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

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna looked up as the door that led to the inside was opened, and was not surprised to see a pissed off Ean. He seemed almost uncaring about how furious their parents looked; in fact, it almost seemed as if he were only angry about being woken up. She found herself noticing that his hair was more tousled than before, as if he had just gotten out of bed. Well, at least he's dressed, she thought as she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. This boy seemed to enjoy sleeping too much, and it was a wonder to her that he could have actually dozed off after everything that had happened that day in Mortifer. But then again, I remember concluding that occurrences were only hurtful to me. Her thoughts were bitter, and she didn't feel in the mood for forgiving Ean, and didn't intend on it soon. She had found sleep to be something impossible, as it usually was on days where something unpleasant happened. But on Ean's standards, hurting someone was probably an every day occurrence.

But then she realized that she was thinking too much; analyzing him too much. If this goes successfully, we won't have to see each other ever again, she reminded herself. But a small part of her ached at that thought. Why wasn't she ecstatic about the idea of never seeing him again? He was rude to me today. He had betrayed her trust; something that she did not give out easily. But before, when they had been in the castle, talking about their family, she had given him her trust without even thinking about it. And the first chance he got, he had thrown it in the trash. Obviously it meant nothing to him - and probably to anyone in Mortifer - to trust someone. But I don't make the same mistake twice, she thought, determination shining in her eyes.

It was an order, to sit. She hesitated for only a split second before crossing the floor and sitting rather gracefully down at the very corner of the chair. In fact, she was so close to the edge that she was practically half on the arm rest. Obviously she didn't want to be caught even touching him, and wasn't doing a very good job at hiding it.

The king noticed how her daughter reacted with a slight sigh. He leaned forward in his chair, eyeing the two silently. His words didn't begin until Ean had sat down as well. "The queen and I were very surprised to discover your absences." His words lingered slightly, and he met Ean's eyes. "At first we were overjoyed that our couple had gone off by themselves to be alone."

Your couple. Giovanna wished she could repeat the words in disgust, but refrained herself. This would only cause more tension. And besides, she needed to play her cards well if this were to go out well. Her acting like a child would only disintegrate her credibility. And she could tell that her father was not finished, and knew better than to interrupt.

"But when word came to us that you each returned here alone, a line was crossed." Now he was turning his cold stare to Ean, and seemed slightly accusing. Obviously he wasn't pleased that the prince had abandoned Giovanna in Mortifer, a city he didn't trust. Even if he was forcing his own daughter into wedlock with its heir, it was still a foreign concept to him. His tone, however, was still very calm. Almost eerily calm; as if nothing could ever faze him. "And that line is the one that allowed you freedom. We have decided that neither one of you are to leave the company of your rooms unaccompanied."

Giovanna's eyes widened. It was bad enough that they were forced to live in the same castle; now she wasn't even allowed to leave her room? What kind of a prison sentence was this?

"What is more, as it seems that the two of you are being so pessimistic about the idea, there will be a time limit." He swallowed before continuing on; "You will have a month before you can make your decision. And we trust that it will be the right one, or those decisions will be reconsidered by us."

"But father, that means that we have no decision at all," Giovanna said quietly, knowing better than to raise her voice at him. "Your words imply that if we decide that we very well do not want to marry, you will force us otherwise. Why bother giving us a choice?"

The king smiled wryly, as if he were expecting an outburst sooner. "Please let me finish, my daughter." He cleared his throat, arranging his fingers into a steeple.

"By the end of the month, you both require to have either a reasonable argument why the wedding should not take place." There was a pause. "And by a reason, we mean a better person to marry rather than each other." He was implying that by the end of the month, they would be married if they had not found a suitable person to take the others' place.

Giovanna stiffened slightly. Of course Ean would have thousands of girls he would rather marry than her. And he would think of them in a heartbeat. But would they be suitable to the queen's standards? Karra was no princess, and she doubted the queen would be happy about dropping a marriage that would bring together two cities, to take the place of a judge's daughter.

And me? She hesitated. Who would she rather marry than Ean? The thought bothered her, as there really was no one that she would rather. Not that she wanted Ean in particular, but Giovanna really had never had a boyfriend, or any other man she would like to spend the rest of her life with.

(It's okay <3 Hope you can come on more!)

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Ean listened patiently to the King's words, all the while his mother stared across the space at Giovanna and him. The two of them were trying to will as much space as possible between their bodies on the small couch, and that had not gone unnoticed by the Queen, who narrowed her eyes at her son. Ean relaxed slightly in his seat, although he still made sure that he did not even barely touch the princess who sat beside him.

