streetprince | open post

When I marry... it's going to be an arrangement, right? There isn't time for niceties like getting to know each other properly, falling in love, any of that.

[ The best he can hope for here is instant attraction, and for sure they've got that going here but that isn't what Giselle wants. At least that's not the impression he's been given. ]

I hope I'll get along with my wife. Hell, maybe I even will fall in love with her, eventually.

[ He smiles at her a little, and there is tremendous sadness in it, but also genuine affection. ]

Falling in love with someone like you... I can't imagine it'd be too hard. But I can't swear to you that it's how things would turn out, do you understand? I care about you, Giselle. I want you to be happy, and if I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I could do that for you... well, I would be one lucky son of a bitch.

[Now she understands it when she overhears married women talking among themselves, saying that men are hopeless. Arthur's just as hopeless as any other man, when it comes to matters like this. The fact that she feels like she's the one who's in better control of the situation makes her smile a little. And instead of commenting on his language, she decides to stay focused on what matters here.]

Why don't you think I'd understand? I know how things might turn out. But I care about you enough to want to try.

[Silly Arthur.

He has no idea that she was fully planning on marrying him three seconds after meeting him. It was a love at first sight, singing songs in her head and then singing songs out loud to animals kind of thing. Now that she knows that isn't normal, she's made it a goal that he never ever find out.

So she does what people are supposed to do when they're attracted to someone and feel something for them. She leans in to press her lips against his. For someone who's never kissed before, she's pretty good at taking charge and initiating contact.]

[ He's as hopeless as any other man when it comes to most things, really. What he has, however, is a drive that burns hotter than the sun. Once he has set himself a goal, he will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

The kiss takes him completely by surprise, he wouldn't have expected something so forward from her, but in light of what she just told him... he doesn't mind going along with it at all, actually.

Unlike Giselle, Arthur has certainly kissed before, though he doesn't really make use of any of the skills he has picked up in this particular moment. He just adjusts the position of his head a little so that their lips fit together a bit better while he wraps his arms around Giselle to pull her close.

He doesn't try to deepen the kiss, he just makes very sure that she knows that the gesture is appreciated before his lips break away from hers so that he can talk again. ]

You sure about this?

[They're close enough that she doesn't feel awkward bringing her hand up to the back of his head. Her fingers gently thread through his hair, and she smiles contently as she guides him to rest her forehead against hers. A few breaths pass, the warmth between them mingling and filling her with a sense of certainty.]

Of course I'm sure. Have you ever known me to be unsure about anything?

[She's not someone who changes her mind often. When she believes in something, she sticks with it. She's confident in her choices, and she doesn't feel unsure about whatever it is that's happening right now. Whatever exists between them, only time will be able to tell what it will grow into.

Still pressed together, her hand drops from his hair to his shoulder as she kisses him briefly once again. ]

[ He huffs out a quiet little chuckle, unable to deny her point. What Giselle wants may not always make sense to him, but she does know what she wants out of life and doesn't tend to stray from that path. They're sort of alike that way. ]

Well. Until we're pronounced husband and wife you can still change your mind. After that things get more complicated.

[ But obviously he would never force her to stay in a situation she couldn't stand. ]

Mm.

[She makes a vague, non-committal sound at that. She knows that things will be complicated, in a variety of ways. She counts her lucky stars that she's really matured since leaving her little cottage in the middle of nowhere, because that Giselle probably would be tempted to suggest they get married right away. The woman she is now can wait.]

I'll definitely keep that in mind.

[The flower crown that he's wearing slips and bumps against her head, and she laughs as she steals in and places it upon her own instead. She pulls away from him completely after that, grinning as she turns to keep walking. In her head,
she thinks she's playing it cool. But she definitely looks ridiculously smitten.]

You can spare the time to stay out a little longer, can't you? I'm not ready to go back yet.

[ Yeah, he's not really buying into the act, but it's fun to watch her give it a go.

