Chapter Text
The ornate box sat in the middle of the stone table and Sasuke could feel the heat radiating from within it all the way from where he sat. One of his hands was resting on the hilt of his sword strapped around his waist, the other arm rested atop the table next to a goblet of wine. He kept his hand remarkably still despite the urge to tap his fingers as a way to release a bit of the tension roiling inside him.
The silence in the room was thick, with only the flickering of the burning logs in the fireplace and the small sounds of his nephew buffering it. He had studied every corner of the large room since he first set foot in it, but as he had nothing better to do while he waited, he studied it again.
The stone walls, the large fireplace warming the room, the positions of the guards, the banners of House Hyuga, embroidered in silver thread that caught the morning light spilling through the high windows.
His older brother was seated beside him, a quiet and steady presence. Itachi had not spoken to him yet since they arrived, knowing better to leave him be when he was in this prickly state, but he had murmured soft words to his wife. Izumi had commented on how she found the tapestry beautiful and Sasuke’s bored gaze trailed towards the wall it was hung on to study it in more detail.
Dragons in mid-flight were woven into the huge tapestry by skilled artisans, large and elegant, outlined by gold threads to make them stand out. A notable contrast between the two Houses. The tapestries of remarkably elegant and powerful scenes of dragons flying and dancing served as decoration throughout the keep.
House Uchiha had murals painted of gruesome battles and blood. There was nothing elegant nor beautiful about it.
The distant sounds of footsteps approaching echoed through the corridor outside. They were softened by layers of weathered stone, little more than distant heartbeats reverberating through the keep, until the great oak doors groaned open beneath the hands of the guards.
Lord Hiashi entered with the quiet authority of a man long accustomed to command, his retainers following several paces behind with practised discipline. Each one as stone-faced as him, and as cold as the wind cutting through the coast of their territory.
Sasuke felt his body go unnaturally still when his gaze settled onto the pale eyed woman trailing behind the head of House Hyuga.
She was more beautiful than any of the accounts had described. None of the reports he read did her justice. Hinata Hyuga looked less like a noblewoman and more like a fragment of moonlight that had wandered into the mortal world.
Her skin was unblemished and pale as snow. Dark, glossy hair cascaded over her shoulders, the upper half gathered into an intricate arrangement woven with silver ornaments that shimmered whenever she moved, each tiny jewel catching the light like distant stars.
While Sasuke was dressed in black and armour, she was dressed in a pale dress that trailed behind her like the wispy tail of a comet across the night sky.
She did not look at him. Her gaze was turned to the ornate box on the table and the chests piled at the foot of it. The gifts that he had brought.
“Do not ruin this,” Itachi murmured quietly beside him as they both raised up to stand and receive their hosts. His voice was an equal measure of exasperated fondness and cold reprimand.
He did not need the reminder. He knew the significance of this moment and what was at stake. Sasuke’s hand was a clenched fist beside his sword, a part of him wary of his own tendencies to ruin and destroy things. But this was something he absolutely could not risk.
He silently fell in step behind his brother as they approached Lord Hiashi. The imposing man assessed them with a stillness that made him feel displaced in his own skin. He did not miss the way Lord Hiashi’s stony gaze had taken in the presence of Itachi’s wife and the toddler in her arms.
Sasuke watched the understanding happen behind those pale eyes of what their intentions were. He had not agreed with his brother about his decision to bring his family with them. It was too dangerous and his nephew was the future heir to their House. But now he understood the deliberateness of Itachi’s decision, to paint a portrait of harmlessness and invite trust.
Hinata was quieter than he expected. The way she held herself seemed deliberate, as though she was willing her mere presence into something unnoticeable. But Sasuke noticed. He had noticed her from the start, the way her shoulders were tensed since she walked in, her fingers gripping tightly onto each other.
Her pale eyes had shifted from the ornate box to his nephew. Something softened slightly in her gaze as his nephew made a soft noise that toddlers around his age were prone to make before they learned to speak. Sasuke catalogued that expression and filed it away.
The moment they stood in front of their hosts, Itachi and Lord Hiashi exchanged a firm handshake. It was then that Hinata’s gaze finally settled on him for the first time. He deliberately made eye contact, partly curious to know how she would react and partly because he wanted her to look at him.
She did not look away immediately as he expected her to. Her eyes met his and he could feel the assessment happen before she glanced away to smile politely at Itachi when he spoke.
She smiled at his brother, not him.