As the King went on slowly, almost too calmly, Ean's brow furrowed as realization hit him. They were to get married, either to one another, or to someone approved by them, by the end of the month? How was that fair, in the slightest? But when have these two ever cared about being fair about this whole ordeal? Ean reminded himself angrily.

He didn't know what made him say it, and knew that if he had thought just a second before speaking, then that would have been a wise decision. And yet, Ean suddenly found himself sitting up, and speaking directly to the two adults sitting before him. "By the end of the month, you wish us to get married, if I understand correctly? So, basically, if we cannot find anyone that you both approve of - which we all know we won't - then we will have to marry one another." He sneered slightly. "Despite the fact that it would not be very difficult to find someone better than your lovely daughter, sir, I still find this turn of events unfair. After all, this entire marriage-proposal has been ridiculous from the beginning; this only makes it more so." Ean seemed to realize within an instant what he had said, and how very, very disrespectful it had been.

"Ean Esabell!" the Queen snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. "How dare you disrepect the Princess and her father in such a way; you will apoligize immidiately! You understand what we have told you, and you will do as just. You will find a partner by the end of the month, or be wed to the Princess. Understood? And you will do well to learn how to hold your tongue. I will speak to you about this later." Her voice was dark, and fierce with anger.

Ean swallowed, and merely nodded once. He hated, above all else, being spoken to like a child, or even yelled at, especially in front of other people. Oh, he would hear about this later, he was sure. The back of his neck and his face burned with shame, and he mumbled a quick apology before casting his eyes away. He knew he was expected to behave at all times, especially in front of someone as important as the King of Anima, as well as the Princess, and he had most certainly failed at doing so.

And he still had no inclination as to why he had said what he had said; perhaps it was his anger at Giovanna, or his bitter resentment of the proposed plan, but something inside of him had seemed to snap, and he'd finally spoken his mind. He was unsure if he regretted it or not, but he was sure that he would later. His mother would make sure of that. He swallowed nervously again, and his heart skipped a beat, but not in a good way. He could only imagine what further punishment he would recieve.

He kept his head bowed slightly, refusing to meet anyone else's gaze now. His eyes were narrowed, though. Why, oh why did he have to be the Prince? For the first time in his life, he didn't want to be part of the royal family of Mortifer. Usually he was quite happy to be higher up than everyone else in the city, but now...well, now he was not so sure. He certainly wasn't very happy at the moment, and hadn't been since his mother had told him of the marriage. And there seemed to be no getting out of it, either.

Ean's mind was racing. Would he even be able to find anyone, within a month, that would be suitable? Yes, he had quite a few girls in mind who had sparked his interest in the past, but many of them had simply been something to mess around with when he had been bored. The ones who weren't, who actually had a little bit of substance to them - his mind immidiately darted to Karra - would most likely not be up to his mother's high standards. Ean had standards himself, too, after all, and not many girls could meet that. He was trapped, and the King and Queen knew that. After all, did Giovanna have anyone in mind? He doubted it, but she just might.

And what if he didn't manage to find someone as a replacement, as a reason as to cancel the marriage of the heirs? He would be forced together with Giovanna, something both people would surely be unhappy about. Ean's foot tapped thoughtfully, and slightly nervously, against the ground.

It really, truly did seem as if the two parents had them trapped, now. Ean did not want to just marry someone on the spot, who he didn't really care about, and yet he and Giovanna could hardly be considered compatible. So, now what?

Finally looking up, Ean worked hard to keep his face and tone emotionless, despite the turmoil he was facing underneath. "May we go now? You've given us a lot to think about, after all." He had no clue if his mother and the King were prepared to let them depart yet, but he surely hoped so; he was about to crack, and would rather do it in his room.

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna didn't allow any hurt to cross her face as Ean insulted her. Why was he saying these things to her father? Was it because he was angry that she didn't put up with his mean friends? Because she knew that Ean could have silenced their hurtful words with one word. His silence was another way of just agreeing with them. Or was he just angry at the idea of having to marry someone period?

The king seemed faintly surprised by Ean's outburst, but not enough to show his real emotion of annoyance. Silently he stared at the young man, listening to the queen scold him like he was a child. A sense of pride came to him as he noticed that his own child had not been so impulsive; although she had protested it, Giovanna had had the decency to stay respectful. He waited until the queen had finished, then cleared his throat, eyes narrowed only slightly. "I'll have you know that my daughter's hand in marriage has been requested by many people men even more suitable than you," he said quietly. There was some coldness in his voice, and although his words were not entirely true, he was not lying at all about having been approached by people searching for her hand. Although they were all rich, or high up soldiers, none of them were heirs to other cities, as the only city even remotely close to Anima was Mortifer. This marriage would benefit him and their cities, and although he allowed himself that one cool remark, he knew that it was essential to keep the boy thinking that he was somewhat in control.

