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A Journey for Peace

Lamont remained quiet throughout their entire walk back, but as soon as he opened those doors, he broke into a smooth chuckle, gazing down at Kiara with a smile that would warm his eyes and brighten his expression if it was sincere, but it was close enough to be a startling contrast to his previous demeanor. "Well, I'm glad you made it here safely, Princess. Welcome to Berinike." He pulled out Kiara's chair, waited for her to sit, then side-stepped to greet his mother, who watched the whole exchange carefully, expectantly.

As cold as the woman seemed to be, Queen Alexis seemed to truly relax and smile warmly when her son embraced her in a light hug. "Took you long enough," she said, though there was affection in the comment. "Though, I must say, I expected you and Kiara would take longer in returning." The queen glanced at Kiara, releasing just the faintest of smiles. Lamont didn't know why, but he felt relieved to know that somehow Kiara had impressed the queen. He yearned to tell Kiara so, even though he couldn't, and wondered why.

Queen Alexis squeezed her son's arm as he stepped away, walking around the table to his own seat. He said not a word to his father, did not even glance in the king's direction. King Hugo, likewise, seemed to pretend that his son wasn't even there, much like he had with Ostus earlier in the day. The tension between the two men was palpable.

Once seated, Lamont removed his gloves. Like his father, he seemed to be a hearty eater as he forked chicken and vegetables onto his plate.

"So," Queen Alexis said brightly, "how are you liking Berinike so far, Princess? I believe none of us had the chance to show you around. Is everything to your... tastes thus far?"

A Journey for Peace

It is! It helped me settle into Lamont's emo side for his introspection ("smallest violin" moment, lulz)

A Journey for Peace

Because I'm a dork...

http://youtu.be/yHf2zUAkB0s

A Journey for Peace

Lamont initially had no interest in getting to know his wife to be, especially not after her grand entrance. To get to know her meant he accepted what his parents had placed on his shoulders, and he did not want to accept. He had accepted what others wanted of him all of his life, whether he liked it or not. As the sixth and youngest son of the royal family, he was never meant to rule a country, let alone two countries. Though he was well-read in politics, he held no passion for it, and he knew nothing of combat. His brothers, all so much more capable than he ever was, had gotten themselves killed one by one either in combat or through assassination attempts. Now the future of Berinike rested on his shoulders. The worst of it was that he could not defy or deny his fate. Marrying Princess Kiara meant peace for two kingdoms, and he was not foolish enough to refuse that. He understood that this option was the best course of action. His union with Kiara would change the course of history. However, how was he to keep himself alive when his brothers could not? Furthermore, how was he going to keep an entire country alive? Two countries? The weight of such a responsibility left him with many sleepless nights, had destroyed his appetite, had dampened his view on life. Books were his only relief through a life he felt he was ill-equipped to face. Though he barely got along with his brothers, he felt he didn't have sufficient time to mourn their deaths. And now it was time to marry the enemy.

Lamont assumed that Kiara had nothing to do with his brothers' murders. In fact, he believed she probably felt as much hatred towards his country and trepidation towards him as he did for her. Yet he found it impossible to smile at her, to greet her warmly, to accept her apology. His Berinike pride would now allow him to yield to his parents' thoughtless decision, to Kiara... not just yet.

So, Lamont studied her carefully with a calculated gaze as he wordlessly took the book from her, then dropped his gaze as he opened it. He flipped through the pages until he found the one he was looking for. Carefully, he folded the corner of the page, closed the book, then moved across the room to carefully return it to its place on one of the shelves. He glanced over his shoulder at Kiara. He felt bad for making her feel bad and was a little touched by her sincere confession that she wanted to get to know him. But she was still the enemy...

He sighed softly and approached her. "Take my arm," he suggested, holding out his elbow to her. "We'll walk together to lunch. When we open the doors to the dining hall, we will pretend that we actually enjoy each other's company. Mother and Father will see right through it, of course, because they know me too well, but Mother will respect our efforts to keep up appearances. She says half of politics is keeping up appearances and swapping masks so-to-speak, so to her, we'll be practicing our new roles." He forced the faintest of smiles. "Shall we?"

Whether Kiara accepted the offer to walk beside him or not, he moved out of the room. As "frail" as he seemed to look, he moved like his father, in steady, confident strides, his head held high, the master of this castle, though inside he longed for nothing more than to return to his quiet, reclusive corner with his books.

A Journey for Peace

Lamont ignored the girl at first, assuming she would return to the dining room and leave him in peace.

Instead, he suddenly found his book snatched away. What was worse, she closed it, meaning he would have to find the page he was reading later. Instantly, he was on his feet; his height was between Kiara's and Ostus's. "How outrageously rude of you!" he shouted. "You don't just take a man's book while he's still reading it! Return it to me this instant!"