“Thank you for having us, Lord Hiashi,” Itachi said with all the diplomatic charm of an heir. “We truly appreciate the escort your lordship arranged for us through the borders.”
Sasuke glanced down at the hilt of his sword so that he couldn’t make the mistake of rolling his eyes. Give it to his brother to make the ordeal sounded in good faith. The Hyugas had sent two dragonriders more than was necessary. A contingency for each of their dragons.
Hiashi did not smile. Sasuke halfheartedly wondered if he even knew how to. But he did incline his head slightly, his pale eyes assessing.
“We are honoured to welcome your arrival, Lord Itachi.” There was no warmth in his tone despite the words. “You and your family must be exhausted from your long journey. We have prepared a feast in your honour.”
Itachi smiled, lifting a hand to place it behind his wife’s back. A radiant expression brightened Izumi’s face at the touch as she relaxed into it. They shared a private little glance before engaging in polite conversation about their travels.
Sasuke resisted a long suffering sigh. He was too tired and frustrated from the week of travel through the climate up north, and was not in the mood for these diplomatic small talks. It all felt pointless to him. Everyone in this room, sans his nephew, knew the reason behind their visit. Yet they were tiptoeing around the topic, ignoring the elephant in the room.
It made his skin prickle to play along with the pretense, to perform.
He wasn’t completely onboard with Itachi’s strategy on how they, well he, should approach this situation and secure an engagement. But their father and the council had agreed to it and Sasuke had no choice in the matter but to be the puppet on their strings.
Bored of half listening to the conversation, he noted that Hinata’s attention had wavered too. Her gaze had trailed back towards the ornate box, quietly watching with a curiosity she did not dare voice nor act on. He studied her, knowing that she was aware of his attention but firmly ignoring it.
Sasuke felt his brother’s gaze on him and controlled the urge to roll his eyes at what that subtle look meant. Itachi was commanding him to perform. Even though that was the purpose he was meant to fulfill, the role he was bound by duty to play, it didn’t mean that he liked it. Not one bit.
For the sake of his House, Sasuke swallowed his pride and stepped towards the willowy heiress that looked like she was a shard of a comet fragmented from the heavens to grace their mortal presence.
Her pale gaze flickered up to him when he stopped before her and bowed curtly. She hesitated for the briefest of moments before returning the bow, her hands elegantly folded over her middle.
“My lady,” he started. Sasuke deliberately catalogued her reaction to his voice. It was subtle but it was there, in the form of a small intake of breath. “It would seem that one of the gifts I brought for you has caught your attention. Shall we take a closer look?”
He offered her his forearm that she stared at with the poised detachment that the Hyugas were known for, though it did not contain as much of the coldness that the rest of her House did.
Hinata raised her chin slightly. It made her look regal, instead of haughty, even though she was essentially looking down at his chivalrous offer. Her gaze finally met his again, inciting an inexplicable feeling to course through his body at the attention.
“If you insist, my lord.”
Her voice was soft, like the wind, or a snowflake before it perished. He wanted to hear it again.
Sasuke fought down the involuntary tilt of his mouth before it could happen. “I insist.”
Hinata did not speak again. She slid her hand over his forearm, her palm sliding over the leather wrapped around it. Her fingertips moved along the texture of it inquisitively before she caught herself in the act and her hand stopped, resting stiffly atop his forearm. Sasuke pretended not to notice and led her to the stone table, completely aware of all the eyes on them.
In particular, Lord Hiashi’s. It was cold and calculative, tracking his every move in his daughter’s proximity. Whereas Itachi’s were weighted with expectation and hope, which were a different kind of suffocation in itself.
Sasuke moved away from Hinata to drag the heavy box closer to the edge of the table before unlatching the complicated clasps on it. He kept his gaze on her as he lifted the hinged lid, at the way her shoulders tensed at the reveal. Inside, nestled within a dented cushion and emitting steam, was a scaly black dragon egg.
Standing this close to it, he could almost feel the pulse of the heartbeat inside the egg. He was certain Hinata could feel it too.
As people started to crowd closer for a glance, aware of the gravity that the gift entailed, Hinata’s lashes fluttered before she looked up at him with an unreadable expression. Sasuke held her gaze, intent on unravelling what that look meant.
It was at that precise moment that the rumbling roar of a dragon cut through the exhaustive exchanges. It poured into the room from the open windows and the terrace, loud enough to reverberate in their bones.