It was a famous trademark of his; the king of Anima never showed any emotions, as it could show weakness, or could tip someone off of what was really going through his mind. It was only when he was alone with his family that he ever seemed to be himself.
Giovanna listened to her father while keeping her gaze on the wall beyond the two rulers. She was like Ean, afraid to meet anyone's gaze. So her hand in marriage was request since her brother's death? The thought irritated her, as no one had bothered until she was the actual heir to the throne. Of course they didn't care about the individual, only of their status and what it could benefit them. It did, however, make her curious as to who had asked for it. Was it someone she knew? The thought perplexed her, and for a moment she was silent, contemplating all of the men her age that she knew.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ean asking if they could leave. Finally she met her father's gaze, seeing that he had been watching her for a while. Was there pity in those eyes? She couldn't tell, and it bothered her that he would even feel any remorse for the decision he had just made. In a way, she would almost prefer if he would just be indifferent. After all, his actions were making him seem so. Giovanna knew that he was getting old, and that he wanted to pass on the throne to his only child left. Of course, he couldn't be done when she was not married, and obviously this was a bothering factor to him.

"You may leave," the king sighed, nodding to them.

Giovanna nodded before standing up and curtsying half-heartedly to them. All thoughts of escaping the deal that she had before seemed to be completely abandoned. Was there any hope at all now? She waited for Ean to take the lead, not wanting to push past him no matter how eager she was to depart.

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Ean held back yet another sneer or scoff towards the King's words; after all, he had no idea if he was speaking the truth or not. Why would he lie about something as such, after all? And of course, it would be expected that many had asked for the young heir to the throne's hand in marriage; it had happened to him as well, he knew. He stared into the emotionless eyes of the King, and nodded once, very slowly. "Yes, sir," he said in a quiet voice, his tone betraying nothing.

When the King said they could leave, Ean tried to waste no time in following Giovanna's lead, although he was trying his absolute best not to seem rushed. He was already in quite enough trouble as it was, and he didn't need to get scolded for yet another thing. Bowing deeply, almost too deeply, he met the eyes of Giovanna's father first, and when he said nothing, he looked to his mother. It was clear that they would still be having a talk about his outburst later on. Forcing a smile onto his face, and not even seeming to care how obvious the fakeness of it was, he turned and began to stride towards the doors, his footsteps evenly, and not as quickly as he would have liked, paced.

Once on the other side of the door, he leaned against the wall once he was sure he was out of sight of their parents. He ran a shaking hand through his dark hair, muttering something under his breath. When Giovanna had entered as well, he turned to face her, his eyes hollow. "Thank you very much, my dear Princess, for backing me up out there and standing beside me. I understand I shouldn't have spoken out in such a way, but we both know that neither of us thinks this new arrangement is fair. Why didn't you speak up more? That would have done wonders, don't you think?" His tone was scathing.

He didn't really mean to be angry at her; he was more angry at her father, and his mother, than anything or anyone else at that moment. And he was still feeling rather shameful about his outburst, and he truly hoped she would not say anything about it. It had been bad enough getting reprimanded by his mother in front of the King, but to have been scolded in front of Giovanna, well that was something he would not soon forget. He knew he had no right to be angry at her for not saying anything in their defense, for after all, what did he really expect; there was no way she would have, or could have, spoken out like he had done. And yet he had to take his anger out somewhere. He almost wished he had not said anything, and had simply gone back up to his room. Yet another mistake on his part.

And to think, Ean thought, not long ago we were up in my room, comforting one another, and closer than we will probably ever get again. Where on earth had that come from? The ordeal back at the castle still confused Ean, and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly had been going through Giovanna's had during those few moments. Certainly not the thoughts going through her head now, he was sure.

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna silently followed Ean, her steps silent on the marble floor. She silently closed the door to the outside once she was through it, and turned to see Ean leaning against the wall. There was no servant to accompany them, so she decided to stay. She leaned up against the wall across from him, her legs crossed. Her face was slightly dazed, and far-off as she seemed to be lost in thought. His words brought her back to reality, though, and silently she turned her cool blue eyes to him.

What, had he expected her to complain like a child, as he had? That would have gotten them nowhere, and Giovanna could see that his words were empty in that sense. He obviously seemed to be ashamed for interrupting her father, and for insulting his daughter, and a little embarrassed for being called out by his mother. At any other time, perhaps she might call him out for it, or throw it back in his face. But she Giovanna knew that fighting would bring them nowhere, despite how hurt she still felt from what had happened in Mortifer previously that day. But dwelling on that will get us nowhere. She was not about to forgive him without his apology, because that would never come. But their parents had them trapped, and there was no way they would get out by fighting. So she just kept her silence for a few moments, seeming lost in thought.

