fic: The Dangers of Diplomacy
Title: The Dangers of Diplomacy
Pairing: John/Elizabeth
Rating: G
Summary: Emily goes off-world with her dad and receives an unexpected offer.
A.N: Part of my 'Family, Friends and the Occasional Stargate' series. Connor and Emily are my version of the Sparky kids.
A.N.2: This idea made me laugh, so I had to write it.
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“Colonel Sheppard, welcome!” The king of Berrow stood and raised his arms in greeting.
Emily was so busy looking around that she had to plant her feet to avoid running into her father as he stopped before the throne. Glad she’d avoided that embarrassment and highly conscious of the eyes of the guards and courtiers, she scooted over to stand just beside and behind her dad.
“Your Majesty,” said John, nodding at the king.
“You received our message about the new mine, then.”
“We did,” said John. “Dr. Sheppard sends her greetings, her thanks for the information, and me to negotiate on her behalf. This is our daughter, Emily.” He waved her forward and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Your Majesty,” she echoed. Her father hadn’t bowed, but it felt weird not to do anything, so Emily bent her knees and gave a slight bob up and down. Even if she had been wearing a skirt to curtsy with, it’s not like she would’ve known how anyway.
“With your permission,” continued John, “she’s here to observe and hopefully learn something about conducting trade.”
Sure. That’s why she was here. At least, that was her mother’s reasoning for allowing her to come on this mission. Personally, Emily thought it was well past time for her to take an official part in off-world activities. Even tame ones like this dumb trade negotiation. If her parents were ever going to allow her to do anything really important, she supposed she had to start somewhere.
As the men talked, Emily couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming around the throne room. It looked like something out of a storybook: classic medieval. Tapestries covered the grey stone walls - though, squinting, several seemed to depict a Wraith culling, so there went that similarity - and torches flickered in the spaces between the arched windows, supplementing the tiny portion of the noon-day sun that made its way into the room. The guards in their cranberry tunics stood watch at the entrances and behind the king, who held court upon a raised dais hung with drapery. Compared to Atlantis’s airy brightness, the dim smoky space was utterly different and Emily found it fascinating. Of course, a hut made of sticks would have fascinated her at this point, so long as it was off-world.
As her dad had warned, the negotiations were the complete opposite: boring in the extreme. However, the discussion was at least mercifully short. The Berrowan king, though firm in maintaining a fair deal for his people, seemed more than willing to accommodate the Atlanteans’ needs. They had just settled amounts concerning the next harvest and Emily began hoping for the wrap-up when the king spoke again.
“Your daughter is quite lovely,” said the king. “Perhaps we could arrange a marriage between the lady and my eldest son.” He gestured to the figure standing at his right.
Emily swallowed wrong and nearly choked. “Excuse me?” she blurt out, forgetting that her role here was a silent one. Her eyes followed the king’s gesture and took in a tall young man with long blond hair and a neatly trimmed beard who could’ve been anywhere from eighteen to twenty-three years old.
“A marriage, my dear,” said the king jovially. “It would be most appropriate. After all, Atlantis is a respected power in the galaxy. What better way to secure an alliance with such a power than by the daughter of its leader marrying into our house?” The king smiled at Emily. “Yes, it would do most admirably.”
Emily didn’t know whether to laugh or back out of the room as quickly as she could. The prince began to smile at her too. Frantically, she looked up at her dad and was instantly reassured by what she saw. John was staring at the king, one eye twitching and his lip curled like the man had just asked him to dye his hair purple and hop on one foot holding an ‘I Heart Wraith’ sign while simultaneously eating garbage. However, he quickly shook himself into a more normal expression and spoke in what Emily considered a remarkably normal tone.
“Um, we appreciate the honor, Your Majesty... We do. But that’s not really how we do things on Atlantis.” He put his arm around Emily’s shoulders - perhaps a bit tighter than necessary - and patted her arm. “You see, we don’t consider our daughters eligible for marriage until they’re at least thirty.”