None of the Hyugas had startled at the roar of an Uchiha dragon. Not even the youngest daughter who now stood close to her sister. In fact, they all turned to regard what was beyond the terrace with an ingrained calmness that Sasuke was almost envious of. The Uchihas, though pragmatic and outwardly stoic, were not exactly known for their ability to remain cold and collected. They burned as furiously and consumingly as the fiery breaths of their dragons.
Their temperament and extremity were widely known. To cross an Uchiha was to wish for something worse than death. It was something even the most arrogant of dragon lords understood. Though their reputation might not be able to deter their enemies for much longer, not with the taste of war hanging in the air that had corrupted the hunger for powers in some.
Hence the political necessity for this alliance.
House Uchiha’s reputation, mixed with their isolation, had created a less than ideal situation for them that threatened their position in the war, should it come to one. It could lead to their demise, should the other dragon lords decide to join forces and oppose them. They have much to gain from eradicating House Uchiha. It would be one less threat to worry about on the chessboard.
“That must be Vrarnok,” Itachi said simply, though Sasuke recognised the particular smile he was wearing. “He is quite restless and impatient because he is still young, but he will grow out of it.”
He squared his shoulders, waiting for the right timing. When Itachi was certain he had caught everyone’s inquisitive attention, he gestured a hand towards the terraces and Sasuke took it as his cue to offer Hinata his hand this time. She looked at it, then at him, her mouth pressed into a thin line. She lifted her hand, but did not place it in his. She evaded it to rest her hand on his forearm.
Trailing after Hiashi, the Hyuga entourage that was present stepped out onto the terrace one by one, others remained by the windows to peer outside. Sasuke led Hinata to the stone bannister, into the morning air, brisk with the cold northern wind. He watched her body freeze at the sight of the three dragons resting beyond the courtyard. Their reddish, spiked scales mixed with black were a sight to behold, as were their crimson eyes and vicious features.
The dragons of House Uchiha were creatures of nightmares, and they had brought one as a gift to the noble House of Hyuga. Hinata looked away from the dragons to look at him. There was that same expression on her face from before, the same stillness. He recognised now that it was resignation and a profound sadness.
Sasuke did not look away from it. He stared at her emotions the way he had always stared at the face of death. Unyieldingly.
Sasuke let out the sigh that he had been withholding since he had set foot in the stone hall. It was heavy, weighted with everything he had endured through the afternoon.
Not even the delicious feast was enough to justify the suffocation he felt. He was seated between Hinata and her sister during the lunch, an arrangement made by the Hyugas to foster good relations. He had forced himself to engage Hinata in conversation, pressured by the incessant looks Itachi had thrown his way from across the table.
Yet Hinata had remained cold and distant, though still polite. It was an odd contradiction that she was miraculously able to balance. Sasuke ended up having to endure the younger Hyuga’s odd questions and their male cousin’s death glares the entire afternoon instead of fostering any sort of relation with Hinata, who seemed intent on giving him the coldest of shoulders.
He felt a fool, talking to deaf ears and still swallowing his pride to make more conversation. The Uchihas were a prideful bunch, and Sasuke wasn’t sure if he could swallow any more pride before he lost it completely.
He had barely sat down on the bed of the room he was provided, as they were to be staying here for two goddamned months, when the door to his room was opened without a knock. Sasuke groaned as Itachi invited himself in. He pinned his older brother with a ready glare.
“What do you want?” he asked through gritted teeth.
He only held onto his composure and refrained from raising his voice because his sister-in-law walked in behind Itachi with his nephew in her arms. The young Uchiha blinked calmly at him, unimpressed by the dark frown on his uncle’s face.
“I am of the knowledge that Lady Hinata is out on a walk,” Itachi said mildly, though Sasuke knew better.
He glowered at him. “Have you not tortured me enough?”
Itachi sighed. “Have you not outgrown your dramatics, little brother?”
Sasuke’s frown deepened and he turned his face away to look at the bleak scenery outside his window. There was dusting of snow on rocky edges, surrounded by a treacherous sea. It was all drifting snow and rocks here. Not that the Uchiha’s territory was any different, but at least they didn’t have this miserable cold.
“Do not antagonise him, Itachi.” Izumi, the only voice of reason, chided as she shot her husband a look.
Itachi let out another sigh. “Invite yourself on her walk.”
Sasuke clenched his jaw. He debated on whether he had enough energy to sit through his brother’s lecture if he ignored the order, then promptly stood from the bed when he decided that he did not.
“Remember to be chivalrous and offer her your arm.”
Sasuke ignored the unsolicited advice as he roughly shouldered past his brother and stalked down the cold, unfamiliar stone halls.