"You know perfectly well that saying anything at all would have just made it worse," she said calmly, watching as he glared at her with those dark eyes. She found herself remembering how the first day they had met, his dark eyes had been somewhat of a shock to her; no one in Anima had such unreadable, and yet such expression-full eyes. Now's not the time to think about that, she thought, pushing it away quickly.

"My father didn't mean that we both had to find a suitable partner," she said quietly. "If only one of us finds someone, the other will be free." She was silent for a moment, then stood up straight, meeting his gaze. "Wouldn't it just be best if you married the one you actually love? You and I both know who I'm talking about." Karra.

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Ean stared at her, staring into her deep, bright blue eyes. They still fascinated him beyond anything else about the young princess; until he'd met her, he had never seen anything quite like her appearance. He turned away, quickly trying distract himself with something else.

Sighing, he nodded once, very slowly and grudgingly. "Well, yes, you're right about that, I suppose," he muttered hesitantly, strongly disliking agreeing with her, seeing as they rarely did that. "It certainly made things worse for me, there is no doubt about that," he added as a bitter after-thought. Yes, he deserved it for speaking so disgraciously, and out of turn as well. But he still couldn't help but feel resentment about the whole ordeal.

When she spoke again, Ean's eyes quickly found hers again, his filled with a mere hint of confusion, as well as a bit of shock at her words. "I assure, I don't know who you're talking about." His voice was quiet, and he waited for her to explain. "I love no one." Both his voice and expression were emotionless as he said these words, and he seemed uncaring about it all, but all the same he turned away, his brow furrowing. It wasn't true, if he thought about it; yes, he woul admit he did not think he loved anyone in a romantic way. Not really, from within his heart, at least. He loved all of his family, especially his sisters, though. He was unsure if that counted or not, but he figured in this context it wouldn't; after all, they were talking of marriage.

"And what of you; you and that Evan boy seemed rather close. You could always get married to him. I'm sure he'd enjoy that." Ean hoped he only was imagining the coldness and bitter tone he had momentarily heard in his voice.

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna watched as he met her gaze, then quickly averted his eyes, as if trying to distract himself. What was that? Had she done something that had embarrassed him? Silently she sighed, lightly pushing a strand of blonde hair out from her face, and twirling it around in her fingers as she waited for him to say something. It surprised her when he agreed that she was right, though was slightly encouraging. At least he wasn't trying to start a fight again. This was some improvement, anyway.

He loved no one? That made his relationship with Karra seem even more annoying; were they just friends with benefits? Because something about it told her that they had been with this relationship a long time. Perhaps it was the way Karra looked at him; like she had owned him since the moment they had met. Then why did he allow her to fawn all over him? Maybe because that's all he wants from a woman. Then she stopped herself; why did it bother her so much that he had a girlfriend?

"I was only saying because you seemed rather close with Karra," she said calmly, her voice not suggesting any accusing note to it. "After all, you two did seem to go back." Why did it bother him so much that she was suggesting that he marry her? After all, it would be better than marrying herself, to both of them. Back in Mortifer, he had chosen to take Karra's side rather than her own, and therefore she was sure that when it came down to marriage, his choice would be the same.

When he brought up Evan, she seemed genuinely shocked. "Me and Evan?" she repeated, as if the idea was completely foreign to her. She had never thought of him that way, even if Ean had mocked them back in Mortifer. I didn't think he was serious... And why would that please Evan? He didn't like her... did he? Her face was quite thoughtful as if to contemplate it. Perhaps Ean was right; Evan was, after all, the only boy she ever had actually been around her whole life, besides her brother. And when she was younger, she had developed a large crush on him. But those feelings had long been buried, and she had just thought of him as one of her own friends. But what about Evan - did he like her as more than a friend?

"Maybe." She had heard the cold bitter tone he used as he mentioned them, and she hesitated. Wouldn't that be the most thrilling news yet? He could leave if she became engaged to Evan, and would never have to see her lovely self again. "Well either way, one of us is going to have to make a sacrifice. I was only assuming that you felt something for the girl you previously had a relationship with. Wouldn't you rather her than me?"

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

"Karra?" Ean scoffed. "A friend, nothing more." He knew that was a lie, a complete and terrible lie. He and Karra had more than just a friendship between them, but if he was being truthful, he was not completely sure of what exactly their relationship with one another was. They were not dating, although more often than not, it seemed as if Karra acted as though they were. They were often teased by their other friends about such things, but he had never put much thought into it. "We've been friends for a long while, yes; I do not know of her feelings towards me, but I can confidently speak of my own. I do not love her." He said it simply, and he met her gaze once more. "I can speak truthfully on that matter, at the very least."

