Snippets of a Knight's Woe

Chapter 24: Dual Proposal

Aegis did his special knock on the princess's study door—three taps and a thud—and waited for her to call out to him. He heard her say his name and entered, pushing the door open quietly and closing it behind him.

Amara sat behind her desk, her face buried in rolls of scrolls as she pored over documents. Aegis approached her slowly and looked down at her sympathetically, "Do you need any help, Princess?"

Amara shook her head without looking up from the scroll, "No, I'm almost done for now. Have a seat, baby." Aegis sat in a comfortable chair in front of her desk and looked at her curiously. "If I may inquire, what are you working so hard on?" Amara grinned and glanced at him over the top of the scroll.

The princess shifted in her chair slightly and asked in a teasing tone, "Do you really want to know?" Aegis nodded, lifting an eyebrow. "Well, I will be helping you rule eventually. I might as well use some of what I learned from my Redivan academia." Amara smirked at him and placed the scroll down in a separate pile. She clasped her hands together and said pragmatically, "I've been meaning to talk to you about something my father and I have been discussing." She tapped the scroll she had just been reading. "It has to do with what I've been working on." Aegis sat straighter, feeling that whatever the princess was about to discuss needed his full attention.

"Have you thought about ruling Redivan?" Aegis inhaled slowly, looking at Amara in confusion. "What do you mean?" Amara elaborated, "Let's say, in the long run, we defeat your father and dismantle those who supported him, and you take over as the rightful heir." Aegis paled slightly at what she was saying, "I can't rule over Redivan if you're here in Amaranthine, Amara. I won't do it."

The princess's chair glided back as she pushed away from her desk and walked over to Aegis, draping herself sideways over his lap. Aegis wrapped his arms around her, making them both comfortable. Amara looked into his eyes and swept his bangs aside as she told him softly, "Don't worry. If everything goes according to plan, we will be ruling over more than just Amaranthine and Redivan together, big guy."

The knight gave her a befuddled look as he played with her hair, "Amara, what is all of this about?" Amara sank deeper into his lap and said confidently, "Father and I believe that a great opportunity has presented itself with the start of this war. As rulers of a kingdom, we've decided that gaining more resources for our people would be best." She grabbed his other hand and started playing with his fingers, "War tends to make people suffer in various ways, and the least we can do is ensure the kingdom's survival and prosperity during these trying times."

Aegis continued to run his hand through Amara's hair, sighing deeply. "You know what you sound like, right?" He wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed slightly. "You sound like my father, the only difference being your reasoning." Amara pulled her hand out of his hold and caressed his cheek, connecting their gazes. Her tone was sweet as she said, "It's not the same, Aegis. We won't start a war; what Father and I have planned is a bit more strategic." She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. "You don't want to help me?"

Aegis looked into her amber eyes as he rubbed his face against her hand, responding softly, "I don't really have a choice, now do I?" He groaned and huffed against her hand. "Most men promise their lovers the world, but it would seem I am one of the few—if any—who is literally trying to give it to you." The princess smiled at him and pulled him in for a searing kiss. He reciprocated for a while before pulling away, leaving a small string of saliva that broke almost immediately. Aegis looked down at her with a daring smirk, "Hold on, sweetheart, I have something I want in return for my help."

Amara scooted upright in Aegis's lap and asked curiously, "What is it, Aegis?" The knight leaned down, gently biting her earlobe before whispering, "I want a small marriage ceremony before we leave for Foytic. Nothing like how our official wedding will be; your father will see to that. But official enough that we may consummate our love for each other." Amara let out a light laugh and buried her face in his neck. "Sure, but my father can never find out, okay? You know how much my wedding means to him." Aegis rolled his eyes and said offhandedly, "Oh, I know."

Aegis held her closer and picked her up before setting her down on her desk in a seated position. He dropped to one knee in front of her and pulled a ring out of his pocket, holding it out to her with a warm smile on his face. "I originally wanted to propose to you at the berry festival," he shrugged, "but we both know how that night ended." His forest-green eyes bore into her soul as he spoke tenderly. "Princess Amara, there is no other person in the world who makes me feel the way you do. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, it doesn't matter, for I want everything that has to do with you. I won't say you've completed me, because you haven't; I was always my own whole person. But what I love is being me with you."

The princess gazed down at her future husband, admiring the ring in his hand—an intricately designed gold band that loops around itself in a double helix shape, adorned with a single large diamond. Amara hopped down from the table and held out her hand to him, allowing him to slip the ring onto her finger as she said reverently, "Spoken words mean nothing without actions to back them up." She placed her ringed left hand against Aegis's cheek. "I have both heard and seen your love for me; in fact, I saw it long before the words ever passed your lips, Aegis." The princess moved her hand down his cheek and placed her thumb over his lips. "We've always belonged to each other."