakfast. I expect you down there within ten minutes, do you understand?"
Ean groaned yet again, but gave no other responce. He buried his face into his feather-filled pillow, mumbling something incoherently. The Queen, in reply, said nothing more exept "ten minutes, Ean Esabell" and with that turned and left the room.

Ean was thoroughly tempted to ignore his mother's wishes and simply lay there until she either came up herself or sent someone else up. However, he was rather hungry, and he knew there was no getting back to sleep now. Sighing and muttering something under his breath, he ruffled his hair before slowly sitting up and letting his long legs hang over the bed.

-

Dressing quickly, he was indeed downstairs within his mother's time requirements. Entering the hall, he found his mother, as well as the King and Giovanna sitting at a long table, breakfast laying out before them. He approached them silently, and despite what he wanted, his eyes strayed over towards the Princess instinctively.

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna sat at the long table in the hall, her elbow on the table as she rested her head upon her hand. She wore a pale blue dress that was much simpler than the one she wore before. After all, today wasn't as important as yesterday in the sense that yesterday she actually had to dress up to impress the Prince in their first meeting. This dress, however, accented her eyes rather well, and she wore a thin layer of makeup that her maids had applied that morning. She had a bright expression on her face as she sipped the tea that was in front of her, and a brightness to her eyes that yesterday had not been there. Giovanna had always been a morning person, and the despite the perilous position she was in - she and the Prince had to fall in love, as her father had reminded her this morning when they had come down for breakfast - she couldn't help but feel a little cheerful from the good weather. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes as she remembered how serious her father had been when he had informed her that it was essential for the kingdom that the wedding take place soon. I highly doubt that marrying him will make anyone happy. It certainly wouldn't make her happy, and she was almost positive that if her people from Anima saw that the marriage was forced, they too would be angry.

She focused on the window in front of her, seeing that the day was even brighter than yesterday. Perhaps later if she could, she could go swimming. That is, if the Prince and my father, and the queen aren't around... This possibility seemed unlikely, but she couldn't help but hope.

As the prince walked in, she immediately looked up, noticing in an instant that he seemed slightly tired, as if he had just been woken up. The thought amused her slightly. Someone isn't a morning person, she thought, smiling slightly.

The king nodded to Ean as he entered the room. "Goodmorning, Ean," he said graciously. He had just finished eating, and quickly got up, pushing his chair out. "I'll leave you two alone, then; I have matters to speak of with the queen." He winked at his daughter before exiting, closing the door behind him.

Giovanna scowled slightly, realizing that her father was only trying to force them into talking again. She looked down at her plate, and picked up the spoon, stirring her drink slowly and loudly. "Sleep well?" she commented, glancing up after a moment. For some odd reason, she felt almost awkward, after last night where they had almost gotten along.

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Ean nodded and then bowed sleepily towards the King when he greeted him, seating himself across from Giovanna. "Goodmorning, sir," he murmured, his voice slurred ever-so slightly. He couldn't help but scowl, however, as his mother and her father stood up, leaving the room and he and Giovanna alone, with the poor excuse that they had to discuss things. He might as well have stayed in bed, for all the good sitting down at this table with the Princess was going to do for him. He frowned down at his plate of food, glaring at it as if it was the cause or reason that he had to have gotten up out of bed. It seemed as if he was forcing himself not to look at the Princess.

Ean picked up the glass of water that had been placed before him upon his arrival, sipping casually. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, for once he'd gotten back into his room the night before, it had taken some time before he had been able to find sleep. He'd had quite a few things on his mind, and after all, it had been a long day, and his mind had been buzzing. His hair, although he had attempted to comb through it before he'd arrived downstairs, was still slightly tussled. He rubbed at his eyes, yawning widely.

Finally, he had to look up when the Princess addressed him. Slowly, deliberately slowly, he raised his eyes and placed them on her. Goodness, did her eyes seem to stand out in the dress she was wearing. No, don't think about that, he told himself quickly. Swallowing the water, he placed his glass back on the table in front of him. His index finger stayed on the rim of the glass, tracing it's circular edge idly. "No, not really, if you must know," he muttered, his voice now a little less slurred. The water had helped, it seemed, to wake him up, if only somewhat.

"And you?" he finally asked, his eyes quickly darting away once more. It irritated him to no end that she didn't even seem tired in the slightest. He made sure to keep his eye on his hand, the one with which he was using his finger to trace the rim of the cup. Ean felt the urge to look back up, to meet her deep blue gaze, but somehow resisted. He neednt do such a thing, stare at her. Why should he, after all?