Chapter Text
“Ready?”
Ikaris let out a long, drawn out, agonised sigh. “Do I have a choice?”
“Come on,” Gilgamesh chuckled, walking over to the prince examining himself in the mirror, “your Highness. You’ve known this was coming for a long time.”
“Unfortunately,” he grumbled as Gil stepped behind him and brushed off the jacket of his royal attire.
“No cape?”
“Should I wear it?”
And that was the core of Ikaris–the Ikaris who Gilgamesh had known for half their lives. The boy who snuck into the training barracks so he could learn to protect himself and the silver spoon shoved into his mouth by his lineage.
Gil shrugged, “maybe not. It makes you look shorter.”
“What?!”
Gilgamesh laughed, tossing his head back and holding his hands on his hips. The light armour he wore for everyday work clanked as he moved. “You have nothing to worry about, okay? I’m sure the Princess will like you.”
“I don’t need her to like me,” Ikaris growled, going back to examining himself and judging how ‘kingly’ he could appear. “I need our kingdoms to be aligned against a common enemy.”
Gil sighed; the prince could be deeply insecure at times. “It is recommended that the woman you’re going to marry, like you–at least a little.”
“I don’t believe my father had any kind regards for my mother.”
Well, his father was another breed of monster, not that Gilgamesh could so much as think the thought too loudly, lest he be drawn and quartered for treason against the late King Arishem. He was a lot of the reason Ikaris was the way he was: a stressed out martyr who couldn’t hold a conversation for the life of him. “You are not your father…your Highness.”
Ikaris sighed, turning to Gil with a hint of a smile. “Let’s get this over with.”
“That’s the spirit,” Gil snorted, but opened the door for Ikaris to exit the chambers. “What do you know of the Princess?”
“Not much,” he shrugged as they made their way to the castle courtyard. It was a long walk. “Supposedly she’s the oldest of King Tiamut, who died quite young. She’s been heading their kingdom for quite a long time.”
“Why marry you, then?” Gil raised a brow, although Ikaris glared at him for it. “No offense.”
Ikaris rolled his eyes. “She’s good at war, but their kingdom is a lot smaller than ours. Between us, we might stand a chance against those deviants from the north.”
“I heard we caught more of them at the border,” Gil frowned, relaying the status report he’d received just that morning from his guards stationed in the field. “They’re getting hungrier.”
“Then let’s not feed the beast.”
Ikaris took his place on his late father’s throne, tall and regal, all wide shoulders and a humourless expression. The Captain of the Guard stood behind him, as always, “welcome the Princess in.”
“Princesses,” his father’s old advisor whispered from off to the side, “your Highness.”
Indeed, two women walked into the throne room, dresses trailing on the rich red carpet leading them to the thrones. They walked calmly, with impeccable posture, one smiling pleasantly and the other, just as hard masked as Ikaris.
“Your Highness,” they both greeted, bowing to him cordially. The one in green curtsied with grace, bowing her head to him. The other clearly had grace, but offered a sad excuse for a curtsy/bow, refusing to take her eyes off him.
Ikaris accepted the greetings, rising from the throne and walking down to them. The one in the front was the eldest, obviously. She was blonde–almost alarmingly so. He had to admit that she was clearly a beautiful woman, no matter how much her relentless staring lacked charm. Ikaris raised her hand to his lips. “I welcome you.”
“We are honoured.”
“Your Highness,” the blonde stood back, gesturing to the sister behind her. “Sersi is my younger sister.”
She was lovely. Her eyes were wide and doe-brown, emphasizing the doll-like contrast of her beautiful features and her more delicate bone structure. Her black hair framed her face, bringing out the beauty mark by her lips and on her chin.
Ikaris bowed his head down, kissing her hand gently, “I am happy you could make the journey.”
A giggle escaped the younger princess, “Thena insisted I come along. I hope we haven’t impositioned your Highness.”
She was sweet, so gentle sounding, “of course not. Gilgamesh!”
Thena’s eyes rose as the royal guard left his post behind the throne and came to his Highness’ side. She watched him.
“This is the Captain of my royal guard and right hand, Gilgamesh,” Ikaris introduced him properly. “He will make sure your Highnesses are safe. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call for him.”
“The pleasure is ours,” Sersi smiled easily, curtsying needlessly to the member of the royal court. She looked at her sister, “Thena?”
“Of course.”
Ikaris raised a brow but kept quiet. Gilgamesh had turned a peculiar colour.
Thena raised her hand slowly. Gilgamesh dropped to his knee, removing his leather glove and grasping her hand more delicately than a flower petal. She allowed him to bring it to his lips, touching them to the knuckle of her hand with appropriate reverence.
The Princess stepped back, her hand leaving his slowly, fingers trailing against fingers.
Sersi met his Highness’ eyes before rushing hers away. She was not supposed to be on friendly terms with his Highness, even if he was about to be betrothed to her sister. Her job as the younger was to observe Thena, learn the ways of the kingdom soon to be part their own.
Thena stepped closer to Sersi again.
“Have you seen the rest of the castle?” Ikaris asked genially. He knew what to say and how to act. It was sounding like he meant it that was the problem.
“Not as of yet, your Highness,” Sersi answered, and then shrank back behind Thena again. She wasn’t supposed to talk over her sister.
But Thena smiled, moving so Sersi had less of her to hide behind. Sersi was just as tall as she was, when she wasn’t trying to shrink herself down away from attention. “Sersi loves flowers, your Highness. Perhaps she could see the castle gardens.”
“Right away,” Ikaris nodded, already striding ahead to lead them. He stopped, remembering his place; he cleared his throat, extending a hand. “Your Highness.”