When she seemed genuinely shocked when he mentioned Evan, and seemed to consider the possibility of it, his insides boiled. Yet again he told himelf he didn't care, and if he did that he shouldn't. Again, why should he? It was her life, and he could not care less who she wanted to be with. Although, he still rather disliked that solider's attitude; if she hated his own attitude, how would she be able to stand Evan's?

At her last words, Ean's mouth formed into a hard line. Did it really seem that he and Karra had had a previous relationship; perhaps they had, and he hadn't even realized it. She was always around him, touching hima and holding him. And yes, they'd shared a few 'fond' moments, where they had done a few certain things, but he had never truly considered it a real relationship. Just a little fun. But had Karra? She had certainly seeed rather defensive over him when Giovanna had come along, but he had not thought much of it until now. Perhaps it had been more than the anger towards Giovanna being from Anima than had been the cause of Karra's very angry attitude toward her.

"Yes, one of us certainly will." At her question, however, he stopped short. Would he? Yes...well, of course he would... right? He frowned and said nothing for a few moments, seemingly puzzled over something.

[Cloudsong]

Giovanna pursed her lip, watching him carefully as he denied any relationship with Karra. She didn't believe him, and wasn't even sure if he believed himself. But even if it was just for friendship, she was sure that if it came down to it, Ean would rather Karra than her. So why didn't he answer her question? Silently she nodded, as if casting it off. She didn't want to open that discussion up; it would probably only lead to more anger.

"I know you don't want to talk about this, but I also can see that you have had your share of relationships." Her tone was slightly higher than normal, as if she seemed hesitant to bring it up. "The same can't be said for me. I only assumed that you would have someone already thought of, even if it was just slight attraction for another woman." She knew that he could have his choice in any woman, and surely there was someone he had set his eyes on. Anyone but herself.

"But if it does come down to it, and you refuse to find someone, then I will take the honor of the sacrifice." Her voice was determined, and her eyes shone with something other than tears; pride. She now saw that Ean was being stubborn; that he wanted her to be the one to ruin her life. And it made her opinion of him sink even lower. But of course, like he had said the first time they had spoken alone, he would never marry her, and couldn't think of anyone worse than her as a suitor. Maybe it was the realization that she would be the one that would have to be forced into wedlock that made her eyes glisten, but she didn't seem outwardly sad. Perhaps a little frustrated, but her pride seemed completely in-tact. Her father had always told her that sacrifices would have to be made to keep her status, and this was one of them.

She approached him quite swiftly and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Not as a sign of romance, but more of a promise. A promise to set things right, no matter how hard it would result. "Goodnight, then," she said quietly when she pulled away. Within a few seconds she had disappeared up the stairs, and the door to her bedroom closed with a soft snap.

[FoldєdPapєrHєarts]

Ean knew that Giovanna would not want to be the one who had to be thrust into a sudden marriage, especially to someone who she did not truly care about. Neither did he, however, and he would not be the one to back down. She seemed calm about the entire thing, however, so he did his best to remain in the same state of mind.

"Well, I suppose we can both just hope that I find someone, then." Ean knew the last thing either of them wanted, especially Giovanna, was to have to be forced into a marriage with one another. She hated him. He...well, he didn't quite hate her, he didn't think - no, he just disliked her, and the very idea of marrying her.

When she stepped forward and leaned close to him, his expression betrayed his confusion, as did his furrowed brow. "What-?" he began, but stopped suddenly when he felt the light, gentle touch of her lips on his cheek. When her lips were gone, within only a second, his skin seemed to almost tingle where they had been placed. With only a 'goodnight' as a farewell, she had already turned and parted, quickly finding her way up the stairs. "Goodnight," he whispered, unsure if she would even hear his soft words. Ean watched every step she made, his eye widened briefly from shock. He reached up, lightly touched the spot on his cheek with his fingers, before slowly lowering his hand.

It had not been a romantic kiss, of course, that much had been obvious. It was simply a bidding of farewell, or something similiar. Nothing he needed to worry or think about. And yet, Ean could not stop himself from wondering if his skin had ever tingled in the way it was now whenever anyone else had kissed him. He couldn't remember it ever happening, and quickly pushed those thoughts away. It was probably his mind playing tricks on him, or something of the sort.

He nodded, deciding that that must be it. Rubbing the back of his neck wearily, Ean silently walked towards the steps, feeling all of a sudden very tired.