Part 1

It was official, the General made Jon nervous, especially with that expression on his face. General Liam, son of the esteemed Empress Rheana, called Rheana the Unifier, was certainly giving the letter in his hands a look that would kill. After reading through it several times he handed it off to his poor assistant. “Tell me that does not say I’m to be married?”

Jon recognized the writing as it was the same as any number of letters that arrived personally to Liam, it was penned by the Empress’s consort, she preferred personal letters weren’t shared with scribes. It was also rather known amongst those that handled the messages and letters between the imperial family, that Her Imperial Majesty had horrible handwriting. He skimmed the letter, finding the offending lines. “I’m afraid it does, sir.”

“Wonderful. There’s not a border war brewing that needs my immediate attention, or something equally dire is there?”

“No sir, you sent out the satisfactory inspection for this camp already as well.” Jon placed the letter on the pile of papers that no one had bothered putting away yet.

Liam frowned at his face in the small metal mirror on the table next to the papers. “And a child besides.” He ran his fingers over the stubble on his face that was on the verge of becoming a full beard.

“We shall leave within the hour then. It’s best to get this over with. Have that guard lazing about outside bring me a basin of water and ready the horses.”

Jon bowed. “Sir,” he said softly, and withdrew from the tent.

When the soldier brought the basin Liam slowly shaved the stubble from his face. The beard made him look even older than his 30 years, and a 14 year age difference was enough without a beard making it worse.

————————-

Ijia watched the soldiers from his hiding place. No one thought to look for him out the library balcony, knowing how he hated the outdoors. He munched on his lunch he’d swiped from the kitchens earlier, since he was to be denied lunch again. Pudgy, is what his mother called him, and had his food severely rationed. She could starve if she wanted, he wasn’t about to.

The other reason he liked to hide out here was down there in the practice yard. The soldiers were shirtless in this heat, their tanned skin was glistening with sweat from the exertions of their practice drills. The wrestling and grappling practice was of particular interest to him. Not that he wanted to participate. He’d get eaten at one of their training sessions. Even the shortest soldier there was taller than him by at least a head. Most were also, admittedly, leaner. He didn’t see a problem with his body though. Especially with his mother expecting another baby in several months time. His value would severely decrease with the birth of a daughter. A female heir was a most desirable outcome for any family. The best he could hope for with a sister would be a position as an advisor, maybe even an accountant if she didn’t like him. Since he had very little value other than his mind, what did it matter?

He slid behind a large stone planter as footsteps approached and someone stood out on the balcony. Ijia clutched the remnants of his lunch against his chest and tried to breathe shallowly. “….you can come out now, Ijia. We know you hide here every afternoon. Your mother wishes to speak to you immediately.”

Immediately. Ijia looked down at the food and slid it into the planter as he stepped out from behind it. Kire smiled at him. “Did you enjoy your meal?”

“I can’t get anything by you can I?” Ijia said irritably.

“Nothing. Your mother has some very exciting news. You should hurry to see her.” Exciting news always meant trouble.

Kire chattered about the wonderful rise in popularity of Illarin jewels and textiles as she walked with him through the hallways of the house. It was not an overly large house, and Ijia was at his mother’s study sooner than he wanted to be.

Lady Chiani smiled encouragingly as he entered the room. “Sit please. I’ve got exciting news.”

“You’ve fired the cook?”

Chiani frowned. “He does tend to destroy deserts doesn’t he? Oh anyway. I’ve got the official papers here. You’re to be married!” She smiled waiting for his excited reaction.

However, the food in Ijia’s stomach felt like a rock and he wasn’t entirely certain he wouldn’t pass out. “Excuse me, did you say married?”

“To the oldest Imperial Prince no less.”

“The oldest prince is almost twice my age.”

“Details details. The alliance will be good for the family, and you will see a substantial raise in status. We are lucky to have been chosen for this honor, don’t you think so?”

Ijia smiled weakly back at his mother’s hopeful face. “Yeah…lucky.”

———————————————-

Ijia really hated mornings, especially ones that began with multiple people in his room chattering excitedly. He watched as Kire and his mother both waved their hands while talking about…something. Language just was not processing at such an early hour.

They must have asked him a question, because both women were now looking at him expectedly, waiting for his reply.

“…..can I go back to bed now?” Ijia finally said, pushing a strand of hair out of his face. It had fallen loose out of the braid overnight, which meant he probably looked less than fantastic.

And there they went again..chattering, only this time he caught the words prince and arrival. That would be bad news then “Wait what when ….Here?” He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Did you just say..”