He wasn’t even looking at her. Thena glanced at Sersi, who raised her brows. Thena sighed, dropping her hand into the Prince’s.
Sersi fell in step behind them, watching her sister walk hand-in-awkward-hand with the Prince. They were both clearly uncomfortable, and Sersi wondered if maybe Prince Ikaris wasn’t as bad a match for her sister as she’d feared. They might even be more alike than once thought.
Gilgamesh’s steps were louder than hers as he walked just slightly behind her.
Sersi slowed her pace, but so did he. She grasped the skirt of her dress, looking at him over her shoulder. “Captain?”
“Yes, your Highness?”
She smiled though, hoping to tempt him into more casual conversation. Thena always told her that her smile could charm the best of men. “Indulge me in conversation, if you would.”
The man blinked, obviously surprised by her forthcoming friendliness. “Uh, o-of course, your Highness.”
Sersi fell in step with him properly, lifting her dress as they followed the Prince and her sister towards the gardens. She nodded her head in their direction, “what do you think?”
The Captain turned a faint pink, and Sersi held back a charmed laugh. “O-Of her Highness?”
“Of them,” Sersi clarified, watching as they attempted the beginning of a conversation. It was painful to witness. “I’m afraid my sister is gifted in many things, but pleasantries are not among them.”
The Captain chuckled, trying to hide it as he was. “Same goes for his Highness. He’s a great ruler!–he just…doesn’t get out much.”
“He does seem very nice,” Sersi let out in a sigh. She blushed, worried she might sound untoward, but the Captain didn’t seem offended by her confession.
“I’m glad you think so, your Highness,” he admitted easily. “He was pretty nervous.”
“Nervous?”
Gilgamesh nodded, watching as the Prince and Princess walking ahead of them spoke quietly, seeming to get better at conversing. He darted his eyes away again. “He–his Highness, that is. He has a lot of pressure on him. It can make him…obstinate.”
“My sister is quite like that I think,” Sersi held her skirts a little tighter. “She had to become regent of our kingdom at a very young age. I barely remember a time she could smile without trouble.”
“I bet her smile is lovely.”
Sersi’s eyebrows shot to her hairline. She looked at the Captain, who was once again the colour of a wild rose. “I daresay she does.”
He floundered, moving his arms and clanking his armour as he did (which only worsened his fluster). “F-Forgive me, y-your Highness, I didn’t-”
“There is nothing to forgive, Captain,” Sersi rushed to assure him, smiling as Ikaris and Thena turned to the flurry with matching frowns. She waved at them, assuring things were fine. She caught Thena’s eyes lingering on the royal guard before turning away again.
Gilgamesh decided maybe it was best if he stopped trying to talk to the Princess–Princesses, plural.
“I hope you get to see it.” Sersi let go of her dress, finally loosening enough to let her shoulders down. Her hair bounced around her shoulders as she did, “I think it’s the best smile in the world.”
Gilgamesh smiled, moved by the simple yet loving sentence expressing Sersi’s adoration of her older sister. “I bet it is.”
“Here we are.”
Thena smiled as Sersi rushed out ahead of them. She was forgetting the royal manners driven into their heads since birth. She was rather good at it, after all. But Thena adored that part of her. Sersi was much more of a human being than she was, she felt.
Sersi ran to the first blooming bush of flowers, fine dress and shoes be damned. She leaned over it, her hair free in the breeze and the sun catching the smaller, emerald decorated tiara on her head. “Thena, they have hydrangeas!”
Thena smiled, watching her sister act most unbecoming of a princess but very much herself. “Sersi adores all manners of nature. She studies the texts of naturalists, reads about plants, animals.”
“What a,” Ikaris paused, watching the younger princess’ hair catch the light as she bounded over to their climbing wisteria, “lovely quality.”
“I certainly think so,” Thena glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Sersi had technically disrespected him greatly, not only as their host but as the Prince. She had rushed out ahead of them, hadn’t waited for an escort, and now was jumping around and shouting. They were things Thena perhaps indulged a bit too much at home, but if he wasn’t going to throw a fit over it…
“She seems so happy,” he smiled.
Thena kept quiet. She still didn’t know what to make of his Highness, her supposed betrothed if their diplomatic trip went well. But if he could respect - and even admire - this side of Sersi, then Thena could appreciate that about him at least.
Sersi was now addressing a garden attendant directly–excitedly, much to the worker’s shock and dismay. But her charm worked its magic, as always, and the attendant held out a hand, gesturing to the roses they were trimming. “Could I?”
“Please, your Highness.”
Thena smiled again as Sersi buried her nose in the bloom, sure to emerge with pollen on it. She glanced beside her, but it wasn’t Ikaris’ eye she met. It was Gilgamesh’s. He smiled at her, nodding his head. It seemed he didn’t have any qualms about Sersi’s behaviour either. She had noticed them talking as they made their way to the gardens.
“We have a willow tree as well!”
All three heads turned as Ikaris announced it, jogging over to Sersi in his own display of undignified behaviour. His hand touched her shoulder, gesturing in its direction. Sersi gasped. “I-”
Thena nodded to her, “please.”
Ikaris nodded to her as well, even as his hand grasped Sersi’s gently, leading her toward the inner grounds and the promise of a blooming willow tree.
Thena looked at the royal guard again, “I suppose that leaves me in your care, Captain. If you would be so kind.”
“My honour, your Highness.”
Thena looked down at his hand as he extended it to her. Technically, he could act as her escort as he would perform his guarding duties: walking slightly behind her, keeping vigil. But she dropped her hand into his again, letting him walk beside her, their hands suspended between them. It came far easier than it had with Ikaris.