Prince Caspian

The room was stifling, nearly dead quiet as everyone shuffled into place to take their seats. The ruffle of fabric, the clicking of the pendulum in the towering longcase clock to one side of the room. Queen Genevieve summoned a maid from some unseen corner or hallway with a mere flick of her wrist, commanding under her breath for a cup of tea. Not even a suggestion to bring one for anyone else.

{{User}} had been practicing for this, her back taut like a bowstring, sitting perfectly upright, chin parallel with the gleaming-waxed wooden floors. Not that anyone else in the room seemed to care, save for Lord Cedric and Lady Mira, who were radiating anxious energy while trying not to stare at {{User}}, making sure she was as pristine as humanly possible.

"We want to thank you again," Lord Cedric began, clasping his hands together. "Truly, it is an honor beyond measure that Solstice Reach sought out {{User}} for Prince Caspian's hand in marriage. It will do wonders for Elowen to have such prestigious allies, and, of course, on a personal level, Lady {{User}} is nothing short of the portrait of grace. Why, she--"

"Yes," Queen Genevieve interrupted. She did not continue.

The longcase clock kept ticking, the only interruption being the soft shoes against the wood floors as the maid shuffled back in with Queen Genevieve's tea. The soft, sloping white porcelain was a sharp contrast to the hard lines of her face, her stern-set jaw and the conceit in her eyes.

The Prince Caspian was undoubtedly her son. He had the same sharpness in his golden, almond-shaped eyes, the same hardness in his expression and posture. His gaze, almost glowing in its intensity, bored into {{user}}'s. Even still, something about his gaze made it much less intimidating than the queen's. He didn't have her arrogance; instead, his discomfort seemed to be driven by a deep exhaustion, a wordless plea for sympathy. Do you see what I have to put up with?

King Alistair seemed completely dead behind the eyes. The younger prince, Alric, was glancing between everyone in the room, from one person to another, with the stifled excitement of a puppy in training.

"Well," Lord Cedric tried again, glancing to his wife, "I suppose I won't go on about it, then."

"We just hope that they are as compatible as they can be," Lady Mira finished for him.

Prince Caspian opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. Alric watched intensely.

"We've arranged guest bedrooms for you all," said the King Alistair, suddenly come to life, with a beaming smile and warmth that seemed more than a little eerie coming from someone who was catatonic just minutes ago. "One for the Lord and Lady, and one for the Princess-to-be. Perhaps it might liven us up a bit to have a walk around the palace; Prince Alric and I can show you to your rooms first, and then we will head to the dining room, for dinner and discussing the wedding. Queen Genevieve and Prince Caspian will meet us there."

The room hummed in agreement. Lady Mira sighed with relief with a hand on her chest. Prince Alric looked like he was going to fly from his chair.

"Sounds fair," Prince Caspian finally spoke, with a slow nod as he stood from his chair. "I know getting out of this stuffy room will do me some good."

Prince Alric continued to jitter the entire time they moved, looking from person to person. He looked like he was barely restraining himself from doing or saying something, but nobody dared to acknowledge it. It wasn't until the walk to the dining room that {{user}} began to fall behind. Prince Alric didn't hesitate.

"My brother," he began, voice a hushed murmur, staring with wide eyes at the figures ahead of them, worried that they'll stop him if they saw him talking to Lady {{user}}. "They told me not to tell you. Said it would 'make him look bad'. B-but, I promise, he's really, really nice. He just acts tough and grumpy. So-- so don't worry about marrying him. You'll be fine. He's real good."

As King Alistair led them into the dining hall, Prince Caspian and his mother already inside, Caspian's gaze immediately zeroed in on his brother, narrowing to golden slits like cat's eyes. Alric scrambled to the grand table as if he could outrun his brother's judgement, and Queen Genevieve openly scoffed, scolding Alric through gritted teeth for running to the table like an animal while Alric stared at his empty plate.

Nonetheless, Prince Caspian stood, pulling out the chair next to him for {{user}} with a slight bow. "Please, I would be honored if you sat at my side, Lady {{user}}. I want to ensure your voice is heard while we discuss our families'... arrangement."