Kire took over the ranting, twisting one hand in the other nervously. “Yes! He’ll be arriving in just a few days. He’s coming straight here from inspecting the armies. Ohh…We have the robes ready, but nothing else yet. And you’ve barely begun your language lessons. Oh this is going to be a disaster.”

“I’m already fluent in Imperial…..”

“That’s reading, dear. Speaking it is another matter. Your tutor says your accent and word choices are atrocious.” Lady Chiani said, apparently much calmer now that her son was actually awake and listening.

“You don’t even read it.” Ijia complained. “Why is he coming so soon?”

Kire frowned. “The messenger implied that the prince thought himself too busy for a spouse, and wanted to ‘get this over with’ He is a busy man, so it might be true. Don’t think that makes this any less a wonderful match for you. It’s more than we could have hoped for.” What with your father being from Shar.

The unspoken words hung in his mind. It was true. He didn’t have the honey glowing skin of his mother, but a darker tone that belied his Shar heritage. The Lady Chiani had met Ijia’s father when he was travelling with a group of merchants. One night together lead to Ijia’s birth. Ijia had never met his father. The trading between the Empire and Shar had stopped over 12 years ago. War was imminent and his home lay directly between the two countries. When he thought about this, it seemed reasonable that his mother was seeking ties to the Imperial family. Those ties could keep them out of prison should someone start getting paranoid.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” There was no way an Imperial prince that had seen war firsthand was going to want to marry a half shar boy.

Lady Chiani smiled. “We thought of that. I only want you to be happy…that’s why we’ve insisted upon our customs for marriage instead of imperial customs.”

“But our customs require a full moon cycle of celibacy between wedding and consumation. It is a sign of devotion from a woman to her chosen spouse…and a way to ensure that all children from that union will be his. It would not apply in my case.”

“Yes yes..but he doesn’t know that.”

“Wonderful. I’ve not even met him yet and I’m already lying to him.” Ijia sighed. These were going to be the longest few days of his life.

—————–

“What am I going to do with a spouse to cart around?”

“I’d imagine you’d send her home, sir.” Jon had become, over the journey to pick up said spouse, accustomed to the prince’s habit to randomly speak at him. Not to him, but at him. He simply made agreements and small statements and let the prince speak his thoughts.

Of course, before all of this wedding talk, he’d barely heard the man utter a personal thought at all. It was a sign of just how flustered the situation made him.

“My house? My imperial suite? I spend about as much time in either of them. She’ll see me maybe once a year. It’s a horrible thing to do to a young lady,” Liam said, seemingly noticing Jon standing there for the first time. He waved the man away towards the horses. “You have much more important things to do than to listen to me.”

“Sir?”

“We have a visitor, after all.” He nodded towards the figure of a rider in the distance. How that man could not notice Jon clattering around him, but notice a rider the sentries hadn’t even seen yet was beyond him, and he went to assist their guest.

Perhaps I can give her a choice. She might be athletic, and inclined to travel. Or she could spend time with my mother. A merchant girl would amuse mother greatly. She still talks of sneaking out to see them as a child and listen to their tales of far away. They could entertain each other for quite some time.

Liam moved to help the soldiers clean up their lunch, still deep in thought. But why a woman, and why now? Mother knows I’m not inclined to women. I doubt a single lover in the past has escaped their spies. The only real possibility he could think of was that she was preparing to retire. That would almost certainly put him in a politician’s seat, possibly in Jessa’s until she was old enough for such things. As oldest male child it would be his duty to take the heir’s place if the heir became the empress. And his niece, who would technically become heir, was still very young.

That would make sense. She was also just the meddling type to try to tie him to the capital with the guilt of a spouse. Well, that would certainly not happen. If this girl was a simpering idiot he’d just let her suffer in it.

The dusty traveller had arrived and made straight for him, even though he was dressed in the same simple uniforms that his men wore for security. She pulled down her hood and knelt before him. “Please stand,” Liam said. “It’s easier to speak with people not kneeling.”

She nodded, beads clanking in her bejeweled hair, and stood. She was nearly as tall as he was, and had to be rail thin under the cloak and thick robes. “I am Kire, advisor to Lady Chiani; it is an honor to see you in person, your highness.” At his blank stare, she continued. “My Lady thought that since you will arrive by nightfall, and the wedding will occur tomorrow, that you might wish to know more of this ceremony and what will be expected of you.”

“That would be helpful indeed.”

————————

Why couldn’t I have been born a girl?

Ijia glared at the servants who entered the room. He didn’t care what his mother wished. He did not want to get married to anyone. Especially not some guy he’d never met. If he were a girl, he wouldn’t have to leave home, and everything and everyone he knew.