“Oh,” said the king, his smile fading. “And... how old is your daughter?”
“Seventeen,” muttered John through gritted teeth.
“I’m sorry?” The king held a hand to his ear.
John cleared his throat, his grip on Emily’s upper arm tightening. “Seventeen,” he repeated, louder.
“Oh...” repeated the king, looking downcast. “That would be a long betrothal indeed. How unfortunate.”
“Yeah,” said John. “Since we’re all such good friends here, you can see how we wouldn’t dream of tying you guys down like that.”
“Indeed, Colonel,” said the king. He stepped off the dais and came to stand before the two Sheppards. “However, I hope the fact that we must seek to form such alliances elsewhere will not negatively affect the bond between our two peoples.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said John. “We understand completely.”
Emily could hear what her dad left unspoken - ‘you creep... I’ll tell you where you can shove your alliance...’ - and struggled not to laugh. She could practically see him putting this entire planet on his mental blacklist, scowling as he did so. Thankfully, poor King Matchmaker seemed totally unaware of it all, and the Atlanteans took their leave with no incident.
Emily waited until the two of them were free of the castle, but as they walked back down the hill towards the gate she couldn’t resist anymore.
“I don’t know, Dad,” she said innocently, shrugging a shoulder. “Maybe we should take the offer.” She peered at him from the corner of her eye, grinning. “That prince was kinda hot.”
John made a face and visibly shuddered. “Do me a favor and never say anything like that in my presence again. Ever.”
Emily laughed and snapped off a loose two-finger salute. “Sir, yes sir.”
They reached the bottom of the hill and headed down the flat dirt road leading to the town and stargate in the distance.
“Hey, Mom will be proud! You didn’t hurt anybody!”
“Yeah, well, it was a close one.”
“Has stuff like this ever happened before? Any princesses ever give Connor the old eyeball?”
“Em...”
“Has it happened to you? Ew, that’s just wrong!”
“We’re not talking about this anymore.”
“Oh, come on. It has to have...”
“What did I just say?”
“I’m asking when we get home.”
“Emily...!”
Pairing: John/Elizabeth
Rating: G
Summary: Emily goes off-world with her dad and receives an unexpected offer.
A.N: Part of my 'Family, Friends and the Occasional Stargate' series. Connor and Emily are my version of the Sparky kids.
A.N.2: This idea made me laugh, so I had to write it.
-------------
“Colonel Sheppard, welcome!” The king of Berrow stood and raised his arms in greeting.
Emily was so busy looking around that she had to plant her feet to avoid running into her father as he stopped before the throne. Glad she’d avoided that embarrassment and highly conscious of the eyes of the guards and courtiers, she scooted over to stand just beside and behind her dad.
“Your Majesty,” said John, nodding at the king.
“You received our message about the new mine, then.”
“We did,” said John. “Dr. Sheppard sends her greetings, her thanks for the information, and me to negotiate on her behalf. This is our daughter, Emily.” He waved her forward and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Your Majesty,” she echoed. Her father hadn’t bowed, but it felt weird not to do anything, so Emily bent her knees and gave a slight bob up and down. Even if she had been wearing a skirt to curtsy with, it’s not like she would’ve known how anyway.
“With your permission,” continued John, “she’s here to observe and hopefully learn something about conducting trade.”
Sure. That’s why she was here. At least, that was her mother’s reasoning for allowing her to come on this mission. Personally, Emily thought it was well past time for her to take an official part in off-world activities. Even tame ones like this dumb trade negotiation. If her parents were ever going to allow her to do anything really important, she supposed she had to start somewhere.
As the men talked, Emily couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming around the throne room. It looked like something out of a storybook: classic medieval. Tapestries covered the grey stone walls - though, squinting, several seemed to depict a Wraith culling, so there went that similarity - and torches flickered in the spaces between the arched windows, supplementing the tiny portion of the noon-day sun that made its way into the room. The guards in their cranberry tunics stood watch at the entrances and behind the king, who held court upon a raised dais hung with drapery. Compared to Atlantis’s airy brightness, the dim smoky space was utterly different and Emily found it fascinating. Of course, a hut made of sticks would have fascinated her at this point, so long as it was off-world.
