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Being ostracized hurt. The way he'd be treated for being different was always stressful. By entering this type of relationship, he was inviting more scorn. As long as he had his partners by his side, he knew it'd be okay. He wanted it to last forever. Or at least the rest of his life. There was only one way he knew how to do that. A way that'd bind their hearts together forevermore. There was only one problem. Who? Who was he going to marry? He couldn't marry them both, as far as he knew.
Either way, the three of them would be together forever. And yet, he could only make it official with one of them. Ignatius may be a bit disappointed if he didn't choose him. He was also worried he may feel he wasn't good enough. Although, Rhajat could also fall down the same rabbit hole. If anything, she could be more likely between the two of them. But she didn't want Ignatius to feel left out.
He put his head in his hands. He couldn't even start planning considering that Ignatius and Rhajat's aesthetics were so different. It felt like he was between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't help but sigh. Why couldn't people just let him love who he wants to love. He wasn't hurting anyone, and neither were Ignatius and Rhajat.
Complaining about his issues with society wasn't going to get him anywhere though. That was just the world they lived in, and he had to figure out how to navigate it. He wasn't the most knowledgeable on politics, but he highly doubted he could just talk to his Uncle Xander and ask him to make it legal or whatever, king or not.
He wondered if he should just talk to them about it. They could work it out. He wanted it to be a surprise though. The look on either of their faces once he pops the question on one knee... he was sure it'd be engraved in his mind forever. He wondered if there was some legal loop hole about it. Then again, if there was he'd probably know, considering some would abuse it. He knew his grandfather had multiple partners, but he was king, who was gonna tell him no? He was the king's nephew, but still. Plus he wasn't married to them as far as he knew.
He hadn't even gotten around to buying a ring. He was looking at two different ones. A black one with a rose shaped diamond for Rhajat, and a clear white diamond for Ignatius. Granted, he could buy both without any issue, he was royalty after all. Money was no object. The best thing he could think of was to talk to his Father about it. He was smart, if anyone knew what to do, it'd be him. He wasn't the most knowledgeable on matters of the heart he felt, but when it came to legality and plans, he had few equals. The man was a tactician after all. He'd spoken to him about it before, and he said he'd look into it.
"Hm..." Leo grunted. "Father... As you suspected, wasn't married to my mother. He was only married to Xander's mother and later, Azura's. The rest of our mothers were more mistresses than anything."
Forrest nodded. He didn't want to ask any more about the logistics. He knew it was a traumatizing event for him as well as his aunts and uncles. From his understanding there were even more kids than them, but they didn't survive. Forrest's life wasn't perfect, growing up in a deeprealm and all, but he at least didn't have to deal with that. He was glad he tried to give him a better childhood than he had. Even if, granted, the deeprealms were far from a perfect solution.
He put a fist on his cheek. "Do you have any ideas?"
Leo started rubbing his chin. "Forgive me if this sounds insensitive, but do you have to be married?"
Forrest tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Well... You are a prince. You can't legally bind yourself to both Ignatius and Rhajat... but would that change anything? They'd still be part of the family as far as all of us are concerned. As for a wedding, sure it wouldn't be official but couldn't you have it anyway? You could even propose to both. You could even go as far as to legally marry one of them if you want, but have both of them involved in the wedding. Not to mention, Siegbert is going to inherit the throne. There isn't as much pressure on you to bring in another king or queen."
Forrest paused. As much as he wanted to do things properly... he'd never been that kinda person. His Father had a point. Did he really gain much from making it official? Granted, he wanted it to be official, but he wouldn't mind taking what he could get. It was a shame but... it was manageable. That way he wouldn't have to leave either of them out of the wedding. He could invite whoever he wanted. As the gears in his head began to turn, a smile started to creep onto his face.
"I think you're right Father. I can just do that! I can marry them both and we can have a huge wedding for the three of us!"
Leo smiled. "I'm glad I can help. Hopefully we'll one day live in a world where this kind of thing isn't necessary. However, I do feel this is the next best thing."
Forrest leapt out of his chair. "I'm gonna go grab their rings!"
Leo's eyes widened. "Wait, now?"
"No time like the present!"
Leo chuckled. "I guess not. If your mind is made up, godspeed my son."
Forrest ran out of the room, feeling lighter. He hoped that Rhajat and Ignatius would be okay with the arrangements. Maybe a bit disappointed, but they weren't with him so they'd get into the royal family. They were with him because they loved him. And he'd get as close to showing that love off as he possibly could.