His face turned read partly out of anger but primarily out of embarrassment. Of course she wasn't going to return the book, but he wasn't sure what else to do. He didn't want to appear childish by trying to snatch the book back or calling a guard, and he certainly did not want to use physical force against her. Instead, he stood there seething, eyeing the book, angry at himself. He had been walked on his entire life by his brothers, his parents, and citizens. He had hoped, almost prayed, that it would be different with his wife simply because she was not from Berinike, but now he realized that she was just like all the others. What would a normal person do in this situation? If he didn't think of something soon, she would find him completely incompetent.

Lamont blushed in spite of himself when she mentioned sons, and he wished he could crawl into a hole somewhere to hide his apparent weakness from her. Men weren't supposed to blush, especially not over such masculine concepts like conceiving heirs. It annoyed him that she had already brought the subject up.

"I am in no rush to create any sons with you or anyone else," he grumbled as he sat back down, deciding it was better than continuing to stand there like a dumbfounded idiot.

She sat down next to him, casting him a strange look, and he wondered if there was something in her eye.

Lamont frowned when she spoke again, his eyes narrowing the more she rambled on. "You're lying," he snapped. "You wish to know nothing about me, otherwise your first impression wouldn't be like a firestorm bursting through the doors." The smile she carried and the tone of voice she used was just like his mother's; he had a lifetime to know when someone was patronizing him. "Quit pretending you like me; it sickens me."

He rose to his feet and stepped away, moving to gaze out another window. He knew if he was more like his brothers and father, she probably would be genuinely interested in him. HIs brothers seemed to know how to attract a woman's attention. However, he was not like his brothers and they were now all dead, so he had to put up with the situation he was stuck with.

"I suspect my mother sent you here," Lamont said curtly. "This is probably a test for you, isn't it. You worry about how your relationship with my parents will stand if you do not return to the dining room with me." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Am I correct?"

Then he sighed, moving back towards Kiara to retrieve his gloves. "If that is the case and if you would have told me that from the beginning," he grumbled as he slipped them on, "we would already be halfway through this wretched lunch by now."

A Journey for Peace

Lol, Kiara <3 "It's either this or the knife!"

But she just took his book away... DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!

On that note, I'm heading to bed. I'll respond in the morning :3 Good night!

A Journey for Peace

mwahaha

A Journey for Peace

Fiiiinaaallyyyyy! :D

A Journey for Peace

The library wasn't too far from the dining hall; Kiara only had to enter the castle's next wing. This library was probably considered small by the standards of Astora. It was the size of a large study, every wall covered with shelves stuffed with books and scrolls. A huge bay window overlooked the mountains, as did many of the windows in this castle. Sitting on the platform around the bay window was Prince Lamont Sidia of Berinike. It was clear from first glance that he had taken more of his mother's features. His dusky skin was more of his mother's tone than his father's, and he had the same head of shoulder-length luxurious dark hair, pulled back in a low ponytail. Strands of his hair had come undone to fall over his face, but it didn't bother him. He wore a black jacket with yellow trim over a loose-fitting white shirt tucked into black trousers and soft-soled black boots. The mid-thigh-length jacket sported a high collar, and the back bore the Berinike crest of the yellow dragon. White gloves rested behind him. It was clear he was dressed to represent his country at an important event... such as a lunch... but he had chosen not to go. He was slender in build with a narrow, clean-shaven face and sharp features. Ironically, aside from his skin tone, he looked like he would fit in better in Astora whereas Ostus, aside from being an elf, would look right at home in Berinike.

Chocolate-brown eyes scrolled through the book he was reading, his expression softened to quiet contentment. He was the only one in the room; this place was his sanctuary. If only he could spend the whole day here...

The door burst open. He jumped in surprise and looked up from his book, flustered. He expected his father or one of his brutish guards, prepared to give them a tongue-lashing for pulling him from this chapter, but he blinked, his words caught in his throat, both eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Someone new had decided to barge in here instead... a woman with flaming red hair...

One had to be an idiot not to realize that this was the Princess of Astora. Lamont barely registered her words, too distracted by her appearance. Yes, Berinike women were not the sort to be pushed around, but to barge in on someone's business like this? What sort of proper lady did that? And were those boots beneath the hem of her dress? He squinted; yes, they were. How odd. The dress was plain but the color was fitting. Besides, her hair, creamy skin, and grey eyes made up for the dress's simplicity. He had to admit to himself that he was a bit relieved he wasn't being forced to marry someone he would not be able to stomach looking at. To him she was a wild beauty, someone he had no interest in taming. In fact, he hoped that aside from the marriage ceremony and however long it took to conceive an heir, he would not have to deal with her at all; it was the only way he could stand the idea of marrying a complete stranger.

So, after a moment to recompose himself, Lamont returned his gaze to his book. "I suspect you had many meals just fine throughout your lifetime that didn't involve me being there," he said in a smooth, accented voice, not at all brash and loud like Ostus. He turned the page of the book, never glancing up. "Surely you do not need me to be there to assist you in eating. The food tastes better when it's hot, so I suggest heading back right away. It was a pleasure meeting you."

A Journey for Peace

Oh yeah, forgot to mention... sorry about my confusing dining room description -_-

The two empty place settings at the table are for Kiara and Lamont. There's no extra place for Ostus to sit; he ominously wasn't invited to lunch.