As her dad had warned, the negotiations were the complete opposite: boring in the extreme. However, the discussion was at least mercifully short. The Berrowan king, though firm in maintaining a fair deal for his people, seemed more than willing to accommodate the Atlanteans’ needs. They had just settled amounts concerning the next harvest and Emily began hoping for the wrap-up when the king spoke again.
“Your daughter is quite lovely,” said the king. “Perhaps we could arrange a marriage between the lady and my eldest son.” He gestured to the figure standing at his right.
Emily swallowed wrong and nearly choked. “Excuse me?” she blurt out, forgetting that her role here was a silent one. Her eyes followed the king’s gesture and took in a tall young man with long blond hair and a neatly trimmed beard who could’ve been anywhere from eighteen to twenty-three years old.
“A marriage, my dear,” said the king jovially. “It would be most appropriate. After all, Atlantis is a respected power in the galaxy. What better way to secure an alliance with such a power than by the daughter of its leader marrying into our house?” The king smiled at Emily. “Yes, it would do most admirably.”
Emily didn’t know whether to laugh or back out of the room as quickly as she could. The prince began to smile at her too. Frantically, she looked up at her dad and was instantly reassured by what she saw. John was staring at the king, one eye twitching and his lip curled like the man had just asked him to dye his hair purple and hop on one foot holding an ‘I Heart Wraith’ sign while simultaneously eating garbage. However, he quickly shook himself into a more normal expression and spoke in what Emily considered a remarkably normal tone.
“Um, we appreciate the honor, Your Majesty... We do. But that’s not really how we do things on Atlantis.” He put his arm around Emily’s shoulders - perhaps a bit tighter than necessary - and patted her arm. “You see, we don’t consider our daughters eligible for marriage until they’re at least thirty.”
“Oh,” said the king, his smile fading. “And... how old is your daughter?”
“Seventeen,” muttered John through gritted teeth.
“I’m sorry?” The king held a hand to his ear.
John cleared his throat, his grip on Emily’s upper arm tightening. “Seventeen,” he repeated, louder.
“Oh...” repeated the king, looking downcast. “That would be a long betrothal indeed. How unfortunate.”
“Yeah,” said John. “Since we’re all such good friends here, you can see how we wouldn’t dream of tying you guys down like that.”
“Indeed, Colonel,” said the king. He stepped off the dais and came to stand before the two Sheppards. “However, I hope the fact that we must seek to form such alliances elsewhere will not negatively affect the bond between our two peoples.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said John. “We understand completely.”
Emily could hear what her dad left unspoken - ‘you creep... I’ll tell you where you can shove your alliance...’ - and struggled not to laugh. She could practically see him putting this entire planet on his mental blacklist, scowling as he did so. Thankfully, poor King Matchmaker seemed totally unaware of it all, and the Atlanteans took their leave with no incident.
Emily waited until the two of them were free of the castle, but as they walked back down the hill towards the gate she couldn’t resist anymore.
“I don’t know, Dad,” she said innocently, shrugging a shoulder. “Maybe we should take the offer.” She peered at him from the corner of her eye, grinning. “That prince was kinda hot.”
John made a face and visibly shuddered. “Do me a favor and never say anything like that in my presence again. Ever.”
Emily laughed and snapped off a loose two-finger salute. “Sir, yes sir.”
They reached the bottom of the hill and headed down the flat dirt road leading to the town and stargate in the distance.
“Hey, Mom will be proud! You didn’t hurt anybody!”
“Yeah, well, it was a close one.”
“Has stuff like this ever happened before? Any princesses ever give Connor the old eyeball?”
“Em...”
“Has it happened to you? Ew, that’s just wrong!”
“We’re not talking about this anymore.”
“Oh, come on. It has to have...”
“What did I just say?”
“I’m asking when we get home.”
“Emily...!”