want your heart to be for me

Matthias is a romantic at heart.

He doesn't deny it, but at times it is inconvenient. Perhaps it'd be easier accepting an arranged marriage and going with the flow if he wasn't.

But he wants to woo her. She's such a marvelous woman, and he feels she deserves to be courted, appreciated, even if theirs isn't quite a love match.

He starts with flowers, a safe and easy choice. Except, it becomes less so when he remembers she is well versed in the language of flowers, and he spends hours agonizing over whether he's picked right, whether she'll understand his intentions.

Matthias chickens out of giving them to her, and instead has them delivered on a Sunday morning, attending mass afterwards with nervosity gawing at him.

When he returns, an attendant delivers him a handwritten thank you card, signed Faithfully, Nina with a tiny heart drawn beside her signature.

Ladies are only allowed tiny clutches at formal events, and while Embla has educated him quite well on never looking into a lady's purse, he's amazed at the amount of things they manage to stuff in there: phone and wallet and lipstick and emergency makeup and tissues and...

Well, he is sure there is some sort of magic going on.

Still, his suits have big and deep pockets. He does not utilize them much, so seeing Nina struggling and needing things that hadn't fit in her clutch that day, he decides to help.

The next time she's got a blister from a pair of uncomfortably high heels and swears – very, very quietly – under her breath that she forgot the band-aids, he casually plucks some from his pocket and hands them to her discreetly under the table. She beams at him, though she looks a bit confused, and hides them in her hand before excusing herself to the bathroom.

Before the next formal event, she corners him and demands he hide away a few things for her this time too, and he doesn't even pretend that he doesn't find her forwardness charming.

After that, he becomes her personal stash of emergency things during events, and she laughs when he blushes as she stuffs a few tampons into his pockets one day.

"Get used to it, Crown Prince Matthias," she laughs, and he manages to get over his shock and join in.

Women rarely mention such things to him and he had to learn all about periods on the internet by himself after his sister got her first one. He is outside his comfort zone, but very happy to be there because it means Nina is alright with sharing more private things with him.

"I will," he says, and her eyes sparkle.

He thinks Nina is the type to like good, hearthy food. She always frowns at the artful, delicate tiny dishes served by the best chefs in the country during the countless official dinners they've participated in this week. Once, she jokes about never feeling full, and he thinks it wasn't quite only a joke.

That evening, he orders a pepperoni pizza from his favorite discreet pizzeria – through a complicated system of middle hands to preserve his anonymity – and knocks on the door to her suite. Her attendant (and friend) opens the door and Nina sweeps forward, gloriously dressed down in yoga pants and a big knitted sweater, looking just as regal as she had in a ballgown.

"I thought– that is, you said you'd be hungry– and I agree, so I got some–" he stammers embarrassingly, but Nina's face is overtaken by a big smile, and she exclaims happily:

"Pizza!"

"So, do you want to share?" It comes out more coherent, but he is still blushing and hoping she won't notice.

"Yes!"

And moments later, they are sharing the pizza on the couch in her sitting room, laughing and talking more naturally than they ever do at banquets.

Matthias wants to take her on a date.

They've known each other for two weeks now, and he's escorted her to countless places, but always in official capacity. Their advisors, his parents and the public follow their every move.

He and Nina decided early on that they would take what they could get, and try to get to know each other at every opportunity. Still, he'd like for it to be just them, with time to discuss some more serious things.

So he clears their schedule for a day, recruits Fedyor and Embla so no one can complain about propriety, and he plans. Matthias is good at planning. First, Embla invites Nina to a brunch, and Fedyor reserves the rest of the day as sibling time, but when Nina arrives, Matthias is waiting for her.

"I thought we could spend the day together, if you don't mind?" He asks, and Nina throws a glance over her shoulder at a giggling Embla and Fedyor, muttering,

"Traitors."

Matthias laughs softly, and she smiles and accepts his invitation.

He's ordered a beautiful brunch to be laid out in his favorite spot in the gardens: a tiny gazebo, its walls made of tiny crosses that are covered in clinging vines, budding with lush green leaves. It's a warm spring day, and the latticework of the walls offers some privacy. Embla and Fedyor settle with some board games further away, out of earshot, by a fountain in the sun.

Matthias pulls out a chair for Nina – he's always been a touch old-fashioned – and is pleased when she accepts that too. Usually, she'll grumble about being an independent woman.

"How have you settled in?" He asks, genuinely curious.

Nina looks thoughtful, spooning some fresh fruit onto her plate.

"I suppose well," she decides. "It was a lot, at first – all the new customs and places and people."

He nods, understanding. He'd be stressed too if he was expected to move somewhere new and learn tons of things in a short timeframe.

"Everyone has been so accommodating, though," Nina smiles. "And I really like your family."

"I'm glad," Matthias says, biting into a croissant and realizing there's no elegant way to eat the crumbling pastry. Now he knows why mother never includes these in official brunches. "I think they've enjoyed getting to know you. I have, at least."

"Well, thank you, I shall sleep happily tonight with such high praise in my mind," Nina says and shoots him a grin.

He laughs, and the mood shifts. "I aim to please, Princess Nina."

"I'm sure you will," she muses, suddenly quieter and with a considering look in her eyes that makes him swallow and blush.

Why is he so prone to blushing in her company?

The subject change was rapid, but this is something he wanted to discuss.

"I hope you know I don't expect anything of you, Nina. Such things can wait until you are ready."

He doesn't offer for them to never be intimate, because an heir is expected of them. Still, he has no desire to rush into a physical relationship before they are ready.

"I know, and I do think I will enjoy it," she says gently, then asks uncharacteristically, "Do you– do you want to, though? Do you find me attractive?"