“Gah! Not so tight!” he hissed at the servant woman, who had very likely made the damned torture device Kire seemed to think was perfect attire for a wedding. Kire would know. She was Mother’s adviser, after all, and he had practically grown up in her care as well.

“Maybe you should eat less then. You’re pudgy. Been sneaking food again?”

Ijia narrowed his eyes. “I have not!”

She ignored him, and began painting his face. “Now, remember, Prince Liam hasn’t married yet. As his first spouse you’re in for a tough time.”

“If I don’t faint from this outfit during the wedding.” He picked at the laces on the sides. For such a tight garment, it covered very little. Ijia looked at his reflection, with Kire smiling proudly behind him. His brown eyes were lined with black stuff that he hadn’t the slightest idea what it would be called. The robe itself was mostly
the traditional black and red of his family house, and left his arms and most of his legs bare. The complaints had been about the corset type top to the ensemble, which laced up the sides. The rest of the robe was gold which he assumed was his new home’s colors. Gold trim was everywhere, accenting the red and black. He was also now wearing gold jewelry on his hands, but nothing on his neck, saving a place for the marriage necklace.

Kire had dyed his hair earlier, leaving golden brown streaks in the nearly black mass. It had been rather long then, and now when it wasn’t bound as it was now,
it fell midway down his thighs. Not that it had a long way to go. Ijia had been waiting for years for that growth spurt he figured by now wasn’t coming. Even Kire was taller than him.

“You look perfect. Even if your lower half is a little girlish.”

Kire laughed at his expression. “We’re going to miss you around here.” She touched Ijia’s face gently. “But you’ll be happy in time. Your mother’s men are happy, aren’t they?”

“But that’s different! Mother is…Mother.” Ijia fidgeted a bit, and looked nervously at the doorway. “It’s time isn’t it?”

———–

Liam was bored. He didn’t think any culture had yet managed to make weddings less boring than a council meeting on farm taxing. Being a prince didn’t have any of the good points that people thought might exist, and all of the bad. Parents threw their second and third children at his sister as marriage tokens. Everyone wanted ties to the throne, and everyone hoped that their simpering son would be her
favorite, so as to gain her ear. It was the first time a family had sent one of their children to him, though. Perhaps it was because this family was not of such old nobility. Only three generations back they were merchants, and still had strong ties to the merchants in the area. His sister wouldn’t want anything from this family.

Liam had been thinking about the reasons behind this alliance. The merchants were a very important group of people, especially with the war at the border brewing. War meant weapons, weapons meant buying them, and buying meant merchants. Reina just couldn’t understand that. Or maybe she just passed on the offer because she wanted to tie him to marriage.

She was veiled, her entire head and shoulders were obscured, and she looked so young judging by her body. She shook slightly as the wedding ceremony progressed, and Liam wished he could take the veil back to see her face. Unfortunately, that was not the way of the people in the south. Liam would not see her face until she was back in the rooms they had provided for him.

He hoped she was not deformed. It was going to be hard enough marrying a woman. It was rather well known that the prince favored men, but everyone here knew this marriage was not for heirs, or even love, so the consummation only had to happen once, then he could leave her to her own devices. Being of merchant descent, her mind was probably sharp, so he could always use her as an adviser.

She swayed a bit as the ceremony ended, and Liam whispered through mostly closed lips, “Are you ill?”

“Clothes laced too tight, sire.” She whispered back. “Can’t breathe.”

Liam looked at her body once again. He couldn’t see anything above her ribcage because of the veil, but he could see where the dress was like a second skin around her slender waist. Her feet were bare, as was most of her leg that showing through the slit of the skirt. She had more jewelry on her ankle. Like some sort of obscene present, Liam thought, and held back the snort of disgust over this culture’s idea of feminine attire. “Can you last just a bit longer?” he asked her.

The veils rustled silently as she nodded. So he wasn’t going to have an unconscious woman in his bed. That was a bonus.

Liam looked back out at all the people at the sound of the cheering, and a woman held a beautiful necklace out on a pillow for him to place on the bride. He knew it was beautiful, as he had commissioned it himself back when he was more idealistic about marriage, from the finest jewelry smith he knew. As he had to part the veil slightly to get the necklace to her bare neck, he glimpsed fulllips, once painted perfect, now the lower one marred by the teeth clamped down on it. He smiled, glad that she was just as nervous as he. This Ijia.

Ijia was a pretty enough name. Liam didn’t know what it meant, as this area of the country used to be another country with a different language, and they still mostly spoke and named their children in that language. It was a nice name though, he supposed, for a girl.

Ijia with the nervous habit of biting her lip was now his wife. Liam wanted to laugh at the irony, but this ceremony was solemn, he would just have to explain it to her later.