It had taken a few days, but Forrest felt he had everything he needed. He knew Rhajat nor Ignatius would want to do it in public. They'd both get anxious with everyone looking at them. He had rehearsed it a few times. He had purchased both rings. He took a deep breath. It didn't have to be perfect. He knew that they'd accept. Even with that knowledge, there was a bit of tightness in his chest. What if they didn't like it? What if they said no? Not to sound arrogant, but he couldn't think of many reasons why they would. Emotions were rarely logical though. Anxiety was rarely logical.
The only thing he could think of is them not liking the arrangement. Which, to be fair, wasn't impossible. He could always explain his thought process, but even then now that he was closer to the possibility of a rejection, he couldn't help but feel tense. He gently yet firmly smacked his face. He couldn't fall apart now. Not when he was so close. Rhajat and Ignatius were on there way. He hoped the only tears today would be of joy.
"I've got this... Everything is going to be okay..."
He looked at the door. They still hadn't arrived. He hoped for the sake of his nerves it'd be soon. He wasn't at risk of a meltdown or anything, but his heart sure was racing. The longer he had to wait, the more his brain bullied him as well. Filling him with concerns that his logical side knew weren't true. The idea that either of them would be disgusted at the mere idea of a proposal. The worst case scenario would be a no, but they'd still be dating.
There was no chance that it'd cause a break up. Yet it didn't stop him from being nervous. He wished that the mountain of unrealistic possibilities would just... go away, never to return. He decided to shift his mind to something else. Less things would get worse. He needed to think positive, like what they'd serve at the wedding, who'd show up... He started giggling to himself. Both of his Father's would try to stay stoic, but they'd probably break. Nina would love to help them figure things out. His uncles and aunts would all be there too. Camilla and Elise would cry too, as would Aunt Corrin. In fact, Elise would probably want to be a flower girl.
His cousin Siegbert, who acted like a big brother to him, would love to be there. He had to think of the intricacies of how exactly they'd get a polyamorous marriage to work. Would he and Ignatius wait while Hayato walked Rhajat down the aisle? Or perhaps both of them would, since he's the one who proposed. That was something he needed to discuss with them once they arrived. The thoughts grounded him, bringing him back to reality. He had to be confident. There was no reason not to be.
He heard the door creak, prompting him to look up. The time had come. He stood up and put the ring boxes in his pocket. He quickly took a deep breath, needing to remind himself once again, there was nothing to be worried about. The worst they can do is say no, and they could talk about the problems and make it work another time.
The door fully opened, writing his fate into stone. Ignatius and Rhajat walked inside and smiled at Forrest once they noticed him.
"Morning Forrest." Rhajat greeted.
"What's up?" Ignatius asked.
Forrest looked to the side for a moment. He then nodded to himself and smiled.
"There's... something I wanted to talk to you two about. Oh, it's nothing bad!"
Rhajat sighed. "Thank you for starting with that."
"Yeah..." Ignatius agreed.
"It's... been a while since we've met. The three of us have been through a lot. We've laughed together, we've cried together, we've protected each other... Even aside from the Valla stuff. It's been a crazy ride, and I'm happy that it was with you two. You've both always been there for me. Through my highs, and through my lows. I really appreciate how much you've done for me. I guess I just... want to pay you back for all of that. This is the best way that I know how. I wanted to give you two gifts." Forrest leaned down on one knee, prompting both of his partners to gasp. He pulled out both of his ring boxes. "I want both of you... to join the Nohrian royal family. Er... sort of. It won't be official, but I refuse to pick between you. You both mean too much to me, and I cannot and will not ostracize either of the people who will always stand by my side. We'll have a big 3 way wedding, wherever we agree on. It doesn't matter as long as we're together. So... what do you think?"
Rhajat and Ignatius looked towards each other for a few seconds. Rhajat blinked a few times, as her hands trembled. She eventually brought her hands to her mouth as her eyes narrowed. A tear fell down her face while she sniffled.
"I... dammit..."
Ignatius closed his eyes, but seemed pretty calm otherwise. He was keeping himself together better than Rhajat was, but even he wasn't unreadable. He rubbed his eyes gently, and started smiling. He looked towards his future wife, who was still trying to hold herself together.
"I'd love to Forrest. Our titles don't matter. How we feel does." Ignatius told him.
Rhajat inhaled. "I... Yes. I'm more than okay with this. Thank you... so much. I'd love to make the two of you my husbands."
Forrest grinned. He started feeling even sillier about being anxious earlier. The Nohrian prince put down the rings and took Rhajat's out of it's box. Rhajat put her hand out, and he gently slid the ring onto her. He then took Ignatius' hand and did the same. As soon as he stood up, the two tackled him back onto the ground before embracing him. Rhajat kissed his left cheek, while Ignatius kissed his right. There was still much to do. Much planning, and much strife in their future. But none of them were scared. They were excited if anything. Excited to see what the future held for the three of them. Their future as one.