It's unlike her to be uncertain, and he doesn't want her to doubt his desire for her, so he takes her hand and allows his eyes to sweep her form as he answers, hoping they will give away how he feels at the sight of her.

Her face, her lovely lips, her fair and smooth skin, the tops of her breasts heaving as she breathes nervously, the generous curves of her beneath her clothes...

Oh, yes, Matthias wants her alright.

"Very much," he says, and realizes his voice is low, rough. "Very much, Nina."

She shivers, but her eyes are darker now, and confidence returns to her pose.

"Well, I suppose you'll have to wait for a few more weeks," she quips, and he smiles, thinking of their upcoming wedding. He can't wait to see her in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle towards him.

"I have waited this long," Matthias shrugs, carefully casual with his tone but implying his inexperience tactfully. It is best that she knows, after all.

"Really?" Her eyes have widened a bit.

"Really," he confirms, stroking her hand with his thumb. He still hasn't let go, and has a sneaking suspicion that he never wants to. "I have always wanted to wait for marriage."

"I've experimented a bit with girls," Nina says, pausing as if waiting for a judging look that he doesn't give – he has nothing against bisexuality. And he doesn't expect anyone to wait for marriage. Most of his royal friends have found partners to fool around with. "Though I think it'll be a steep learning curve for us both."

The image of her finding pleasure, learning pleasure, is so enticing that he says, "You'll have to tell me, sometime," and then, "though I suppose it is good that one of us knows something, at least."

She nods, and sips her mimosa, and the mood calms.

After brunch, he takes her riding. She picks her own steed, bonding with a lovely mare, and the stablehands deftly saddle the horse. Matthias and Embla have their own horses, and Fedyor isn't picky. They spend a lovely afternoon walking gently through nature, the grounds of the estate perfect for an afternoon ride. Embla wins a race over a field – Matthias isn't surprised, his sister was born to ride a horse – and Nina comes a close second. Her joyful laughter as she gallops with the wind in her hair will figure in his dreams tonight, he's sure.

When they're sweaty and tired and smelling of horse, he picks a leaf out of her hair and asks her quietly if he might take her on a date tonight.

"Now?" She inquires, gesturing at herself. "Or after I've showered?"

"I don't mind you smelling like horses, but perhaps cleaning up would be nice."

"And what shall I wear?"

She is tilting her head and looks like she is trying to figure out where he'll be taking her, but smart enough not to ask outright, as though she knows he likes surprising her.

"Something pretty casual."

Nina groans. "That's vague!"

"You can okay your outfit with me," Embla offers, exiting her horse's stall and linking her arm with Nina's. "I know where you're going!"

Nina looks calculating, her eyes flashing to Embla and back to Matthias.

"Good luck getting anything out of her," Matthias laughs, sketching a bow and saying, "I'll be seeing you in an hour or so, then."

"An hour," Nina grumbles to Embla behind him as he leaves. "Does he ( know what it takes to look this pretty?"

The restaurant is a hole in the wall – almost literally. It is tiny and cozy and makes the best burgers in town.

The owner is also quite happy to reserve the whole place for Matthias (for a price, of course, Matthias wouldn't want him to lose money), and his serving staff are lovely and cheerful.

Nina's outfit is perfect and comfortable, and Matthias nods to their security team when they enter the place. His men have been here before, and they fan out to settle into their spots easily. The owner always provides them with takeaway for when their shifts are over, and sometimes Matthias thinks if anyone wanted to kill him, they'd just have to bring a big enough bribe of fries for his guards.

He shakes the thought away and focuses on Nina.

She's looking around curiously, and when they've been seated and given a menu, she scans it excitedly, asking him about his favorites and what he recommends. Nina's wearing some sort of shimmery eyeshadow that glitters in the low light, and he's so focused on her eyes with their long dark lashes that he almost forgets to answer.

When they've ordered and are as alone as they can be, she asks,

"What do you want out of this marriage, Matthias?"

"A partner in life," he answers instantly, without thinking, and then broadens his explanation. "Someone to share the daily things with as well as the official ones. And if we find friendship and love, that would be ideal."

"Do you wish to live together? To share a bedroom?"

"If you'd be amenable to that."

"I would," she smiles. "I'd like to build a home of our own. Somewhere to raise our children."

He can imagine the pitter patter of small feet in a warm home, and smiles. "I want our children to know a normal life, as well as the courtly one."

She nods in agreement, and they continue discussing childrearing and the good and bad in their own childhoods until the burgers arrive.

Nina insists on photographs – of him, them, the food and the place – which the waitress takes patiently.

"I'd like to have the memories," she says. "This is our first date, after all, so the photos need to exist for future scrapbooks."

Turns out Nina loves photos, photo albums and scrapbooks, and has many ideas for their wedding photographer on what kind of pictures she'd like.

"Honestly, you can have free reign over that if you want," Matthias says. "I already told mother and Embla all the details I want to include in the wedding, but anything else you are free to mold to your liking."

It's not that he doesn't care, he just thinks some parts are more important to him than others, and he wants the wedding to reflect both of them. Also, he wants to build a relationship full of discussion and compromise.

When he says this, Nina looks as though she might cry.

She waves it away with a smile, and instead praises the food – first to him and then to the owner until the old man blushes. They end the meal with a mouthwatering brownie and a promise to return here soon to try more items on the menu.

All in all, he feels the day has been a success, and when he kisses her cheek before they part, the look in her eyes is so soft and open that he can't help but say,

"I look forward to a hundred more dates with you, Nina."

"Perhaps even thousands," she breathes and goes up on her tiptoes to kiss him gently. "Thank you for today, Matthias."