He starts walking after her at a leisurely pace, one hand resting on the hilt of Excalibur. The sword is the reason they can have this measure of privacy, since with it he can take on a large number of attackers on his own. ]

I'm not in a hurry.

[ She looks good in a crown, he thinks, and decides to take it as a good sign. ]

I don't get many days like this anymore.

Edited 2017-05-13 22:24 (UTC)

[She's not in a hurry, but with the expanse of field and flowers out in front of her she rushes forward anyway. He's here with her, she feels perfectly safe. So she prances and gathers her skirts so she can run, right as a gust of wind crosses over them.

The flower crown on her head goes flying off, and with a sharp gasp she goes chasing after it. If he's essentially just agreed to give marrying her a chance, then she wants to mark the occasion by practicing wearing a crown.

When she finally catches it, it's with a triumphant laugh, and she gracefully places her crown back into place. It doesn't take long for her to make her way back to him, so they can walk side by side. As the walk in a companionable silence, she eventually reaches over to take hold of his hand. This is probably the quietest and most calm she's ever been in his company.]

What, happy days? Or ones that are peaceful? I think this is definitely my favorite day since I've been here.

Edited 2017-05-13 22:33 (UTC)

[ He threads his fingers through hers, letting their joined hands gently swing between them as they walk through the flowers. ]

A day to just... be, I suppose. But I didn't have many of those before I got a crown thrown at me either.

What was it like for you before you became King?

[They still have so much to learn about one another, and this seems like a good place to start. She glances down at their joined hands before turning hers so their fingers are laced together.]

[ Oh dear.

Arthur isn't ashamed of his life before he took the throne, and he will not lie to her about it, but damn if it doesn't feel a little awkward to discuss it with Giselle. Mostly because he can't even begin to guess how she'll react, and he doesn't like that kind of insecurity in a situation where he's already feeling a little bit... exposed. ]

Vortigern murdered my parents, but I got away in a boat. Floated to Londinium, and I was found by some girls who worked in one of the brothels. That's where I grew up. They looked after me, and eventually I figured out how to look after them a bit in return. I did a lot of fighting, did a lot of things that weren't what you might call strictly in adherence to the letter of the law.

Edited 2017-05-13 23:14 (UTC)

[Giselle actually isn't really sure what a brothel is. She hears chatter from other women, but she's never really thought much on it. So she tries to piece things together while she looks a little confused.]

Well...whatever you had to do back then, it's made you into the man you are today.

[She gives his hand a squeeze and tries to find some common ground.]

I don't even remember my parents, or how I lost them. But what I do remember was living alone in the woods. There were animals, of course, but it was so lonely for such a long time. Then that hungry Orc attacked so he could eat me, and you found and rescued me. You wouldn't have been able to do that if you didn't learn how to look after people.

I don't remember much about my parents either. Mostly just how they died.

[ He says it casually, as if it doesn't bother him much. He may have faced those particular demons by now, but it's still hard for him to really let himself feel the loss of his parents. ]

How did you survive out there alone for so long?

The animals helped me.

[She says it like it's common sense that woodland creatures would be able to help. But she guesses that here, it's not really a common thing. Now that she thinks about it, it's not very common at all...

Oh well.]

And I learned to take care of myself at a young age. The hardest part was learning to make dresses on my own.

[ He has a thoughtful little frown on his face while he listens, every now and then turning to look her up and down as if in search for clues.

Talking to animals. He only knows one kind of people who can do that. ]

I've been thinking about the animals thing... I wonder if your parents might have been makes.

Might have been what?

[She sounds a little surprised that he'd even ask. After losing her parents at such a young age, she's tried not to really think about them. It's easier to not wonder what happened, to not imagine them dying or choosing to abandon her in the woods. ]

How would we know if they were anything except normal? I mean...talking to animals isn't that strange, is it?

[Yes it is, Giselle, and you know it.]

Mages.

