Nations- Jitters
Title: Jitters
Fandom: FF7
Set: Nations
Warning: None but the AUness
Note: Tifa was thinking on the upcoming ceremony. Look! It lives!
She wasn't terribly eager to carry out the events that the day was already putting pressure on her for. Ritual, purification, preparations, contracts, so many contracts that she nearly wanted to scream had led clear up until it was time to rest the night before. Politics was an annoying, unwelcome thing that dictated entirely too much in her life. It was dictating who she was going to marry, it had crippled her ability to make real friends, it had estranged her from her parents. And that was only a few things really.
Politics, in essence, were a major bane in her life.
Turning over the papers she'd had to sign the morning before in her mind, she sighed. While her and the King got along well, she wasn't sure how she felt about him. Sephiroth was an intelligent man, and they'd had a few intriguing discussions since she'd come to live here. He seemed to be much better at verbal sparring than she'd really believed he would be though, and she often lost anything that approached a debate between them, usually with her thinking herself the victor until she'd left his presence. That fact would have upset her more if she hadn't been aware it was her own fault for letting her temper get away with her. He was good at pricking it, steering her where he wanted her to go by using her own strong feelings against her.
She didn't want to get married. Even as she sat and felt the emerald beads being threaded into her hair with pale flowers for the wedding, she knew she didn't really want to be here, or do this, and she still made no move to leave. All that was left was the ceremony and they would be wed. Every other formal part of the marriage had already been dealt with, and she'd do nothing more than embarrass herself were she to leave now.
"Why do I need to do this?" It was a murmur, one that she hadn't intended to speak out loud, so she was startled to get a reply.
"Because you got that honor thing goin on Princess." The amused drawl was from the doorway, her redheaded guard leaning easily in the frame with an amused look on his face. "Not planning on gettin cold feet on my King are ya?"
Both annoyed to have been heard, yet also relieved to get an answer from someone less biased than her handmaiden, she studied the black and gold adorned man, the orange sash that completed his livery for this day having been exchanged for green. "Why shouldn't I? He wouldn't blame me for it."
"Nah, he wouldn't blame you, King's a good man, but he'd definitely react to it anyway. Broken contract and all that y'know." He shook his head, wandering into her room and glancing around. He'd come with her from Wutai, but he'd originally been from Galetha. He didn't look like he fit in here any better than he ever had in her home court though.
"If he didn't blame me, why would he do it?" She already knew the answer, and she could see he knew that, but if there was one thing she could count on him for, it was that he'd play along. He was a friend, one of the few she had, and even if he was a bit of a prankster that wasn't all he was.
"Because he's the King Princess. I mean, c'mon, insult and all that. Being ditched by a gorgeous gal like you? Like his little troupe of warmongers'd let a chance like that pass." He stopped out of her immediate reach, blue eyes studying the fine embroidery on the silvery gown she was wearing. It was his version of respect to his betters, so she pretended it was as good as a bow, since they were in private.
"So even a good man has to keep up appearances?" She felt Elena move away to get the simple chain necklace she'd been given the evening before for the ceremony, and turned her head to meet the blue eyed gaze directly.
"Yeah, even a good man. Don't worry princess, he'll keep to himself if you want him to outside, well, y'know."
"I know." She let out a deep breath, her thoughts flitting over her soon to be husband's slaves. She didn’t believe in having any of her own, but she could understand the practicality of the tradition for people with rank, even if she didn't always want to. "You should go."
"Course Princess." He backed off as the blond woman came back towards them. "I'll let your dad know you're almost ready to go."
She followed his jaunty steps with her eyes, then stared intently at herself in the mirror with a soft sigh. "Yeah. Almost."
Fandom: FF7
Set: Nations
Warning: None but the AUness
Note: Tifa was thinking on the upcoming ceremony. Look! It lives!
She wasn't terribly eager to carry out the events that the day was already putting pressure on her for. Ritual, purification, preparations, contracts, so many contracts that she nearly wanted to scream had led clear up until it was time to rest the night before. Politics was an annoying, unwelcome thing that dictated entirely too much in her life. It was dictating who she was going to marry, it had crippled her ability to make real friends, it had estranged her from her parents. And that was only a few things really.
Politics, in essence, were a major bane in her life.
Turning over the papers she'd had to sign the morning before in her mind, she sighed. While her and the King got along well, she wasn't sure how she felt about him. Sephiroth was an intelligent man, and they'd had a few intriguing discussions since she'd come to live here. He seemed to be much better at verbal sparring than she'd really believed he would be though, and she often lost anything that approached a debate between them, usually with her thinking herself the victor until she'd left his presence. That fact would have upset her more if she hadn't been aware it was her own fault for letting her temper get away with her. He was good at pricking it, steering her where he wanted her to go by using her own strong feelings against her.
She didn't want to get married. Even as she sat and felt the emerald beads being threaded into her hair with pale flowers for the wedding, she knew she didn't really want to be here, or do this, and she still made no move to leave. All that was left was the ceremony and they would be wed. Every other formal part of the marriage had already been dealt with, and she'd do nothing more than embarrass herself were she to leave now.
"Why do I need to do this?" It was a murmur, one that she hadn't intended to speak out loud, so she was startled to get a reply.
"Because you got that honor thing goin on Princess." The amused drawl was from the doorway, her redheaded guard leaning easily in the frame with an amused look on his face. "Not planning on gettin cold feet on my King are ya?"
Both annoyed to have been heard, yet also relieved to get an answer from someone less biased than her handmaiden, she studied the black and gold adorned man, the orange sash that completed his livery for this day having been exchanged for green. "Why shouldn't I? He wouldn't blame me for it."
"Nah, he wouldn't blame you, King's a good man, but he'd definitely react to it anyway. Broken contract and all that y'know." He shook his head, wandering into her room and glancing around. He'd come with her from Wutai, but he'd originally been from Galetha. He didn't look like he fit in here any better than he ever had in her home court though.
"If he didn't blame me, why would he do it?" She already knew the answer, and she could see he knew that, but if there was one thing she could count on him for, it was that he'd play along. He was a friend, one of the few she had, and even if he was a bit of a prankster that wasn't all he was.
"Because he's the King Princess. I mean, c'mon, insult and all that. Being ditched by a gorgeous gal like you? Like his little troupe of warmongers'd let a chance like that pass." He stopped out of her immediate reach, blue eyes studying the fine embroidery on the silvery gown she was wearing. It was his version of respect to his betters, so she pretended it was as good as a bow, since they were in private.
"So even a good man has to keep up appearances?" She felt Elena move away to get the simple chain necklace she'd been given the evening before for the ceremony, and turned her head to meet the blue eyed gaze directly.
"Yeah, even a good man. Don't worry princess, he'll keep to himself if you want him to outside, well, y'know."
"I know." She let out a deep breath, her thoughts flitting over her soon to be husband's slaves. She didn’t believe in having any of her own, but she could understand the practicality of the tradition for people with rank, even if she didn't always want to. "You should go."
"Course Princess." He backed off as the blond woman came back towards them. "I'll let your dad know you're almost ready to go."
She followed his jaunty steps with her eyes, then stared intently at herself in the mirror with a soft sigh. "Yeah. Almost."