Arranged Marriages

Jackson, Prince of Harrow

We all sat around the table, sleep in our eyes and no clue as to why we were roused from our beds at this time. I just hoped Aris received my new letter informing her I had to come here rather than the tower. Rather than be with Aris, I was with the other Princes and their parents aswe waited for Briac to arrive. 

After what seemed like forever, he barged in to the room, his hair not tied back for the first time since we had met and his cheeks flushed pink. What had he been doing? Surely not sleeping. He apologized as he took a seat next to his mother, and we all looked to August. 

"Do you mind telling me why I was awoken at this ungodly hour?" The King of Draconia demanded, his wife placing a calming hand on his arm in response. 

"Why are we here?" August repeated, then implored "Initially or at this moment, sir? Initially, because the princes and princesses of our kingdoms agreed to marry strangers, to marry in to the other kingdoms. Your highness, I'm sure none of us were exactly thrilled about it to start. But now we are here because none of us are strangers anymore, we have met and come to terms with getting married to whichever person, and that is now being threatened. Our lives are no longer abstract, rather they are very concrete."

"Are you saying I should hand my daughter over to Prince Short Temper over there? He just tried to kill someone before our very eyes!" The king of Yililia shouted.

I flinched, but quickly stood and defended, "Please, I beg you all to forgive me. Though what I did is unforgivable it was powered by something that you could never understand until you watch someone you love, someone you look up to lose their life. It is no excuse, I know, but my sister's kind heart helped me realize my wrong-doings. You see....she didn't give forgiving Briac a second thought, she understood and forgave him because that's who she is, though I have my suspicions that she forgave him before she even knew it was him. But I assure you that what I did is entirely out of character and I would never harm Aris nor anyone else."

Swallowing a lump in my throat, I faced the fact that I could not only lose Aris but Rosemary if I didn't fix this. Offering Briac my hand, I said, "I hope you and my sister will be very happy together, brother."

Briac stood, accepting my hand and shaking it heartily before we both took our seats. 

"I still feel uneasy about this." The King of Bryni spoke up.

"Darling, leave it be. Let them wed." His wife urged. Her husband gaped at her as if she had lost her mind, and she shared a knowing glance with Briac before clarifying, "The boy apologized, and look at our son. When is the last time you've seen him so happy? I'll tell you, I haven't seen it in years."

"I have to agree with you." The king of Draconia said, suddenly interested, "Our darling Saja has never been happier. And perhaps I shouldn't say this, but earlier I caught her dancing about her room, smiling, happy, and it broke her heart when I told her she may not marry August."

It was August's turn to blush, and he stole a glance at his parents before he said, "Wouldn't we simply be doing more harm than good by calling it off?"

Briac shifted in his seat, then said, the first time I've heard him without a stutter, "You know, it's quite different, what you expect and what happens. As August said, I'm sure none of us were thrilled to be matched with strangers, and girls several years younger than us as well. But, in theory we all agreed to save our countries from war. But then we all met, and how can you face the person you know you are to marry....then have them taken away from you? I'll even venture to say, though perhaps I shouldn't....if all of the blood alliances do not stay intact....I think I should still like to marry Rosemary. And that's the difference between theory and reality."

I swear my mother's jaw nearly hit the floor, father's eyes nearly fell out of his head, and Briac's father looked like he had forgotten how to speak. The only one who didn't look remotely shocked was his mother, which I found quite curious. 

Clearing my throat, I said, "And I Aris."

August took his cue and announced, "As would I with Saja."

Our parents were silent for a moment before my father finally said, "Who ever thought it would be a good idea to put us in a room with four future kings?"

He got a good chuckle from the rest of the parents, and they all rose as Briac's father concluded, "Well, I believe I speak for us all when I say our sons will be great kings one day with our daughters by their sides."