[ Crap, he really isn't the best person to ask about this sort of thing. He'll have to ask the woman he still only knows as "The Mage" for some reason to maybe explain things a little better to his now future queen. ]

One of the peoples who share this land. They know how to use magic, and they have aconnection with nature. At least it has seemed that way to me.

[She has to take a moment to really imagine herself having a bloodline that would enable her to use magic. ]

Is being a mage a bad thing?

[Because she has a connection with nature, and magic doesn't sound all that terrible to her. But she knows from experience that people tend to push back and not like things they don't understand.]

I want people to like me. Not fear or hate me.

No, it's not a bad thing. Doesn't mean everyone will like you for it, but not everyone likes me either. Can't please everyone.

[ He sighs a little, his grip momentarily tightening around Excalibur's handle. ]

There was a war, for a time, between a very powerful mage called Mordred, and pretty much everyone else in the kingdom. It led some to think that all mages were the enemy... a lot of them were killed.

[ Which might explain how Giselle ended up alone in the forest as a child. ]

[You can't please everyone? This is news to her.

As is what he explains to her about the war she didn't know about. There were so many things she didn't learn growing up that she's having to now.]

What kind of awful thinking is that?

[She's mildly horrified that someone might want to kill her because of who her parents may or may not have been.]

Killing someone just because they're a mage is terrible.

People can be terrible, Giselle. If you're going to be queen, that's just something you'll have to deal with.

[ Arthur has seen some of the ugliest sides of humanity, and he knows that he embraced a few of them himself too. It's not a happy truth, but if she's going to rule by his side she is going to have to accept that not everyone is as kind as she.

It's the first step toward being able to do something about it. ]

Edited 2017-05-14 18:44 (UTC)

Oh, I'll deal with it alright.

[She sounds a little ridiculously heated, but at least she understands that not everyone is kind. She can't believe that when she first showed up, she thought everyone was good and wonderful. She'll always believe the best in others, but he's taught her to be more cautious about trusting strangers.]

There's nothing you can't drown out by staying kind, but -

[She hesitates, glancing down to catch sight of Excalibur.]

You'll keep me safe.

[She can slay her own dragons, but it doesn't hurt their budding relationship to let him know that she trusts and believes in him.]

I'll try.

[ He has already failed to keep so many people safe, the thought of adding her to those ranks is like a stab to his gut.

He doesn't want to think about it, so his mind casts about for some way to change the direction of the conversation, and it snags upon the realisation that he still hasn't actually asked her to be his wife.

He might not be able to really give her much in terms of romance just yet, but he can at least give her a proper proposal.

So he stops walking, turning toward her before taking a knee, looking up at her with a bit of a cheeky smirk and a bit of a playful sparkle in his eyes. He hasn't let go of her hand, though his grip did shift to accommodate for their new positions. ]

If you would do me the tremendous honour of being mine to protect, as your husband. I just realised that I never really asked, so. Giselle, will you marry me?

[Oh.

He's actually doing this the way that it's done in storybooks. Giselle's cheeks turn pink as her face lights up, and she smiles down at him. His words don't really sink in at first, not until her mind stops whirling in 500 different ecstatic directions.]

I was hoping that talk wasn't your way of proposing.

[He's managed to fluster her with such a sweet proposal. Her grin turns into a momentarily cheeky smirk, before she laughs in order to keep from crying. Being emotional is a good thing, but crying because she's happy in the middle of a proposal may be a little too much.]

Of course I'll marry you, Arthur. Nothing has ever sounded so wonderful.

[She's practically radiating sunshine as she leans down to kiss him. This time, it's much more drawn out and deeper than her previous attempts.]

[ It feels damn good to be able to make someone so happy, there's no denying that. Arthur finds himself grinning as well, before she makes that a little difficult by kissing him.

He gets to his feet, but doesn't see that as a reason to stop kissing. She just agreed to become his wife, that merits getting properly kissed.

So he puts one hand at the small of her back, the other curving around her neck, his thumb gently stroking the skin beneath her ear while he proceeds to kiss the living daylights out of his future bride. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject